Friday, February 13, 2009

Poetry Friday/Another Starred Review

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Poem "Giganotosaurus" and illustration detail copyright 2009 by Douglas Florian
This just in from my editor: DINOTHESAURUS will receive another starred review, this time in the March 1st edition of Booklist:
* Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings.
Florian, Douglas (Author), Florian, Douglas (Illustrator)
Mar 2009. 56 p. Atheneum, hardcover, $17.99. (9781416979784). 811
Florian, whose previous picture-book poetry collections have covered the animal kingdom, from dogs and cats to lizards and pollywogs, takes a few evolutionary steps back in this exuberant verse roundup of prehistoric creatures. As usual, Florian's blend of irresistible wordplay and collage art will draw children. The gleeful twists of language evident in the title continue throughout each of the selections spotlighting a different species, including the Triceratops (Try-scare-a-tops./ Try-wouldn't-want-to-dare-a-tops"). Even as they are delighting in the lines' silliness, children will absorb solid facts, as in a poem that introduces earth's epochs: "The dinosaurs/First lived outdoors/ During the time Triassic./ While most died out,/ Some came about/ Later in the Jurassic." The selections aren't equally strong, and the appended material-
information about each dinosaur and a bibliography- is printed on textured, colored backgrounds that compete with the text. Still, this is a standout title on a perennially popular subject that has inspired surprisingly few poetry collections for kids.
-Gillian Engberg


And here's another sneak preview:

Giganotosaurus
GIG-ah-not-oh-SAW-rus ( giant southern lizard)
One hundred million years before us
Lived the Giga-not-o-saurus.
Gigantic, titanic, enormous, colossal-
What once was humongous is now just a fossil.
When it was hungry or got into fights,
It opened its jaws and took giga-bites.


27 comments:

Nanny said...

giga-giggle!
yeah star!

Karen said...

The book looks so gorgeous. Thank you for sharing!

Douglas Florian said...

Thanks Nanny and Karen!

david elzey said...

i love how fossil fuels so much of our energies. the stars are aligned for you, it seems, sir.

Unknown said...

Wonderful news!!!!!

Gig-a-out-rageous:)

jama said...

Giga-stars!! Yay!

debra shirley said...

Congratulations, starry, starry knight!

Leslie Avon Miller said...

This makes me smile....Thanks for the happiness, and congratulations.

Greg Pincus said...

Lovely! Looking forward to getting my grubby paws on the book. In fact, I might clean my paws first....

Yat-Yee said...

Congrats for another star. Starry, starry book, paint your dinosaurs blue and gray...

Anonymous said...

Cannot wait for this one to come out. The poem was so much fun.

I can't help but think "certainly not" when I read this sentence of the review, however: "Florian's blend of irresistible wordplay and collage art will draw children." Oh the vagaries of grammar.

Julie said...

Hooray for stars! Congratulations!

Debbie Diesen said...

What a great sneak preview! I especially love the lines, "Gigantic, titanic, enormous, colossal- What once was humongous is now just a fossil."

Count me amongst your fans of longstanding.

Douglas Florian said...

Big Giga-thanks to david (very punny), Jill, jama, debra, Leslie, Gregory, Yat-Yee, Kelly, Julie, and Debbie.
I apologize for the typo, now corrected.
I do draw children but I suspect the author meant draw children in. The fossil-like texture in the "appended material" was greatly reduced in the final printed book (thanks to my designers) and perhaps the reviewer was looking at an ARC.

gael lynch said...

Gleeful twists of language! So there. Who cares what else was said! That in itself is a rousting two thumbs up! Anything Florian is just plain fun! Keep it coming!
The world could use a little more laughter, that's for sure! Congratulations!

Douglas Florian said...

thank you gleeful Gael!

laurasalas said...

Fantastic! And I'm so thankful for the pronunciation guide for each dino name:>)

I see my word verification thingy is "epunisan." Anything with pun in it is perfect for you!

Anonymous said...

Kudos to you!! An overall lovely review; how very exciting!

Kat Mortensen said...

Excellent review Doug - unfortunate about the slip with "aren't" and "are" (she's not serious, is she?), but I love the choice of "gleeful twists of language" to describe your wordsmithing.

"Giganotosaurus" is brilliant, as usual, particularly the line, "What once was humongous is now just a fossil"!

I wish I were a tot, so I could be exploring the dino-world for the first time through your eyes.

Kat

Kat Mortensen said...

Oops! I forgot to invite you to Poetikat's Invisible Keepsakes to read my "Blog-traveller" itinerary, in which you have a dedicated spot. (Scroll down from the top of the page.)

Kat

Kelly Polark said...

Congrats on the colossal review! I've read a lot of dino books with my kids, but I don't think I've come across the Giganotosaurus! Extra cool!

Lisa said...

Congrats on the great press -- the book is going to be HUGE!

Douglas Florian said...

Thanks Kat for putting me on your literary itinerary, a litinerary I suppose.
Giganotosaurus is a fairly recent discovery from S.A.

gael lynch said...

Mine's on order, Doug. Can't wait, by the way!

Dave King said...

Mega enjoyment.

Anna Alter said...

Congrats, I can't wait to see this book!

Nicole Feliciano said...

I just did a post where I mention another one of your books (read here: http://momtrends.blogspot.com/2009/06/librarians-treasures.html). I'd love to do a follow-up post on this latest book and a short Q & A. Let me know. --Nicole
capricornwriter (at) hotmail (dot) com

I write a popular parenting blog and am devoting this month to Great Books!