SHARING THE SEASONS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hopkins, Lee Bennett, ed. 2010. Sharing the Seasons. Ill. By David Diaz. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. ISBN 978-4169-1832-5.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

SHARING THE SEASONS is a collection of 48 poems chosen by Lee Bennett Hopkins. This is an upbeat collection which will teach the seasons to younger readers, while enriching the older ones. The poems are organized around each season with twelve poems per section, each bringing forth the mood and rhythm of its season. The book begins with Spring and then cycles through Summer, Fall and Winter. Lee Bennett Hopkins anchors each section by contributing the first poem. His second stanza is repetitive across all the sections with the pattern always / always introducing a vivid seasonal action, like always / always / cloud-bursting showers for Spring. The remaining authors vary, although some poets appear more than once. Readers might recognize contributors, like Marilyn Singer and April Wayland, from other poetry books. A poignant piece is the first page of each section, where Lee Bennett Hopkins gives a nod of respect to classic writers by including a snippet of their poetry with the seasonal word, such as Autumn, the year’s last, / loveliest smile written by William Cullen Bryant.

Each poem is accompanied by a rich dousing of color from illustrator David Diaz. Diaz plays with shadow and light in his illustrations, bringing forth a strong sense of lines and motion. His use of mixed media is reminiscent of Mexican paper lantern craftwork and give the poems a sense of fluidity from one season to the next.

There are many access points which help the reader to navigate the collection. A Table of Contents is provided and organized by season. The titles of the poem are in bold font with the author’s name following it, and then the page number to find the poem. Additionally, in the endpapers, there is an acknowledgments page which can serve as suggested further readings. This is followed by an Index of Titles. The poem titles are alphabetized for easy finding. There is also an Index of Authors. Here, the reader can pull out all of the poems of a specific author to reread. Finally, there is an Index of First Lines as the final access feature. Each first line of the poems is listed alphabetically. Perfect for the reader who remembers how it starts!

The poems themselves are a mixture of poetic style. Some of the poems are rhyming, some play with shape and others are free verse, but they share strong imagery which brings the seasons to life, as in Lily waves his stamens / Rosie swings her skirt / Daisy wonders who she loves / Daisy is a flirt from the poem Wildflowers by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater on page 34. Just like nature itself, the poems grow organically, nearly shouting out their love of the season they represent. These poems will leave the reader smiling and, for the older reader, nostalgic.

SPOTLIGHT POEM AND LESSON

This lesson idea is designed for Kinder-Second grade:

Read the poem Sand Castle by Constance Andrea Keremes on page 26. Here are the first four lines:

Sandra built a castle out of sand.

Eddie, Juan and Winnie lent a hand.

Winnie scooped out sand to make a moat.

In it Eddie placed a seashell boat.

After reading the poem, assign each line to a pair, or triad, of students to illustrate the scene on large construction paper. Once the illustrations are complete have them practice reciting their line. Rehearse reciting the line while holding up the illustration and then perform the poem for a buddy class.