Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Out of This World

Out of This World: Poems and Facts About Space. Amy Sklansky. Illustrations by Stacey Schuett. 2012. Random House. 40 pages.

Yesterday, I reviewed Jane Yolen's poetry collection, Bug Off! And while I liked it to a certain extent, I didn't really love it. Out of This World, however, is a poetry book that I just LOVED. It's a great collection of space-themed poems. I loved the variety of poems, the types of poetry and the different subjects. There are poems about the sun, the moon, the stars, the solar system; there are poems about astronauts, space travel, space suits, etc.

Some poems are quite short:
Moon

Marvelous
Opaque
Orb.
Night-light for the world.
 Others are a bit longer. The longest being "Vacation Destination," a poem about a boy who fantasizes about traveling to different planets on his vacation. Some rhyme, some don't. I think there is enough variety to please every kind of reader. I don't even think you have to be a fan of poetry.

My favorite poems include: "Moon," "Countdown," "Packing for the Moon," "Left Behind," and "Sun."

Each poem is complemented by an informative paragraph or two (or three). These facts are just fascinating, and they provide balance and substance to the poems.

Read Out of This World
  • If you are interested in space, space travel, etc.
  • If you are in science or astronomy
  • If you are a poetry fan
  • If you're looking for a reader-friendly poetry book

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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