National Poetry Month: Review of WINTER BEES

Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold by Joyce Sidman is my new favorite poetry collection. Written by the author of Song of the Water Boatman, Winter Bees is a book of gorgeous wintery poems complemented by equally gorgeous illustrations by Rick Allen.

I mean, just look at that cover! Does this book not beg to be read?

My favorite poem from this book is "Big Brown Moose." Here is the first stanza, to give you a little taste:

I'm a big brown moose,
I'm a rascally moose,
I'm a moose with a tough, shaggy hide;
and I kick and I prance
in a long-legged dance
with my moose-mama close by my side.

Wonderful, no? Don't you want to read that aloud to someone right now, while kicking and prancing a bit yourself?

As if the poetry and art weren't enough to make this book a delight to any nature loving poetry-enthusiast (or is it poetry-loving nature enthusiast?), each poem is accompanied by a short informational piece about the plant or animal celebrated on that spread.

This book is a must-have for any poetry library!