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This Poem is a Nest
This beautiful poetry collection introduces readers to the art of found poetry as the poet writes a 37-line poem, "Nest," then finds 160 smaller poems within it.
What can you find in a poem about a robin's nest? Irene Latham masterfully discovers "nestlings" or smaller poems about an astonishing variety of subjects--emotions, wild animals, natural landmarks on all seven continents, even planets and constellations. Each poem is a glorious spark of wonder that will prompt readers to look at the world afresh. The book includes an introduction detailing the principles of found poetry and blackout poetry, and a section of tips at the end. The joyous creativity in this volume is certain to inspire budding poets.
What can you find in a poem about a robin's nest? Irene Latham masterfully discovers "nestlings" or smaller poems about an astonishing variety of subjects--emotions, wild animals, natural landmarks on all seven continents, even planets and constellations. Each poem is a glorious spark of wonder that will prompt readers to look at the world afresh. The book includes an introduction detailing the principles of found poetry and blackout poetry, and a section of tips at the end. The joyous creativity in this volume is certain to inspire budding poets.
114 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 20, 2020
4 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Irene Latham
34 books143 followersIrene Latham is a poet and novelist who was born the middle child and first daughter of five kids.
Irene has lived all sorts of places and traveled worldwide. Since 1984 she has called Birmingham, Alabama, home.
She thinks growing up with three brothers was great preparation for raising her three sons. She also thinks getting a sister was one of the best things that has ever happened to her.
Irene is proud to be the only leftie in her family of origin AND in her current family.
According to Irene's Dr. Seuss' MY BOOK ABOUT ME, she has wanted to be writer since she was eight years old.
She also wanted to train a horse that her sister would ride to victory in the Kentucky Derby. That hasn't happened. Yet.
Irene didn't take a single writing course in college.
Irene has lived all sorts of places and traveled worldwide. Since 1984 she has called Birmingham, Alabama, home.
She thinks growing up with three brothers was great preparation for raising her three sons. She also thinks getting a sister was one of the best things that has ever happened to her.
Irene is proud to be the only leftie in her family of origin AND in her current family.
According to Irene's Dr. Seuss' MY BOOK ABOUT ME, she has wanted to be writer since she was eight years old.
She also wanted to train a horse that her sister would ride to victory in the Kentucky Derby. That hasn't happened. Yet.
Irene didn't take a single writing course in college.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
September 15, 2020
What a delightful poetry resource! This book is not just filled with wonderful short poems, but they're all "found poems" created from words in a poem at the start. Latham first gives us a 37-line poem, Nest, divided into four sections or seasons. From this poem, she has created 161 "nestlings" or poems made up of words found in the original poem, in order. Some of the poems are as short as two lines (plus a title, which does not have to include found words and often helps clarify the subject). Some combine words to make wonderful new words like wordflight and frostsong. In some cases, she finds words inside other words, like using ink from wrinkly. These poems are grouped by themes, including animals, emotions, planets (one of my favorite sections), places around the world and more. At the end, she gives tips for kids to make their own nest poem and nestlings, with very good suggestions to help them be successful. Sweet illustrations accompany the poems.
Sample poem:
Sun's Complaint
near ancient moon
rattles
when it dreams
The book would be great for younger children but any age will find delightful inspiration here. This would be a fantastic accompaniment to a poetry unit study. Well recommended.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
Sample poem:
Sun's Complaint
near ancient moon
rattles
when it dreams
The book would be great for younger children but any age will find delightful inspiration here. This would be a fantastic accompaniment to a poetry unit study. Well recommended.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
December 26, 2020
I am embarrassed to admit that I wasn't familiar with the concept of found poetry at all until I opened this. I know about blackout poetry, and this is similar, but I would imagine found poetry simply takes more work and imagination.
This will be a great resource to use in homeschooling, as we already read poems in our daily routine.
This will be a great resource to use in homeschooling, as we already read poems in our daily routine.
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February 4, 2021I really appreciate Latham's explorations in different forms of poetry. I think it would be good to see different ways to "play" with words like this!
