Thoughts: David Elliott's poetry is simple enough to share with preschoolers and yet the images he uses are often profound. I enjoy sharing his poetry with a variety of ages. In fact I used "The Cardinal" from On the Wing in a presentation I gave to college students about poetry for children. After reading all the poems in this collection, I found myself wanting to know more about all of the birds. Elliott's descriptions made me curious. My favorite poems are "The Hummingbird," "The Macaw," "The Bowerbird," and "The Sparrow." The gouache illustrations are colorful and detailed. My favorites are the hummingbird, the flamingo, and the cardinal. I can see myself using this book in its entirety or just using a poem or two. There are many great picture books about all kinds of birds. Pair On the Wing with Bring on the Birds by Susan Stockdale, I Spy in the Sky by Edward Gibbs, Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward, and Plume by Isabelle Simler for a great bird storytime.
Themes: Birds
Don't miss the other books in David's Poetry Series for Candlewick! (Links are to my reviews.)
- On the Farm
- In the Wild
- In the Sea
- In the Past
- In the Woods
- At the Pond (coming Spring 2021)
Other Collections of Bird Poetry for Children:
- Today at the Bluebird Café: A Branchful of Birds by Deborah Ruddell
- The Cuckoo's Haiku and Other Birding Poems by Michael J. Rosen
- Superlative Birds by Leslie Bulion
- Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems by Kristine O'Connell George
- Feathers: Poems about Birds by Eileen Spinelli
(Illustrated by Becca Stadtlander. Candlewick Press, 2014.)
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