Goldfinches by Mary Oliver,Melissa Sweet

Description

This beautiful picture book contains one lovely poem by award-winning nature poet, Mary Oliver. She certainly had a love of nature, and that is what shines through in this sweet poem. The words are nestled into gorgeous, multi-media illustrations by Melissa Sweet, an award-winning illustrator and Caldecott honoree. The colors she uses are rich and deep and sometimes quite subtle. Inset blocks are scattered throughout the book with extra information, such as the scientific family and name for the thistle, how the goldfinch builds her nest, what kind of materials she uses, and more. The poem and art will carry young listeners along through the book. It is a quiet book that may help to settle restless youngsters down at the end of the day or may simply be a good introduction to poetry for little ones. Back matter includes a reprint of the poem for reading without the page-turn breaks, a photo of Mary Oliver’s notes, a 3-page note about Mary Oliver by Melissa Sweet, and a page of notes about thistles and goldfinches as the year goes on. Adults are sure to enjoy this as much as the children they are reading to.