Module 9: Poetry/Short Stories: Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars by Doug Florian

Summary: Easily accessible book of poetry on the topic of the solar system and beyond, punctuated by beautiful illustrations.

Citation: Florian, D. (2007). Comets, stars, the Moon, and Mars: space poems and paintings. Orlando: Harcourt Books.

My Thoughts: The beautiful illustrations in Comets, Stars, the Moon Mars, along with its simplistic, easily comprehensible poetry, serves to create a wonderful literary accompaniment to a unit on the solar system. I will certainly use this to support our Science program at school!

Reviews:

Carolyn Phelan (Booklist, Apr. 1, 2007 (Vol. 103, No. 15)

This large-format book looks at astronomy through the magnifying, clarifying lens of poetry. Each broad double-page spread features a short, accessible poem about a subject such as the sun, each of its planets, a comet, a constellation, or the universe, set within an impressive painting. A concrete poem entitled "a galaxy" is a curling spiral of words set against the midnight-blue sky and surrounded by other galaxies. Stamped type, cutout pages, collage elements with printed papers, and sweeping brushstrokes all figure prominently in the expressive collage artwork, which ably illustrates the verse. The last pages carry "A Galactic Glossary" with a paragraph on the topic of each poem, followed by a list of books and Web sites. Florian's ode to Pluto matter-of-factly notes its demoted status, but even better is his pithy poem on Jupiter: "Jupiter's jumbo, / Gigantic, / Immense, / So wide / Side to side, / But gaseous, not dense. / With some sixteen moons / It's plainly prolific-- / So super-dupiter / Jupiterrific!" Read this aloud. Category: Books for Middle Readers--Nonfiction. 2007, Harcourt, $16.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 6)

Stunning mixed-media illustrations accompany a series of poems that celebrate the wonder and mystery of space. From the universe, the sequence narrows its focus to the galaxy, the solar system and then each body in turn, from the sun to poor demoted Pluto, and beyond. The verse is characteristically playful, wrapping itself around astronomical facts with ease. Readers will learn about the temperature and size of the sun, our moon's phases and Voyager 2's discovery of Neptune's rings. Delightful as the poems are, however, it's this volume's illustrations that surpass. Bright gouache on brown paper bags lend texture to each spread; stamped words allow the illustrations to incorporate such details as names of moons and "sun" in several different languages; collage elements add further whimsy to the whole. To top off this feast for the eyes, occasional die-cuts provide telescopic windows onto adjoining spreads, firmly establishing for the reader the truth that space is a vast continuum, with new surprises in every corner of the sky. Each poem receives a thumbnail gloss at the end, offering additional facts or extending the information presented earlier. Glorious. 2007, Harcourt, 56p, $16.00. Category: Picture book/poetry. Ages 7 to 12. Starred Review. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Suggested Uses: Share these wonderful poems and illustrations to stimulate interest in Science topics! Student created poems and illustrations work together to create a fantastic display.