November 7, 2020
Irene has created a book as robins create their nests. Piece by piece, she's selected only the parts that hold together, that make a home for her hatchlings, 161 poems found as she traveled through the words (her woods?), and so many other places, with one single poem. In the forward, Irene explains the "how" of her "nestling" idea, to find poems within the poem, a personal found or blackout poetry. Her one poem is in four parts, an homage to the four seasons.
Within the book, there are also sections, each celebrated by full-page beautiful illustrations by Johanna Wright. These sections fly from ones like "time" and "animals among us" to "only human" and the ending "out of time". Johanna also adds some smaller illustrations here and there on the pages, like with the poem "Middle of the Night Question" showing a young girl in bed with a dream scene showing her with wings above, a small bird playing a guitar. The poems make our imaginations soar but having Johanna illustrate her own thoughts is fun, too. And Irene's poems are tiny glimpses into life, like finding a piece of ribbon in a robin's nest!
For those who want inspiration or for teachers who love new ideas to offer to their students, this is a place for nesting, adding pieces of wordplay challenge and extraordinary fun for poets.
Irene's forward invites us all to start:
What words will call to you?
What worlds are waiting in a poem for you to discover? What ideas are hiding that you—and only you—
will nurture until they’re ready
to fly right out of the nest into a
new poem?
There are additional detailed tips about building nestlings from a nest at the back and an index. In those tips, one rule is that your new nestling can only use words from the body of the poem and in that order, top to bottom. Thus, it helps that Irene adds to the poems' topic in the titles. Choosing what touches with emotion, a favorite topic, and special-sounds is a highlight of all.
Do I have favorite parts of these pages and poems by Irene? Yes! Am I going to share what they are? No! You need to get this book and celebrate it for its creativity, its newness, its being a "nestling"! Thanks, Irene and Johanna for this special book!
Within the book, there are also sections, each celebrated by full-page beautiful illustrations by Johanna Wright. These sections fly from ones like "time" and "animals among us" to "only human" and the ending "out of time". Johanna also adds some smaller illustrations here and there on the pages, like with the poem "Middle of the Night Question" showing a young girl in bed with a dream scene showing her with wings above, a small bird playing a guitar. The poems make our imaginations soar but having Johanna illustrate her own thoughts is fun, too. And Irene's poems are tiny glimpses into life, like finding a piece of ribbon in a robin's nest!
For those who want inspiration or for teachers who love new ideas to offer to their students, this is a place for nesting, adding pieces of wordplay challenge and extraordinary fun for poets.
Irene's forward invites us all to start:
What words will call to you?
What worlds are waiting in a poem for you to discover? What ideas are hiding that you—and only you—
will nurture until they’re ready
to fly right out of the nest into a
new poem?
There are additional detailed tips about building nestlings from a nest at the back and an index. In those tips, one rule is that your new nestling can only use words from the body of the poem and in that order, top to bottom. Thus, it helps that Irene adds to the poems' topic in the titles. Choosing what touches with emotion, a favorite topic, and special-sounds is a highlight of all.
Do I have favorite parts of these pages and poems by Irene? Yes! Am I going to share what they are? No! You need to get this book and celebrate it for its creativity, its newness, its being a "nestling"! Thanks, Irene and Johanna for this special book!
November 12, 2020
As a fan of Irene Latham's poetry, I opened this new book eagerly.
I was not disappointed.
Poetic forms can be challenging, but they can also provide a scaffold for writers (young OR old) to approach and attempt creating their own work.
In this case, the premise of a poem being a nest is described simply and clearly in the opening pages. Latham has written a lovely and comprehensive poem to launch the book, one that is worthy to read and appreciate on its own. Her guidance to readers indicates they are welcome to use her NEST poem, use other published poems, or swing for the bleachers and create an extensive poem of their own to become the nest for further work. She described the simple restrictions (I won't call them rules) that allow her to select words from that original NEST poem, so carefully constructed, to produce an impressive collection of other poems on a range of topics and themes.
