After dark : poems about nocturnal animals / David L. Harrison ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781629797175
- ISBN: 1629797170
- Physical Description: 31 pages : color illustrations ; 24 x 29 cm
- Publisher: New York : WordSong, an imprint Boyds Mills & Kane c2020.
Content descriptions
Formatted Contents Note: | The Rehearsal (Gray Wolf) -- Posted Property (Cougar) -- Mouth of Doom (Flathead Catfish) -- The Hunt Is On (Coyote) -- Don't Let Him Needle You (Porcupine) -- Night Class (Skunk) -- Armored Night Knight (Nine-Banded Armadillo) -- Toothy Grin (Kit Fox) -- Owl Rules (Screech Owl) -- Bug Patrol (Mexican Free-Tailed Bat) -- The Queen (Luna Moth) -- A Night's Work (Deer Mouse) -- The King (Mexican Red-Knee Tarantula) -- In a Mood (Arizona Hairy Scorpion) -- By Land and by Sea (Land Hermit Crab) -- Survivor (Cockroach) -- Hear This! Hear This! (Spring Peepers) -- Slimy Character (Leopard Slug) -- In a Hurry! (Cricket) -- Insect Texting (Common Eastern Firefly) -- And Did You Also Know...? -- No Fooling (Raccoon) (Back Cover) |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Nocturnal animals > Juvenile literature. Nocturnal animals > Juvenile poetry. Children's poetry. Animals > Juvenile poetry. |
Genre: | Poetry. |
Available copies
- 11 of 12 copies available at Missouri Evergreen. (Show)
- 5 of 5 copies available at Barry Lawrence Regional Library System.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 12 total copies.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barry Lawrence - Aurora Library | Y 811.54 HAR (Text) | 37884102936360 | Youth Non-Fiction | Available | - |
Barry Lawrence - Cassville Library | Y 811.54 HAR (Text) | 37884102936220 | Youth Non-Fiction | Available | - |
Barry Lawrence - Marionville Library | Y 811.54 HAR (Text) | 37884102936246 | Youth Non-Fiction | Available | - |
Barry Lawrence - Monett Library | Y 811.54 HAR (Text) | 37884102936352 | Youth Non-Fiction | Available | - |
Barry Lawrence - Mt. Vernon Library | Y 811.54 HAR (Text) | 37884102936238 | Youth Non-Fiction | Available | - |
Kirkus Review
After Dark : Poems about Nocturnal Animals
Kirkus Reviews
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Who's out at night, and what do they do? These poems answer that for you. "Shhhh, listen… / Hear that howling? / Dogs don't howl, / not like that." It's coyotes that are on the hunt, and everyone from mouse to deer better be on the lookout. Harrison's night is broadly populated. Some mark their territory or hide from large predators. A mother skunk teaches her children not to venture into the road. Fireflies flash looking for mates in the grass, a little as though the insects are texting one another. Meanwhile: "Along a path of slime / you softly flow, / scraping holes in petals / as you go"; the leopard slug eats hollyhocks and daffodils, all the while leaving a slimy trail as proof it was there in the night. The Mexican free-tail bat is on bug patrol. Twenty-one animals who live by the light of the moon get profiled in Harrison's poems, written in a variety of forms, some rhymed and most not. Each is featured in a one- or two-page spread with realistic, appropriately dark, attractive illustrations by Laberis. Though none are anthropomorphized, they still have plenty of personality. A kit fox yawns luxuriantly; a flathead catfish opens its huge mouth to suck in a hapless frog. Two pages of backmatter reveal four further facts about each profiled animal. A fine collection of poetical odes to a nicely diverse group of nighttime fauna. (Picture book/poetry. 7-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
BookList Review
After Dark : Poems about Nocturnal Animals
Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Each of these poems, written in different styles and meters, profiles a nocturnal animal. Almost every selection focuses on either hunting or being hunted, which seem like appropriate activities for those prowling around in the dark. Subjects range from familiar critters like fireflies and skunks to scary carnivores like cougars and wolves to truly exotic beasts: the Mexican red-knee tarantula and the Arizona hairy scorpion. Even the lowly cockroach gets an ode. The poem titles offer insights into each animal's behavior, with the verse about the flathead catfish christened "Mouth of Doom" and the selection on spring peepers called "Hear This! Hear This!" (And that cockroach? "Survivor"). Full-page illustrations featuring shadowy palettes illuminate the words, which appear in a bright white font and pop against the dark backgrounds. Readers will glean a surprising amount of information about each subject, and a final section offers a few additional facts, such as dietary preferences, physical attributes, or details about life cycles. The poems make great read-alouds, and the content makes this suitable for STEAM applications.
Publishers Weekly Review
After Dark : Poems about Nocturnal Animals
Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Harrison explores the active nighttime hours of 21 nocturnal species--amphibians, birds, fish, insects, mammals, and reptiles are all accounted for. Scientific facts and lifestyle insights, some slightly veiled, are woven into poetic language in a mix of free verse ("Mama skunk/ knows the story./ Never play/ in an empty street") and rhyme ("Firefly females/ watch from the grass,/ checking each flash/ as suitors pass"). Warmth and foreboding emanate from the nocturnal creatures as Laberis's shadowed nightscapes show a hum of quiet--and not so quiet--activity in an otherwise sleepy world: a mother wolf oversees rambunctious pups, cockroaches tackle a plate of noodles, and a hermit crab lays eggs on a moonlit shore. Back matter includes additional (and clarifying) facts about each subject mentioned. An immersive volume of nocturnes for young animal enthusiasts. Ages 5--9. (Feb.)