Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature

Author Joyce Sidman and illustrator Beth Krommes explore the spiral shape in this poetic work of picture-book natural history, producing a work that will inform younger children, while also keeping them entertained. From animals snuggling in their winter burrows to spiders weaving graceful webs, from nautiluses building their shells outward to hedgehogs curling themselves inward, spirals abound in nature. Sometimes a temporary reaction to circumstance - the cold, a perceived threat - sometimes a cyclical motion - the pounding of the waves, the swirling of a whirlpool - and sometimes permanent - the final stage of a ram's horn - the spiral is always beautiful, something that is highlighted in Swirl By Swirl: Spirals in Nature.

With a show more simple text - one sentence or phrase per page - and gorgeous scratchboard art, this is a wonderful work of natural history for the preschool set, introducing young children to a pattern that they will see over and over again in the world around them. The animals, plants and forces (tidal whirlpools, tornadoes) shown in the illustrations are labelled, making the artwork as informative as the poetic text, while an afterword gives significantly more detail about each kind of spiral depicted. Having greatly enjoyed some of Joyce Sidman's other picture-books, from Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors to Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's Survivors, as well as Beth Krommes' Caldecott Medal-winning The House in the Night, I was interested to see what these two talented women would produce, when working together. I was not disappointed! Educational and engaging, as well as beautiful, this is a book I would recommend to young nature lovers, as well as to fans of Krommes style of art. show less

Swirl by swirl: Spirals in nature by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes

Confession time: I wasn’t enthusiastic about House in the Night. I didn’t really see why it won the Caldecott. But this, oh yes, this title I can get behind, text and art! Krommes’ gorgeous scratchboard art is perfect for the poetic sentences of Sidman and together they have created an amazing read-aloud nonfiction picture book. In clear, large type, Sidman presents spirals in nature in lyrical but general terms, “A spiral is a growing shape/It starts small/and gets bigger,/swirl by swirl.”

Her simple, lovely language is gorgeously expanded by Krommes. The art accompanying the quoted text shows a nautilus, both swimming in cross-section, showing how show more the shell grows from a tiny baby into a large adult. Each page follows this pattern, with the art expanding and explaining the text. Neat captions adorn the various spirals from “breaking ocean waves” to “spiral galaxy.”

Extras: Each page on spirals is expanded into more information about spirals in nature with small illustrations.

Verdict: This is a must-have for your library collection and storytime repertoire. Pair it with Sarah Campbell's Growing Patterns for a science program. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 978-0547315836; Published October 2011 by Houghton Mifflin; Borrowed from the library; Added to the library's wishlist show less

Absolutely splendid. Excellent presentation, wonderful graphics. I fell head-over-heels in love with this book. The text is clear without the slightest hint of condescension, and the examples given are stellar indeed. The afterword brings up Fibonacci. One for the permanent collection, no question.

Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature uses vivid poetry to describe all the beautiful spiral shapes found throughout the world in living creatures and landscapes both large and small. Not only the form and beauty of the spiral is highlighted, but the function. Page after page the author slows down life to observe the different unfurling shapes and purposes of the swirling patterns all around us. A tiny millipede, spiral sheep horns, an octopus unraveling its tentacles or a monkey curling its tail around a branch to hold strong. The sparse verse in this book is perfectly laid across the lovely, detailed illustrations. It will capture the imagination of elementary students who will love to look for the examples of dolphins who curl and bend show more as they jump in the curve of waves that move under swirling clouds or expand into an unfurling galaxy. A swirl can spin, sparkle, it can twist, hold strong or even snuggle like a mouse in a nest. A delightful book about the form and function of spirals in nature. show less

Stunning artwork. This book shows everything that is spiral from animals to nature. The best thing about it, is the information is labeled throughout the book in case you don't know a specific species of an animal. Just a wonderful book for children.

In my opinion, the book "Swirl by Swirl," is a really great informational book for young readers. One thing I really liked about this book is that it introduces a topic that most people don't particularly think about. When you see all of the things that are included in the book in real life, you don't really think of what they all have in common so I thought it was great how the book included a variety of different things in nature that have spirals. Some of the things the book discussed were snakes, chipmunks, octopus, waves, butterflies and spider webs. Another thing I really liked about this book was that in the back, it had the definition of a spiral and detailed explanations of each thing that was featured in the book. For example show more for the merino sheep, it says,"The spiral horns of a male merino sheep absorb the impact of the tremendous pounding blows they receive when fighting other males." Providing these explanations helps young readers to get a deeper understanding of why each of these things has a spiral and to provide an extension of the text which I think is very beneficial. Another thing I liked about this book was the illustrations. The book includes a lot of bold black with color that is filled in to emphasize each of the things that are being described. I also liked how there were labels provided for each thing that had a spiral so the reader knew what it was and could reference it in the back of the book. The big idea of the story was to teach readers about different things in nature that have a spiral. show less

I love how Sidman goes beyond simply pointing out instances of spiral formations in nature and demonstrates the different qualities they have and functions they serve. Krommes' illustrations are both graphic and dynamic, encapsulating the synchronous strength and beauty of spirals. C adores this book and has spent the last two weeks pointing out spirals wherever she seems them.