A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk: A Forest of Poems

I really like this poem for several reasons, two of them being the language and characters in the story. The author does a great job of using figurative language to creatively describe the actions of the animals in the poem. The poem is short and very clear for children to understand; it also has imaginative elements that make it fun to read. In one descriptive part of the poem, the author writes:

“Bundled up in furry coats,
Belted out their heist notes,
They lope across the winter woods
To serenade the neighborhoods.”

I also really enjoyed how the poem contains personification as the author writes about coyotes singing through the night. These components make the poem interesting and fun to read as it captivates the audience. The poem show more contains a rhyming pattern which is also fun to read as the rhythm flows so smoothly and characters’ actions are described. The main message expressed in this poem is that coyotes are vocal animals and howling is the only they way the can communicate through the night. show less

Deborah Ruddell and Joan Rankin’s A Whiff of Pine, A Hint of Skunk: A Forest of Poems is every bit as humorous and well-rounded as the title suggests. The book is a collection of poems about various aspects of forest life. While some of the poems tiptoe around the edge of ridiculous, others point out details of the forest that may otherwise go unnoticed, such as the poem entitled “How to Recognize a Green Tiger Beetle”, which describes the beetle in rhyming lines such as: “a high-gloss beetle/who’s a brilliant shade of teal--/and twinkles in the sun/like a beetle made of steel.” Many different animals are used in the book, making it appealing to many different animal lovers.
The illustrations are just the right mixture of show more realistic and goofy, making them suit the poems perfectly. The vibrant colors and actions of the animals in the illustrations draw the eye of the reader. The author does an excellent job of sneaking nuggets of scientific fact into the poems in a rhyming scheme that will make readers think the book is all fun and games before the realize they have actually learned something. The book appropriately opens and closes with poems that encompass the whole of the forest, while sandwiching the poems about individual animals in the middle. Overall, this poetry book would make for a fun read aloud for any class, and is a particularly handy tool for a science class to use poetry in a cross-curricular fashion. Recommended for grades 1 and up. show less

Some are funny, some are thoughtful, all are exuberant- I loved these poems about animals in the woods. While each of the poems can stand alone, it's so much fun reading them that I can imagine children saying, "Just read one more. One more, please!" My favorite was about turkey commenting on his portrait- "I find it most insulting/ that you traced your hand/ and colored all my feathers/ either plain brown black or tan. [...] Finally, I'm baffled/ that you've made me look so dumb./ My head is quite distinguished/ and it's nothing like your thumb." So cute! Illustrations are adequate but I like more white space on a page. Recommended for readers 4-8.

The easy to understand, metered poetry coupled with the Pinkney-inspired watercolored paintings creates a very enjoyable and often funny read.

This is an adorable book of collected poems about forest animals. Young children will love these poems because they are about animals they know. I liked all of the poems, but I think my favorite was Woodpecker Feud. I will remember this book so I may read it to my little boy when he is a little older. Besides using it for entertainment for early childhood students, I would use this book for older students who are learning the different types of poems and use these poems as examples. Even the older students will love them when they can use them as an example.

I really liked this book. I loved the illustrations that went with each poem and I loved the theme of all the poems which was forest animals. The illustrations were very cute. They showed different forest settings and animals. One had a beaver sitting on a pile of logs with a big smile on his face. It was adorable. Another picture showed Woodpeckers arguing with each other as they pecked at the wood. It is very comical to look at and the poem goes along great with the picture. All the poems centered on the theme of the forest. It is very educational and informative in a non-traditional way. It was nice because I could relate to the poems because I spend a lot of time in the woods hunting. It also showed me a different perspective on show more some animals I am not used to seeing like the Salamander, Tiger Beetle, and Woodchuck. I really enjoyed the poem about the deer being the “Royal Family.”
“In golden coats and velvet crowns
the deer inspect their royal grounds-“
They are really majestic creatures and I enjoyed that the author made the connection of calling them a royal family. The big idea is for enjoyment and information about forest animals. show less

Well, it's no Joyce Sidman, but it is a delight. My favorite was October Surprise, at least until I read the irrelevant title and realized that it was a stretch to make the organization by seasons. That org. was not obvious.