Perfect to read for National Weed Appreciation Day (March 28) and then have on hand for National Poetry Month (April) is the gorgeous new picture book Moving Words About a Flower by K. C. Hayes and illustrated by Barbara Chotiner.
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At its simplest, this book is about the life cycle of dandelions. Open the first pages, however, and you will be surprised and delighted. It is filled with bright, bold shape –or also called concrete– poems. The words form images in many fun and creative ways. For example, in this spread can you find lightning and rain?
After the rain, a dandelion grows in a crack in the sidewalk in the city.
When the dandelion plant is mature, its seeds fly out to the countryside, where we learn more about how dandelions grow and what happens to them.
The back matter has a lovely diagram of the life cycle of a dandelion, when it blooms, how the seeds fly, and their value as food.
Young readers will want to explore Moving Words About a Flower again and again. Use it to inspire lessons on life cycles, poems, and art.
Related Activities:
1. Why appreciate dandelions?
Dandelions can survive almost anywhere. Blowing on the white, puffy seed heads is a common childhood experience and almost everyone can identify a dandelion.
Although now treated as a weed in our culture, dandelions were once revered in the garden. Let’s explore some reasons to let these hardy plants grow once again.
1. You can eat dandelion greens. They are featured in the book Diet for a Changing Climate (previous post). You also make dandelions into tea.
2. They are associated with spring, but they flower through summer and fall. Late-blooming dandelions are an important source of nectar for honeybees (previous post) and food for wildlife.
3. There’s growing evidence that dandelions improve the soil and make nutrients available to other plants.
Maine Organic Farmers has a list of 10 reasons to let them grow.
2. Write a shape poem.
Decorate your page with dandelion art and have fun!
Reading age †: ‎ 3 – 7 years
Publisher †: ‎ Charlesbridge (March 8, 2022)
ISBN-10 †: ‎ 1623541654
ISBN-13 †: ‎ 978-1623541651
Disclosure: Electronic galley was provided by the publisher for review purposes. Also, I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.
Looking for more children’s nonfiction books? Try the Nonfiction Monday blog.
