Sidman Poetry  

Bibliography

Sidman, Joyce. BUTTERFLY EYES AND OTHER SECRETS OF THE MEADOW. 2006. Ill. by Beth Krommes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 061856313X

Summary

Beautiful poetry combined with lively illustrations invite the reader to discover a world of wonder. This science infused selection approaches the day in the life of a meadow with riddles that allow the reader to use not only text evidence, but cleverly placed clues within the illustrations. Each poem closes with a riddle, which will entice the reader to unearth the answer. Topics of interest range from plant life, insects, reptiles, mammals, weather conditions, and seasons. On the pages that follow each paired selection of poems, the scientific explanation is given to the riddle. These explanations are thorough, but easy enough to understand. A glossary of terms is provided in the back of the book for easy access for unfamiliar words.

Quality and Appeal

Joyce Sidman’s nature infused Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow is a collection of sixteen poems that ask the reader to guess the subject of each poem as it concludes. The poems are paired together so that each set of eight poems correlates to the other. Samplings of these paired poems include rabbit and fox, which touch upon the food chain with the meadow ecosystem. Another example would be the relationship between the milkweed plant and butterfly. Milkweed provides protection for Monarch butterfly’s eggs with its toxic, milky sap and also is the main source of nutrition for newly hatched caterpillars. Each poem closes asking the reader “What am I, they, we, or it?” The two poems that stray from this routine are cleverly written in letterform to the sun and rain. Each poem closes with the word “Signed.” To aid young readers with difficult vocabulary, the author has included a glossary.

Different forms of poetry embody the subject matter of this book including free verse, rhyme, concrete, and pantoum. The poem, “We Are Waiting” is identified under its title as a pantoum poem. The author provides a definition of this type of poem in the glossary. In the final stanza of a pantoum poem, the first and third lines of a poem appear in reverse or, so that the last line of the poem is the same as the first. The creativity of the author using this form clearly shows her giftedness. The poem speaks of the life of the meadow recovering from fire and how patience will bring about new growth and life to the meadow.

Repetition is heard in “Morning Warming” as a word is added to each new line. The poem starts out with the single word, “sun.” Then the second line becomes “sunwarm,” and so continues the pattern with lines three and four, “sunwarm on back / sumwarm on back legs.” “Shhh! They Are Sleeping” offers repetition as well with stanzas one and four repeating the word “Shhh!”.

Concrete poetry is represented in the poem, “Peel Deal” by the shape of a slithering snake shedding its skin. In the poem, “Don’t I Look Delicious?” the bloated words imitate the body of a toad.

Rhythm and rhyme are shown in the poem “Sap Song.” Lines that show these elements include, “I go up / I go down / from the roots / to the crown.” The readers will find themselves bobbing in unison with each line. Another example is included in the poem, “Always Together” where tiny yellow goldfinches are described as “We tumble / we twitter/ we dip /float / and flitter.”

Alliteration is used throughout this book of poetry. Lines that provide a sampling are “beautiful bubbles / bubbles of foam / bubbly castle, snug bubble-home” and “sprouts a secret, silent, sparkling night.”

Beth Krommes has drawn intricate scratchboard illustrations that will entice the reader to carefully search out details to answer each poem’s riddle. The illustrator has strategically placed partial clues within the design to assist the reader when answering the questions, “What am I?” and “Who is he?”.

Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow will appeal to children of all ages. The guessing game aspect will engage the reader to use the scientific information to come up with and answer to each poem’s question. The information detailed in each poem allows for fun and teachable moments. The topic of each poem is relevant in content and message with its invitation into our natural world.

Spotlight Poem

Shhh! They Are Sleeping

Shhh! They are small.

Shhh! They are many.

Shhh! In a heap, they lie soundly asleep.

Soft is their fur.

Soft are their noses.

Soft is the curl of their grassy nest-keep.

Eyes not quite open.

Ears in a tangle.

Paws folded close beneath whiskers and chin.

Shhh! They are hidden.

Shhh! They are waiting.

Gathering strength for their life to begin.

What are they?

Connections

This poem would work well with a performance by a group. First, the teacher should read this poem in a hushed voice to provide an example of how these small rabbits, newly born, are gathering strength until it is safe to come out of hiding. Groups of three students can be assigned each stanza. Each student within the group can read one line apiece. To add to the performance, each group could pantomime the action described in each stanza. If time permits, the class could pair the poem with “He.” One student could be the reader of the poem while another student could portray the lone fox searching for its prey, the newborn rabbits.