Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year

by Fiona Waters (Editor), Frann Preston-Gannon (Illustrator)

Sing a Song of Seasons is a lavishly illustrated collection of 366 nature poems -- one for every day of the year. Filled with familiar favorites and new discoveries written by a wide variety of poets, including William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, John Updike, Langston Hughes, N. M. Bodecker, Okamoto Kanoko, and many more, this is the perfect book for children (and grown-ups!) to share at the beginning or the end of the day.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Nature, Nonfiction, Childrens, Science, Summer

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 9, 2018

About the author

iona Waters is renowned in the world of children’s books for her passion, enthusiasm, and encyclopedic knowledge of children’s literature. She has published more than eighty titles, including Sing a Song of Seasons, and her work has been translated into many different languages all over the world. Born and raised in Edinburgh, Fiona Waters now lives in the South of England with thousands of books and several very discerning cats.

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is spectacular! I will add pics at a later date as the pages are beautiful. I will add one poem for now...

August 8th
DAYS

Days fly by on holidays,
they escape like birds
released from cages.
What a shame we can’t buy
tokens of time, save them up
and lengthen the good days,
days you wish would last forever.
You could wear these days with pride,
fasten them like poppies to your coat,
or keep them in a tin, like sweets,
a confection of days
to be held on the tongue
and tasted, now and then.

Brian Moses

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely big book with a poem for each day of the year. The illustrations are beautiful, this is a colourful book with very nice depictions of birds, animals, trees, flowers and outdoor scenes. There is a good selection of poems and they are relevant to the season they are found in. The only slight downside to this book is that some poems are quite short and it would have been good on those days to have a couple of poems perhaps.

This would make a lovely daily read to a child on waking or before bed. I really like the idea of a poem a day book although sadly I don't have the self discipline to just read one poem at a time, this would be a very nice thing to do with a child though and there are some beautiful scenes to look at.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely, with beautiful illustrations too! The kids love it!

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This is truly an undertaking but well worth your time. There is a poem for everyday of the year along with adorable illustrations. A collection to go back to time and time again. Thank you to my library colleague to have thought of me by bringing this beauty to my attention.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm of two minds about this book. On one hand, it's very pretty, with full color illustrations a part of every spread (there's not a speck of true white space to be found, not even on the copyright acknowledgments page). The poems are varied and many favorites are included in the book's 300+ pages. On the other hand, it's a huge book (about 10x10") and a more traditional poetry anthology could probably include twice as many poems (and let's be honest, even with 365 included, there are many more that didn't make it in). The illustrations are nice, but I could have sacrificed half of them to get a lot more poems.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is sheer delight. It is packed with 365 subtly seasonal poems for the year. The poems are short and vivid and surprising. The illustrations are so colorful and inviting. My kids fought about who got to read the poem of the day because this book reveals how playful poetry is. I loved it.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful and joyful book. Highly recommend this to readers young and old!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeously illustrated with mixed media illustrations that fill each page with color complement a whopping 365 poems. That's one for each day of the year, and while many of them will be familiar to readers, several of them are fresh and new. Even the older ones are fun to read aloud and contemplate or share with others. It's cool to look for the poem that has been chosen for one's birthday too although I don't know that "Midnight Visitors," the poem for my special day, fits me. For someone just learning to love words or poetry, this book is a treasure trove, and for teachers or parents intent on fostering such a love, it's a quick reference and one they can reach for time and time again. As I read the various poems, some aloud and some to myself, I was struck once again with the many wonders of nature and its four seasons, each of which has something to recommend it. Clearly, the editor who selected these poems for inclusion in this volume, spent a great deal of time in pondering which ones to choose. This is a well-designed weighty tome filled with written delights--and even a ribbon for place-holding as well as an index of first lines and titles. There's even a table of contents separating each month.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeously illustrated volume of nature poetry from authors old and new. The cover doesn't do it justice. Outstanding addition to any library - though extremely heavy, might be a bit difficult for a younger child to hold and covet....

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful, if not a bit cumbersome. A must-own for any lover of children's books, nature, and poetry.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most modern poetry for children is twaddle, so I was delighted to find an exception in Fiona Water's collection, Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Every Day of the Year. Not only has Waters chosen fine poems filled with rich language, she chose an illustrator who captured the whimsy and wonder of the natural world. (I am troubled by the garish, cartoony figures in most children's books.)

