MOD 2: NCTE Award Winner

Bibliographic Data and ISBN

Sidman, Joyce, and Beckie Prange. 2010. Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's Survivors. Boston [Mass.]: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. ISBN: 9780618717194

Summary

Joyce Sidman, an NCTE Award winner, guides readers through a timeline of life on Earth pairing poetry of specific life forms to snippets of information about them.

Critical Analysis

Layout

I do wonder if Sidman’s selection of life forms were largely arbitrary. Either way they are arrange chronologically as they appeared on Earth. In the accompanied information it lists the approximate time it appeared starting with bacteria (3.8 million years ago) to humans (100,000 years ago).

Beckie Prange provides appropriate illustrations that are clearly not photographic, but are anatomically accurate. The color choices are realistic as well. Children will find realistic textures on the Gecko and all the parts you would see in real life on insects.

The collection concludes with a glossary of both literary and scientific terms. Sidman note reveals the depth of her fact finding and Prange leaves a note explaining the cover art. Both enhance the meaning of the collection instead of tacking on unnecessary information.

Poetic Elements

Sidman exhibits and array of poetic elements that would engage even adult readers. In “The Ants’ we clearly hear a rhythm long associated with ants as they march one by one. She lyrically utilizes rhyme in selections of her poetry like in the final line of each stanza in “The Ants” and in when pairing lines in “The Lichens We.”

Upper level readers will enjoy musing abstract concepts such as the “brave indifference” of the lichens in “The Lichens We.”

Who can resist the extend of cleverness in the concrete poem “Shark.” Not only is it shaped like a shark, but it also spells the work shark. That’s not all the characteristic of the shark takes up the physical space on the shark, so the line “gills gills gills” are on the gills and “long lazy strokes” are on the back fin.

Even the nonfiction complements include sense imagery. Sidman explains the appearance of diatoms as a “transparent box of silica” and that hundreds would “fit on a head of a pin.”

Appeal

“Ubiquitous” includes such an array of poetic styles that readers should have one they enjoy. Visual types will enjoy the concrete poem, “Sharks.” Those who enjoy unique poem formats will enjoy the diamante, “First Life.” The glossary explains how that poem type works. Sidman exhibits visual meaning in her poems subtly and in a variety of ways. “Grass” is formatted in a tall, slender column, like a blade of grass.

This book should also be appealing to those who enjoy nonfiction. Many professionals suggest that reluctant readers try nonfiction. Sidman seamless pairs the dichotomy of fact and “fiction.” Each poem is paired with riveting nonfiction aside about the poems subject. The subject matter enriches readers’ knowledge of biology. It is a timeline of life on Earth that puts human existence into perspective. On the one hand it is straightforwardly factual, but also begs the reader to ponder the depth of their place in the universe.

By sprinkling her poetry with upper level vocabulary, Sidman expands readers’ vocabulary not only in science, but also for literary terms (such as diamante). I would even suggest high school biology teachers integrating this title into lesson plans. “Ubiquitous” has multidisciplinary appeal.

Overall Quality

Sidman consistently showcase a variety of poetic formats in high quality. All have well-researched information and mind-expanding vocabulary. There are poetic format even upper level students are not usually exposed to, like “Tail Tale Ok’s” streaming style that lacks punctuation.

The purpose of Sidman’s collection is to give a voice to Earth’s life forms creating a timeline. The consequence is modesting of human life in the gran scheme of the vast universe. Readers witness a time they would never be able to see. Indeed it stimulates a curiosity for science in general similar to Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s Cosmos. The poems themselves further prod readers by actually asking questions. Librarians and instructors can use these same questions to spark discussion.

What makes this even better is that “Ubiquitous” in not overwrought with sentiment. There are no pleas, no urge to action. We are to enjoy the context and the poetry of our subjects. We are left with a surreal sense of wonder.

Final Thoughts

I would highly recommend this title for school age STEM programming and even for teen audiences. Sidman presents a melding of disciplines by pairing dense science knowledge with artful poetry. This is not what most audiences imagine when they think of children’s poetry.

Featured Poem

Gecko On the Wall

Her jaws dart out

            To crunch up flies.

Her tongue flicks up

            To wipe her eyes.

She climbs up walls

            With eerie cries.

Her tail comes off

            A wriggling prize!

She sprints and leaps

            And slinks and spies…

Sigh.

Don’t you wish you were a gecko?

Poem Connections

A librarian could easily use Sidman’s books in a STEM program. After sharing this poem aloud demonstrate how lines of this poem are based on facts about the gecko by working on a match up together on a large whiteboard. One side will have lines of the poem, while the other has the facts. Let children guess how they match and even let them draw the line with the marker. Follow up by creating and brainstorming a poem about a penguin or another animal. Display a list of facts and let volunteers make up lines aloud. Write the resulting poem on the board for all to see.