Monday, April 15, 2013

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night


by Joyce Sidman
illustrated by Rick Allen

image by Barnes & Noble
Sidman, Joyce. Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night. Ill. Rick Allen. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010. ISB: 978-0-547-15228-8.


Poetic Elements

This award winning picture poem book is the culmination of Joyce Sidman’s curiosity about the mystery of darkness and creatures of the night, especially in the forest. In the opening poem of Dark Emperor, Sidman welcomes readers to the night: “To you who make the forest sing,/ who dip and dodge on silent wing,/ who flutter, hover, clasp, and cling:/ Welcome to the night!/ Come feel the cool and shadowed breeze,/ come smell your way among the trees,/ come touch rough bark and leathered leaves:/ Welcome to the night!” She continues to share her passion for the night with similes comparing mushrooms to various things in “The Mushrooms Come”: “Like noses pink,/ in midnight air,/ like giants’ ears,/ like elfin hair,/ like ancient cities/ built on cliffs,/ the mushrooms come,/ the mushrooms come.” Sidman varies the poetic form and rhyme schemes throughout this set of twelve poems and even has the would-be prey (a mouse) narrate the title poem in the shape of the Great Horned Owl. “Perched missile,/ almost invisible, you/ preen silent feathers,/ swivel your sleek satellite / dish of head.”

Appeal

The appeal of Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night to young people is endless, from the unique and mystic illustrations to Sidman’s poetic descriptions of creatures such as snails, primrose moths, night –spiders, porcupettes, crickets, and bats. The sidebar of science concepts related to each poem enriches the reader’s insight and knowledge, making it a perfect fit for science curriculum. Sidman’s flair for language and rhyme expands linguistic abilities and stimulates the emotions and imagination of readers.

Overall Quality
All twelve poems included in Dark Emperor are consistent in quality and inform the reader with factual paragraphs of information on the page opposite each poem. They are stimulating to the imagination and rich in imagery and sensory language. Dark Emperor received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist and was the recipient of the following awards:
ALA Notable Children's Books 2011
Newbery Honor 2011
Librarian’s Choice 2010

The Poet
Joyce Sidman is the recipient of the 2013 NCTE Award for Excellence in Children’s Poetry. She has written numerous books of poetry, including Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems and Red Sings from Tree-tops, both Caldecott Honor books. She says Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night, a Newbery Honor book, was the product of her exploration as to why and how nocturnal creatures prefer the night and thrive in the dark. She lives with her family in Wayzata, Minnesota.

Illustrator, Rick Allen, lives and works with his wife, Marian Lansky, in Duluth, Minnesota. He prints wood engravings and linoleum cuts using multiple blocks and then hand colors them resulting in a very unique and creative look.

Layout
A full double page spread of an owl at sunset precedes the opening poem, “Welcome to the Night.” It is followed by a table of contents in alternating watercolors, blending nicely with the beautiful illustrations by Rick Allen. Most of the relief prints made from linoleum blocks are hand-finished with gouache, a heavily pigmented watercolor and complement Sidman’s poems beautifully. A full double page spread of an owl at sunrise concludes the book after the closing poem, “Moon’s Lament.” Included at the back of the book is a glossary, explaining less familiar terms and consistent with the alternating watercolor theme.

Spotlight Poem
“Welcome to the Night”
by Joyce Sidman

To all of you who crawl and creep,
who buzz and chirp and hoot and peep,
who wake at dusk and throw off sleep:
Welcome to the night.

To you who make the forest sing,
who dip and dodge on silent wing,
who flutter, hover, clasp, and cling:
Welcome to the night!

Come feel the cool and shadowed breeze,
come smell your way among the trees,
come touch rough bark and leathered leaves:
Welcome to the night.

The nights a sea of dappled dark,
the night’s a feast of sound and spark,
the night’s a wild, enchanted park.
Welcome to the night!

Poetry Break
Introduce this book by turning off most or all of the lights in the room, asking students to imagine they are in a woodland at night. Then, play sound recordings of the Great Horned Owl at: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/great_horned_owl/sounds

Extension Activity: Let pairs of students choose one of the creatures or things (and accompanying poem) of the night and do a short presentation on it based on information in the book and/or outside sources. They may utilize power point, Prezi, or any other web 2.0 technology tool. Then, they can perform the poem as a duet.




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