A Word's A Bird: Spring Flies By in Rhymes

PreS-Gr 4—Have you ever lamented that insightful yet accessible poems for children are hard to come by? If yes, then this may be the app for you. Written by award-winning author/poet Protopopescu, this four-poem collection introduces children to the power of language by encouraging them to explore metaphors through sight, sound, and touch. The first selection illuminates the collection's title. The three poems that follow offer unusual, and playful, glimpses into the natural world during the spring months. "May," for example, opens with a text scroll descending toward a cardinal pecking in a meadow. The words, "A bloom's a room/you seek/when you want/to sneak a peek/at nectar sippers," are highlighted, one by one, as they are read aloud. A tap to a scroll and the verse replays, while a touch to an underlined word brings forth a definition. For "May," readers and listeners learn that "nectar sippers" refers to insects and "a bloom" is "another way to say a flower." Clearing the scroll from the screen brings the scene to life through animation and interactivity. In this case, the cardinal flies to a garden of closed peonies, an inchworm creeps out from under a leaf, and the "blooms" open to "rooms" and reveal "nectar sipper" bees hiding inside. So clever! The hand-painted watercolor illustrations created by Jeanne B. de Sainte Marie portray a bright and idyllic world of duck ponds, lily pads, and weeping willows. Realistic sounds and hidden surprises abound in this delighful production.—Kathleen S. Wilson, NYU/Tisch School of the Arts, New York, NY