Spi-Ku: A Clutter of Short Verse on Eight Legs by Leslie Bulion

Learn all about spiders in Leslie Bulion's latest collection of science poetry. 

Thoughts: Short poems and lots of facts make this a fascinating poetry collection. I found it easiest to read all the poems through and then go back and read all the facts. I've enjoyed science poetry collections before by Douglas Florian and Joyce Sidman. I think I need to add Leslie Bulion to my list. The poems are engaging while teaching the reader about spiders. My favorite poems are Golden Silk Orbweaver, Fishing Spider, Diving Bell Spider, and Hawaiian Happy-Face Spiders. The illustrations are colorful, detailed, and realistic. I wanted to reach out and pet the Goliath Bird-Eating Spider. I enjoyed that while the spiders may not be actual size, they were in proportion to the other spiders on the page. The back matter includes a glossary, notes on poetic form, spider identification, spider hunt, and spider sizes. I especially love the illustration of the spider that has written haiku in Japanese. A teacher's guide is available here from the publisher. I'm looking forward to adding a few of these poems to my next bug themed storytime. (Yes, I know spiders aren't bugs, but I use the term bugs to mean insects and spiders.) I think this would be a great book to pair with Charlotte's Web by E. B. White to further explore the world of spiders.

Themes: Spiders

Other Poetry Collections by Leslie Bulion: 

Leaf Litter Critters

Amphibian Acrobats

Superlative Birds 

Random Body Parts 

Hey There, Stink Bug!  

(Review copy provided by publisher. Illustrated by Robert Meganck. Peachtree, 2021.)