THE TREE THAT TIME BUILT: A CELEBRATION OF NATURE, SCIENCE, AND IMAGINATION By Mary Ann Hoberman and Linda Winston

THE TREE THAT TIME BUILT: A CELEBRATION OF NATURE, SCIENCE, AND IMAGINATION by Mary Ann Hoberman and Linda Winston

Bibliography: Hoberman, Mary Ann and Linda Winston. 2009. THE TREE THAT TIME BUILT: A CELEBRATION OF NATURE, SCIENCE, AND IMAGINATION.  Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. 

Plot Summary: The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination is a book of poetry about different themes from different authors.  These themes include Oh Fields of Wonder, The Sea is Our Mother, Prehistoric Praise, Think Like a Tree, Meditations of a Tortoise, Some Primal Termite, Everything That Lives Wants to Fly, I am the Family Face and Hurt No Living Thing.  Under each theme are different poems that go with it.  For example, under Some Primal Termite, there are poems about insects and under Think Like a Tree there are poems about trees and plants. 

Critical Analysis: This book was absolutely gorgeous in its simplistic illustrations and great poetry.  I especially liked the poem If They Spoke under Oh, Fields of Wonder.  The poem is about animals and their names that we give them.  The gist is that animals don’t call themselves by the names we give them, they just are.  To quote the poem, “Simply they are. And so with us; And they would say it if they spoke; And we might listen; and the world Be uncreated at one stroke.”  The poems in this book are uplifting, thought provoking and strong.  I especially like that at the bottom of most of the pages there’s a description of the poem and what it means.  I don’t think I would let kids read that because I would want their interpretations not the ones from the book.   However, I love the poems and would love to use them.

Review Excerpts:

·      The Washington Post: “This anthology is perfect for dipping or diving into, for reading aloud and for celebrating the quirks and glories of everything from William Blake’s ‘World in a grain of sand’ to Wislawa Szymborska’s lighthearted whale.”

·      School Library Journal: “From the playful to the profound, the poems invite reflection and inspire further investigation.”

Connection:

·      This is a great way to introduce poetry in a classroom

·      Great way to start thinking deeper  into poetry

·      Other books by this author

o   Hoberman, Mary Ann. 2009.  STRAWBERRY HILL. ISBN: 9780316041355

o   Hoberman, Mary Ann. 2009. ALL KINDS OF FAMILIES. ISBN: 9780316146333

o   Hoberman, Mary Ann.  2002.  THE MARVELOUS MOUSE MAN. ISBN: 9780152017156