Mites to Mastodons: A Book of Animal Poems

by Maxine Kumin, Pamela Zagarenski (Illustrator)

From as little as the snail to as big as the giraffe, from the thundering mastodon of long ago to the ordinary backyard squirrel of today, the animals in this book inspire our imagination.

Here is a fascinating cornucopia that exudes a whimsical affection and respect for the creatures with whom we share our kingdom.

Genres: Poetry, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 25, 2006

About the author

Maxine Kumin's 17th poetry collection, published in the spring of 2010, is Where I Live: New and Selected Poems 1990-2010. Her awards include the Pulitzer and Ruth Lilly Poetry Prizes, the Poets’ Prize, and the Harvard Arts and Robert Frost Medals. A former US poet laureate, she and her husband lived on a farm in New Hampshire. Maxine Kumin died in 2014.

Reviews

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book because its illustrator, Pamela Zagarenski, is fast becoming one of my favorites. This book was no exception, though it is quite different from her other styles which I prefer. As always, though, her use of colors seems to emit a glow from the pages, encouraging further exploration of the image. The poems by Maxine Kumin are eclectic and fun. The inclusion of extinct animals was a unique take and one that I applaud.

[Kwanzaa Coloring Book Games & Puzzles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mites to Mastodons is a great book to read out loud to children. They’ll have no idea that they are learning about different animals. Also, one of the pages in the book brings to mind a wild rabbit that lives in our backyard; we call him cottontail. He watches us while we cut the grass and tend to our garden. In plain English, Mites to Mastodons will allow children to develop an intimate relationship between the words they hear and the nature that surrounds them, creating an effusive experience.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really liked the illustrations.

I liked some of the poems better than the others.

It feels weird to me when parts of a poem rhyme and when other parts just don't. So, say stanzas 1, 2, and 3 don't rhyme, but stanza 4 does.

Also, I thought the rhythm was awkward in several of the poems.

My favorite poems in the book were Rabbit and Alligator.

[Betty Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has poems about lots of different kinds of animals from snail to giraffe. I really enjoyed reading this poetry book about animals because each poem describes the habitant of the animals such as their eating habits or living habits. The “Polar Bear” poem was my favorite because it describes polar bear that did not need to think twice before sliding down the ice, no cold feet and running nose. This book will give an opportunity for students to learn about poem.

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never really been a fan of poems, yet this book actually interested me. It took animals of all different shapes, and sizes then found a way to write literature out of it. Whats more awesome about it, is they are all mammals. I loved how even though it wasn't like the average literature book, it still was super creative and you can definitely tell it took a lot of time in order to make this book turn out right.

[Malissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book isn't work for me. Too much forced rhyme and unpoetic language.