The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet (Poetry)


 

 
 
Summary 
 
This text is a picture book containing informational poems about living creatures that live underneath the Earth's soil. In this text, readers will discover 15 humorous poems that teach about dirt and the creatures that call it home. This text represents an unconventional observance of dirt, how it is formed, the living creatures that reside in it, and its critical role in supporting the planet as an active resource of life.
 
Justification for this text
 
I chose this text because the author of the book, David L. Harrison has achieved multiple accolades for his poetry works. Also, students could benefit from the text's vivid illustrations and humorous language to inspire an interest in poetry, which can be a challenging genre to promote interest in.

Attractive Design/Read the Pictures

The illustrator, Kate Cosgrove showcases vivid illustrations of chipmunks, ants, earthworms, spiders, and other creatures functioning in their natural habitat underneath the soil with the presence of tree roots and rocks.

Poetry is Learning and Experimenting Together

According to the textbook, Children's Literature, Briefly, "poetry is learning and experimenting together" (Young & Bryan, 2020). This text does meet the goal of teaching readers about the purpose of dirt while incorporating a fostering of curiosity about the living creatures that live in it.

Poetry is Laughter

The same textbook also asserts that "poetry is laughter" (Young & Bryan, 2020). The humorous verse presented throughout the text fully serves the purpose of maintaining student interest and attention while still teaching. Since poetry is not the easiest genre to promote to young readers, having this element of humor makes it easier for young readers to engage with the poetical aspect of the text.



Citation

Harrison, D. (2021). The dirt book: Poems about animals that live beneath our feet. Holiday House.
 
Reference 
 
Young, T. & Bryan, G. (2020). Children's literature, briefly. Pearson.

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