Like scientists, poets rely on keen observation skills, creative thought processes, and moments of pure inspiration to augment understanding of their subject matter and define universal truths. A poem can help readers to focus intensely on a particular topic, to zoom in on details previously unrevealed, to view something familiar—an ant colony or a crow—with fresh insight and perspective. With a kaleidoscope twist of verse or viewpoint, a poem can also expand upon the concrete to touch the imagination. What better way to contemplate and chronicle the mysteries of nature? Fusing well-wrought verses with evocative illustrations, these volumes encourage readers to explore, watch, mull over, and draw conclusions about the world around them. Share these books with your students to encourage close observation, inspire curiosity and discussion, and initiate creative writing projects. Joyce Sidman takes a revealing look at the resiliency and majesty of commonplace species in Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature’s Survivors (Houghton Mifflin, 2010). From ancient organisms such as single-cell bacteria to relative newcomers including humans, familiar life forms are introduced in order of their appearance in “evolutionary time.” Each stunningly illustrated spread presents a beguiling poem about the defining characteristics of a species and a fact-filled paragraph about its penchant for survival and place in the ecosystem. The inventive verses are written in various styles and moods. A whimsical ode to a “sunrise”-colored conch shell muses about the “shy gray wizard” hidden within: “O Shell,/if only I could shrink!/...I’d knock on your tiny door/and ask to meet/the mollusk/that made you.” A concrete poem about a shark is formed out of words that describe each part of this stately creature, from its V-shaped “Rubber mallet” snout to a two-pronged tail fashioned from the phrases, “Long lazy strokes” and “Power-pumping bursts.” Referring to dandelions’ ingenious seed-spreading method of reproducing, “Fluff Head” wittily points out: “They were all blondes,/of course,/and each one/a star./Now they can’t/stand long/in a breeze/or their/fairy-hair/flees.” Beckie Prange’s hand-colored linocut illustrations employ rich hues to depict the various plants and animals and enhance the essence of each poem. The end pages feature an intricately swirling time line that effectively puts the passage of millennia into perspective. Enjoy this book before a nature walk, or use it to supplement studies of evolution and the development of life.  Jane Yolen and Jason Stemple hold A Mirror to Nature (Boyds Mills, 2009) in an engaging collaboration that pairs lovely full-color photographs of animals with 12 “Poems about Reflection.” The creatures have all been captured on film in or near water, and their mirrored images inspire delightful shifts in perception. Filled with wordplay and whimsy, the brief poems amuse readers while encouraging them to take a closer look at the picture and think about it in a new manner. The theme is interpreted in many different ways: an alligator appears to double its number of teeth (“Jaws x 2 x 80”), a roseate spoonbill seems to contemplate its own image (“The princess of birds./Her only competition/Is her reflection”), and a snowy egret’s “Crazy Legs” are lengthened and skewed by its watery reflection. Have your students look at the photos and write their own interpretations, or explore the outdoors for their own inspirations. Other titles by this duo that feature a similar combination of words and photos delineating a concept found in nature include Color Me a Rhyme (2000), Count Me a Rhyme (2006), and Shape Me a Rhyme (2007, all Boyds Mills). Blending Michael J. Rosen’s thought-provoking poems and Stan Fellows’s exquisite watercolor artwork, The Cuckoo’s Haiku and Other Birding Poems (Candlewick, 2009) invites students to observe the habits and habitats of 24 common North American species. Arranged according to season, the book features striking spreads introducing each type of bird with a haiku highlighting its identifiable characteristics, field-book-style notes about its behaviors and songs, and lifelike paintings. The mood of poems ranges from playful (“outside your window/the first mowers of spring? no …/hummingbirds are back!”) to thoughtful (“hunkered, plumped sparrow/each feather pockets the heat/a mitten-warmed fist”) and the vibrantly hued illustrations effectively express and extend the meaning of the words. In addition to presenting the ways and wonders of mourning doves, chimney swifts, blue jays, and more, this volume also emphasizes the excitement of watching—and listening to—birds in the wild. Have your students start their own field books cataloging local flora and fauna and embellish their observations with both sketches and poem making. Supplement these imaginative titles with a handsome compilation of poems that is sure to become a classroom standard. Inspired by the work of Charles Darwin, anthologists Mary Ann Hoberman and Linda Winston have assembled a collection that encourages readers to explore the naturalist’s "Tree of Life" concept and consider the connections found among all living things. The Tree that Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination (Sourcebooks, 2009) presents classic nature-themed selections by Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Dylan Thomas as well as offerings from contemporary poets such as Eve Merriam, David McCord, and Douglas Florian. The book is divided into nine sections, including “Oh, Fields of Wonder,” “Prehistoric Praise,” “Think Like a Tree,” and “Hurt No Living Thing,” each named for the title or first line of a featured selection. Thoughtful editors’ notes and decorative sketches are sprinkled throughout, and the volume includes an audio CD of 44 poems.