Reviews

A Year of Nature Poems by Kelly Louise Judd, Joseph Coelho

veecaswell's review against another edition

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3.0

A book of 12 inspiring poems from Joseph Coelho, paired with folk art from Kelly Louise Judd give this book year-round appeal, and it makes for a quick but lovely read.

These poems are very good. Packed with imagery, these poems place you in the months they are about as soon as they begin, particularly ‘November’ and ‘April’ which took me straight back to being a kid and gave me some stunning nostalgic moments. This writer really does know how to transport you to another place and it shows in this collection.

With these poems is the beautiful artwork. ‘December’ is the definition of Winter, with gorgeous snowy scenes with deer that make for such beautiful pages in this book, however this high standard of artwork continues throughout the collection. ‘September’ has a beautiful border taking inspiration from nature and ‘July’ has a gorgeous aquatic scene that works so well with the words.

A lovely collection of poems, well worth checking out.

(I received an ARC from Netgalley for honest review).

yasminwooldridge's review against another edition

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4.0

The word I want to remember: abscission.

novelesque_life's review against another edition

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4.0

RATING: 3.5 STARS
2019; Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions
(Review Not on Blog)

This is a cute little book with a poem for each month (two pages long each) with pretty landscape painting around it.

***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***

metamorphesque's review against another edition

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3.0

Didn't love it, didn't hate it.

saschadarlington's review against another edition

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5.0

A Year of Nature Poems may be compact, but it is a definite treasure for you and your child to share.

Each page has a poem with a short introduction that provides information about the subject of the poem. For instance, February’s poem is about frogs and the introduction gives a brief discussion of how the environment is changing and amphibians are decreasing in number. March is about the different types of daffodils, which the list poem cleverly describes. Likewise, the July poem is about a visit to the sea and the narrator being stung by jellyfish and how a changing climate may be increasing their numbers. While the introductions are intended to teach, they are not preachy, just informative.

"The leaves were piled

bonfire high –

whizzing russets, shooting oranges, exploding yellows

that she scooped

in armfuls

and cascaded over me

in a dry-leaf firework display

of love"

October

The poems are beautifully written, many reading as lovely stories, perfect for children eight and older who are curious about nature.

The artwork is stunning and perfectly compliments the poetry.

This would be an unforgettable gift for a parent and child to share.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

graypeape's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. The illustrations are lovely. The poems aren't bad, but I'm not sure what audience they're aimed at- some of the vocabulary used seems a little much for younger kids, and even older ones might have trouble. Not a bad book, but I didn't like it as much as I'd hoped.

ellalouise99's review against another edition

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4.0

A lovely selection of nature poems, one for each month of the year. I love the illustrations that accompany each poem, showing beautiful images of the relevant nature. The poems are quite complex with quite a few difficult and potentially unknown words for upper KS2 children, however, I think pre-teaching these words or asking children to identify unknown words and finding definitions to expand their vocabulary will be a beneficial activity. Each poem begins with a small paragraph to describe the theme of the poem and why it is relevant in relation to nature. A nice addition to a year 5 or 6 classroom.

ijustkindalikebooks's review against another edition

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3.0

A book of 12 inspiring poems from Joseph Coelho, paired with folk art from Kelly Louise Judd give this book year-round appeal, and it makes for a quick but lovely read.

These poems are very good. Packed with imagery, these poems place you in the months they are about as soon as they begin, particularly ‘November’ and ‘April’ which took me straight back to being a kid and gave me some stunning nostalgic moments. This writer really does know how to transport you to another place and it shows in this collection.

With these poems is the beautiful artwork. ‘December’ is the definition of Winter, with gorgeous snowy scenes with deer that make for such beautiful pages in this book, however this high standard of artwork continues throughout the collection. ‘September’ has a beautiful border taking inspiration from nature and ‘July’ has a gorgeous aquatic scene that works so well with the words.

A lovely collection of poems, well worth checking out.

(I received an ARC from Netgalley for honest review).

ryner's review against another edition

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3.0

Coelho's slim volume of twelve seasonal poems, one for each month of the year, is a tribute to nature and a childhood spent exploring the outdoors. I selected this children's book to fulfill the 'a book of nature poems' category in the Read Harder challenge this year. As someone who regretfully fails at poetry appreciation in general, it is challenging for me to comment on the quality of verse, but a number of them gave me cozy feelings and inspired a desire to spend more time outdoors. Extra points for Judd's gorgeous illustrations.

tabby2920's review against another edition

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inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

3.5