Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's Survivors

As author Joyce Sidman notes in her afterword, 99% of all species known to have existed have gone extinct, making those who survive truly extraordinary. This delightful picture-book is a celebration of those survivors, and presents a poem about each of the fourteen forms of life being profiled on one page, with a factual, non-fiction paragraph on the facing page. The accompanying artwork by Beckie Prange, who also collaborated with Sidman on Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems, captures the beauty of each species or group being depicted.

Both informative and entertaining, Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's Survivors is a decided triumph! I enjoyed the poems themselves, particularly The Lichen We, which offers a lichenous show more reinterpretation of Siegfried Sassoon's "Man and Dog," and Gecko On the Wall. The concrete poem Rubber Mallet (I think this was its name) was well-nigh impossible to read, and therefore somewhat less enjoyable. Still, the majority of the poems were top-notch, the factual information was fascinating, and the illustrations were appealing. Recommended to budding young poetry readers, and would-be naturalists. show less

Lots of glorious pictures, a diversity of styles of vivid poetry, and accurate, informative science. I don't know how else to talk it up except to say this: I'm fussy on all three counts, art, poetry, and science, and this book exceeds my expectations for all three.

I will say it's not for tots. And the poetry is not sing-song verse. It's a bit more challenging than many picture-books. But, oh, is it ever worth the little bit of extra effort!

Who knew I would love a poem about lichens so much? Or that an illustration of bacteria could have me thinking, this is a Caldecott contender? Great poems, beautiful illustrations, interesting facts about enduring species.

This informational book is written through poetry, but also includes informational descriptions about what is addressed in her poems. From bacteria to mollusks, to sharks, this book is very informational, yet also fun. For example, the shark poem is actually written within the framework if you physically spelled shark on a page. This book informs students about various animals and plants that have miraculously survived for thousands of years.

This book can be used as a reference for students, but also can be used to show children that informational books don’t need to be boring and dry. Students can try using poetry to inform us about things in nature or even concepts.

This is a very colorful book with amazing illustrations. It teaches about evolution, has facts about the earliest forms of life, all expressed by poetry. It would interest kids because of the illustrations and the lyrical rhythm of the poems. Any kid that was into science, bugs, sharks, etc would like this book. It ends with a picture of a human baby so kids can see where they fit in evolution.

This is one of the best books I've read this year. I am really impressed with the quality of the text. Maybe it's the fact that this is my first Joyce Sidman book, but I just loved this. The poems are great, the informational piece that goes with each poem is incredible and the illustrations are outstanding too. This is truly a wonderful book.

Who knew I would love a poem about lichens so much? Or that an illustration of bacteria could have me thinking, this is a Caldecott contender? Great poems, beautiful illustrations, interesting facts about enduring species.