This is such a strong conceptual offering for poetry-writers, and the poems she has produced are organized in ways that might inspire additions in themselves. This book concludes with some added (brief) messages from the author, inviting readers to join in the fun and the challenge.
Overall, this is a wonderful addition to classrooms, libraries, and writing shelves.
I was not disappointed.
Poetic forms can be challenging, but they can also provide a scaffold for writers (young OR old) to approach and attempt creating their own work.
In this case, the premise of a poem being a nest is described simply and clearly in the opening pages. Latham has written a lovely and comprehensive poem to launch the book, one that is worthy to read and appreciate on its own. Her guidance to readers indicates they are welcome to use her NEST poem, use other published poems, or swing for the bleachers and create an extensive poem of their own to become the nest for further work. She described the simple restrictions (I won't call them rules) that allow her to select words from that original NEST poem, so carefully constructed, to produce an impressive collection of other poems on a range of topics and themes.
This is such a strong conceptual offering for poetry-writers, and the poems she has produced are organized in ways that might inspire additions in themselves. This book concludes with some added (brief) messages from the author, inviting readers to join in the fun and the challenge.
Overall, this is a wonderful addition to classrooms, libraries, and writing shelves.
September 14, 2020
I’m always excited when I discover new ways to express myself and poetry offers up dozens of forms for just that. So I was happy to discover this lovely picture book for ages 7 and up about a form of “found poetry” the award-winning author Irene Latham calls Nesting Poems. Each of the 161 “nestling” poems is created from a selection of words found (chosen), in order, from a themed 37-line poem about nests in all four seasons. The nestling poems cover a variety of topics such as time, animals, humans, places, and more, and all are short and enchanting. The book’s layout is poem-friendly, featuring abundant whitespace along with simple spot illustrations and section-opening full page illustrations by illustrator Johanna Wright. Author Latham has also provided great tips in the back matter for creating nesting, and nestling, poems about any topic, which would be a wonderful writing activity for older elementary students.
I received an ARC of this title through the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC of this title through the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 19, 2020
What a fun, creative book! Irene Latham, a poet, teaches children about a form of poetry she calls "nestlings," in which a poem is made from words found within a larger "nest" poem. Similar to found poetry and blackout poetry, the only rule is that the found words must stay in the order they were in within the original poem. To illustrate this, Latham wrote "Nest," a 37 line poem, and found 161 nestlings within it. The results are grouped by subject, and cover a variety of topics and emotions. The introduction explains the form and process, and at the end of the book, there are some helpful tips and ideas to get started. Johanna Wright's illustrations throughout add a sweetness and touch of whimsy that suits the text well. This is sure to inspire some creative reading and writing of poetry- I want to try it myself! This is a lovely book on its own, and would be great for in-class lessons on poetry and/or creative writing, or for National Poetry Month in April.
#ThisPoemIsaNest #NetGalley
#ThisPoemIsaNest #NetGalley
December 25, 2020
This is an absolute delight of a book, playful, inviting, emotional and inspiring. Latham starts with a 4 part poem, The Nest, that describes a robin's nest and its builders and occupants over 4 seasons. Next she creates "nestlings," a form of found poems using the words of the original. Remarkably, Latham created 161 poems and used all the words of the original. The only hard and fast rule was that the words in each nestling had be used in order.
The found poems are divided into broad categories, such as time, animals, only human and for the love of words. The resulting nestlings are short but evocative - some fun and playful and some more contemplative and serious. All are inviting, both to read and create some of our own. Latham provides a guide to doing just that at the end with a list of tips.
Charming sketches by Johanna Wright add to the real pleasure of the book. This is an absolute treasure and has so many wonderful uses. Hand it to a budding poet or use in a classroom.
The found poems are divided into broad categories, such as time, animals, only human and for the love of words. The resulting nestlings are short but evocative - some fun and playful and some more contemplative and serious. All are inviting, both to read and create some of our own. Latham provides a guide to doing just that at the end with a list of tips.