Sing a Song of Seasons offers 365 bite-sized poems that coincide nicely with each season of the year. Several well-known poets are included such as Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Cristina Rossetti, but most are more modern. The choices are child-friendly without being too silly which shows a surprising respect for young readers.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as a present, and we are loving it! The book is heirloom/keepsake quality. Each two-page spread is beautifully illustrated in full color. The illustration actually takes up the entire page area and serves as the background; it might be a beach scene or a ladybug on a leaf or a starry night. They usually captivate the babe. There are 3-4 poems per two-page spread, all with the same theme. The poems vary in length, style, and authorship from Robert Frost to Jack Prelutsky. Each is labeled with a date, so we usually read a handful at a time and have actually stayed current. I like that there is such variety, and it gives us something different to read every night.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated poetry collection.

As I read, I was taking mental notes of the number of women and BIPOC represented and it wasn't many. There are also a lot of "anonymous," many of which should be "traditional" I think. It made me think about the logistical hurdles involved in assembling a collection like this. You can't just reprint anything, so were they bound by the publisher's catalog/public domain/etc.? I ponder this not to make excuses for the editors & publishers to just print primarily white folx, but as a means of trying to understand the massive undertaking involved in publishing a giant book of poetry.

[Ariel Lovewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read a snippet of the season into fall from the library and loved! Charming illustrations and good poems - my only complaint was some of the days just had extremely short and unsatisfying poems. Great way to celebrate the seasons as you go!

[Shannon Bolton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has beautiful illustrations and short, daily poems by well known authors.

[Mandy Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great compilation of poems with beautiful
illustrations that I read with my kids throughout the year

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent selection of nature poems, paired with outstanding illustrations.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book to do a poem a day with my children, but life took over. Instead, I brought this collection to bed and read one each night. Such a beautiful book of lovely little poems.

[Brianna Knutson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short poems and fun illustrations. We enjoyed this book!

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely collection of poems beautifully illustrated. Now THIS is the way to present poetry!

[Prince William Public Libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sing a Song of Seasons is a big, beautiful book. As the subtitle says, it’s a collection of nature poems for each day of the year. It’s massive, bulky, hefty and long, but it’s also shiny, colorful, engrossing and gorgeous. The sheer size of it is daunting at first, but flip to any random page (perhaps the date of the day you happen to pick it up) and after an initial tentative dip you’ll find yourself wading deeper and deeper into its enchanting combination of words and pictures. The lovely illustrations are perfectly paired with the carefully curated poems, and most of the poems are brief enough that you can breeze through large sections before you realize how many pages you’ve read. And yet the scope is such that you can’t take it all in in one sitting. It really is a stunning work.

Read it alone. Read it aloud to others. It would be a great way to instill a love of poetry and nature in the young folks in your life.

- John D.

Click here to find the book at the Prince William County Public Library System.

[Celia Berrier · Rating 5 out of 5]

My girls and I are currently on our second read through this beautiful book. I have loved introducing them to some of my favorite poets and discovering new ones. The selection includes good variety of poetry from past to present, and we often find ourselves digging deeper as we research a particular poet or style, memorize pieces, and even try our hand at creating our own poetry/art. I highly recommend this book to anyone, young or old, who enjoys poetry, nature or lovely illustrations. It is an heirloom quality book that our family will treasure for years to come

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Previewing morning time books for next year. I hadn't realized that Sing a Song of Seasons was edited by the same person who edited Tiger Tiger Burning Bright, which we loved. This one is definitely going to the top of the list for next year, and if it doesn't end up being 2024's poetry book, I think it'll be 2025's.

Update, 12/21/24:

Finished up 2024's Yearly Poetry Book. Sing a Song of Seasons was a lovely choice, full of delightful poems and gorgeous illustrations.

[Ricki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book. It's huge and full of great classic poems paired with gorgeous art. I need to own it... even though the hardcover is so expensive... so I can read a poem with the kids every day :D

[Betsy Cypress · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of our very favorite poetry anthologies ever. We read it daily in our homeschool (and in our free time). The art is beautiful.

