Science Poetry: Animal Ark

Animal Ark: Celebrating Our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures
Words by Kwame Alexander
Photographs by Joel Sartore

Alexander, Kwame, Mary Rand Hess, Deanna Nikaido, and Joel Sartore. Animal Ark: Celebrating Our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2017. 9781436237681

Plot Summary

Explore over forty stunningly detailed animal portraits, from the recognizable Asian elephant and Giant panda to the exotic Bengal slow loris and Malayan tapir. Haikus float across the page, demonstrating the twisting, turning, leaping motion of the animals that they accompany. Four pages unfold to reveal three large page spreads of even more highly detailed photographs along with the names and International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources status. These status codes include extinct (EX), extinct in the wild (EW), critically endangered (CR), endangered (EN), vulnerable (VU), near threatened (NT), least concern (LC), data deficient (DD), and not evaluated (NE).

Analysis

Kwame Alexander and Joel Sartore have seamlessly blended nature and poetry to create a compelling and educational poetry book that can be shared with children and adults of any age. The three large page spreads provide more information to readers, giving them the explanation of names, place, and IUCN status. This gives each photograph more gravity, as readers understand how many of each creature are left. The middle page spread, title Chorus of Creatures is especially full of meaning as Alexander and Sartore plead for togetherness with nature, explaining that "WE ARE FAMILY. Miraculous each." Alexander and Sartore have included two pages of explanations at the end of this book that go into greater detail about the poetry and photographs respectively.

Alexander's poetry shimmies and snakes across each page, flowing around the animals. Some words are in bold, giving them extra emphasis. When reading this poem aloud, readers might find themselves speaking louder or softer, or moving their bodies with the movement of the words. Alexander explains that this poetry book is written in haiku, but that each haiku might take a different form than the traditional five, seven, five syllable format; it can vary due to cultural and linguistic differences that are difficult to translate. The brevity of each poem matches the instant connection that readers will feel with each photograph. This book leaves readers feeling melancholy but hopeful as they contemplate how they can make a difference in the world around them.

Excerpt

homes of courage

on humble backs

this is not a race

Connections

Kwame Alexander encourages his readers to try creating their own haikus about the animals featured in this book. Pieces of paper with blank spaces on them can help children to count out the seventeen syllables needed for a haiku. After reading this book, it would be a fun exercise to explore some conservation efforts around the world. The Wildlife Collection is a company that partners with Orca Research Trust, Sea Turtle Conservancy, Save the Elephants, and Polar Bears International. They have pages on their websites where users can track the animals and see where they are in the world. It's a fun way to learn more about the animals and where they live, and how people can help them.

Reviews

Sharon Rawlins wrote for Booklist, "Sartore’s eye-catching photographs, accompanied by Alexander’s poetry—most notably the multistanza “Chorus of Creatures”—movingly affirms that “our actions matter” and may lead readers to endeavor to help save these endangered species."

Rawlins, Sharon. “Animal Ark: Celebrating Our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures.” Booklist 113, no. 14 (March 15, 2017): 40. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.twu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=brd&AN=121906702&site=ehost-live.

Della Farrell wrote for the School Library Journal, "Ideal for sharing one-on-one or with a small group, this impassioned and timely call to reevaluate our relationship with nature is a must-have for poetry collections."

Farrell, Della. 2017. “Animal Ark: Celebrating Our Wild World in Poetry and Picture.” School Library Journal 63 (3): 156. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.twu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=brd&AN=121631907&site=ehost-live.