After Dark
Poems about Nocturnal Animals
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
This collection of twenty-two poems explores the fascinating lives of North American nocturnal animals.
When the sun goes down, many animals come out. Crickets chirp their crickety song hoping to attract a mate. Cougars bury their leftovers for later, leaving few clues for others to follow. Armadillos emerge from their dens to dig for worms, leaving holes in the lawns they disturb. This collection of poetry from acclaimed children's author and poet David L. Harrison explores the lives of animals who are awake after dark. Stephanie Laberis's beautifully atmospheric illustrations will draw in readers, and extensive back matter offers more information about each animal.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Harrison explores the active nighttime hours of 21 nocturnal species amphibians, birds, fish, insects, mammals, and reptiles are all accounted for. Scientific facts and lifestyle insights, some slightly veiled, are woven into poetic language in a mix of free verse ("Mama skunk/ knows the story./ Never play/ in an empty street") and rhyme ("Firefly females/ watch from the grass,/ checking each flash/ as suitors pass"). Warmth and foreboding emanate from the nocturnal creatures as Laberis's shadowed nightscapes show a hum of quiet and not so quiet activity in an otherwise sleepy world: a mother wolf oversees rambunctious pups, cockroaches tackle a plate of noodles, and a hermit crab lays eggs on a moonlit shore. Back matter includes additional (and clarifying) facts about each subject mentioned. An immersive volume of nocturnes for young animal enthusiasts. Ages 5 9.