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most gorgeous anthology of poems, "Sing a Song of Seasons" is illustrated with colorful, winsome pictures that complement the verses beautifully. An extraordinarily substantial book, it takes two hands and a lap to hold, and contains lovely poems appropriate for younger and older children alike. Verses range from humorous to whimsical to pensive, and each page spread features poems connected by a common theme. Also, the charming introduction is not to be missed!

I loved every minute spent in it. My little one greatly enjoyed paging through this with me and looking at all the pictures. We read many of the briefer poems together and they were perfect; sweet, funny, and featuring nature things she is just learning about.

This is absolutely on my purchase list and we will be savoring it in years to come as we continue to develop joyful daily rituals centered around literature and nature. This would be so fitting as a part of a morning basket daily reading or bedtime routine alongside devotions. Indeed, there are wonderful verses for transcribing into a nature journal as well. ❤

Here's one of the poems that made me laugh:

"Warning to a Person Sitting Under an Apple Tree in an Autumn Garden on a Sunny Afternoon with their Nose Stuck in a Good Book"
Directly up above you hanging by a thread
An apple's getting ready to thump you on the head.

- June Crebbin

[Hope McCabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Sing a Song of Seasons is a beautiful collection of poems for every day of the year. With writers spanning from Shakespeare to Hughes to Frost, there is an abundant of moving varieties of poems. Beautiful illustrations appropriate to the seasons are laced throughout the book, emphasizing deep feeling and connection from pictures to words.
2. This book is incredible—from its large size to its abundance of poems, readers can feel the deep connection and identity to nature. Each poem is unique and holds a special place. It is also incredibly organized, with contents for each month and labels on each page.
3. Other books like this one: Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris; Sing a Season Song by Jane Yolen and Lisel Ashlock; A Poem for Every Night of the Year by Allie Esiri; Breathe and Be: A Book of Mindfulness Poems by Kate Coombs
4. This book could be used easily as a mentor text for writing. It can inspire writing on the seasons and writing poems—or even both! It is also unique because each child can identify their birthday with a poem. Children can use this big book to inspire a free-flowing, creative kind of writing that varies among different writers and can even adapt poems that they have specifically chosen and liked.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am grateful to have a copy of this wonderful book from Candlewick, just in time for holiday gift-giving, for those you know love poetry, OR a gift for yourself. Publisher at Nosy Crow, Kate Wilson, remembered a book she had as a child filled with poetry, one she still has, from which she loved poetry. She wanted to create a new book filled with poetry too, asked Fiona Waters to select them and Frann Preston-Gannon to illustrate. You can choose to read a poem a day next year or begin as soon as the book is in your hands. You can find favorite poets, look for new ones, find your birthday poem or your child's. Poets familiar and poets new to me are included. It's a must-see, must-have book for poetry lovers, for a classroom perhaps, for a favorite person. Here's the Thanksgiving page I thought you'd like to see since that holiday is near.

[Laura Salas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is such a beautiful book--I adore Frann Preston-Gannon's art. And some of the poems are gems! For me, too many of them were ditties or the kind of public domain poems often used to fill out anthologies because of all the rights issues. I LOVED about 10% of the poems, and I really enjoyed about 25% more. I discovered new-to-me poets whose work I'll explore more. But I wish there were more contemporary poets included and fewer filler poems. I understand why it is the way it is, and the economics of anthologies are very tough. I just wish there were more I really loved here. Would love to see an anthology like this focusing on American poets, too. Maybe part of the reason I didn't love more poems was because it's a British anthology and thus has a different feel to it than an American one. It's a beauty of a book, though--well worth checking out!

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a coffee-table-worthy book that deserves daily living space with a family or classroom like yours. SING A SONG OF SEASONS: A NATURE POEM FOR EACH DAY OF THE YEAR offers poems collected by Fionna Waters and pages delightfully illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. The unifying theme of nature provides the focus for these selected poems, a balanced blend of all-time classics (including ones by the prolific Anonymous) and contemporary creators. The poems are organized chronologically and arranged following monthly, date-labeled tables of contents. The back matter is an invaluable resource (author index, title index, and first line index). The language is enhanced brilliantly by the remarkable illustrations throughout.
And how about this... my copy includes a page-marker ribbon, something that makes my heart smile.