Charming sketches by Johanna Wright add to the real pleasure of the book. This is an absolute treasure and has so many wonderful uses. Hand it to a budding poet or use in a classroom.
October 3, 2020
Inspiring Example of Found Poems
What a fascinating poetry book for children. It inspires creativity by first explaining and then showing what found poems are. The author first shares a 37-line poem that looks at what's happening through the seasons in a nest. Then she creates 161 very short found poems based on the longer one that she calls nestlings. The author is able to show how powerful words can be, where just a few can evoke deeper insights into a concept. I imagine that teachers—and perhaps even homeschooling parents—could use this book for poetry exploration. As the found poem can be short, they would not intimidate children as might happen with longer or more complex forms of poetry. Fun stuff!
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
What a fascinating poetry book for children. It inspires creativity by first explaining and then showing what found poems are. The author first shares a 37-line poem that looks at what's happening through the seasons in a nest. Then she creates 161 very short found poems based on the longer one that she calls nestlings. The author is able to show how powerful words can be, where just a few can evoke deeper insights into a concept. I imagine that teachers—and perhaps even homeschooling parents—could use this book for poetry exploration. As the found poem can be short, they would not intimidate children as might happen with longer or more complex forms of poetry. Fun stuff!
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
October 27, 2021
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G
Latham’s poem “Nest” has four parts. But within that poem, she found 161 other poems hiding and waiting to be found. “Nest” is about more than twigs -- it’s also about bedtime, the color indigo, being confused, Pluto losing its status as a planet, and more!
The found poems inside of Latham’s original poem are short and don’t always make a lot of sense, but I loved seeing how she played with the words. In the introduction and after the last poem is shared, Latham gives readers tips on making their own found poems. She has inspired me to try it myself.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
Latham’s poem “Nest” has four parts. But within that poem, she found 161 other poems hiding and waiting to be found. “Nest” is about more than twigs -- it’s also about bedtime, the color indigo, being confused, Pluto losing its status as a planet, and more!
The found poems inside of Latham’s original poem are short and don’t always make a lot of sense, but I loved seeing how she played with the words. In the introduction and after the last poem is shared, Latham gives readers tips on making their own found poems. She has inspired me to try it myself.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
April 7, 2022
When a single poem becomes a *thing* in and of itself, full of life and depth ... you get "This Poem is a Nest." Irene Latham begins with one poem, "Nest," with 37 lines divided across the four seasons. Then, she has create a book full of "Nestlings," or poems within a poem, for readers to dive in to and enjoy. This work of poetry celebrates the art of poetry, the imagination, and nature. It's whimsical, fascinating, and evocative of childhood. The illustrations pair nicely with the poems to that end.
***Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Astra Books for Young Readers. Opinions are my own.
***Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Astra Books for Young Readers. Opinions are my own.
November 13, 2023
NCTE Poetry
This Poem is a Nest cycles through many different content areas including time, animals, colors and so many more, and describes different aspects of these categories. These poems tend to be very descriptive and use colorful language to build images in the reader's mind. These colorful and widely diverse poems would build engagement with a wide variety of students and their interests. I think It would be a great idea to read a few of these poems from given categories each day to introduce the idea of poetry and its important role in building engagement and language/reading fluency.
This Poem is a Nest cycles through many different content areas including time, animals, colors and so many more, and describes different aspects of these categories. These poems tend to be very descriptive and use colorful language to build images in the reader's mind. These colorful and widely diverse poems would build engagement with a wide variety of students and their interests. I think It would be a great idea to read a few of these poems from given categories each day to introduce the idea of poetry and its important role in building engagement and language/reading fluency.
September 17, 2020
I LOVE this concept and will be shamelessly stealing it as a poetry center when my students write poetry in the spring. The poems are also really nicely done - I am particularly fond of some of the more abstract subject covered in the "nestling" poems.
A must-have for anyone who loves poetry, experimental writing, writing poetry, and teachers (particularly those who - you guessed it - teach poetry, be that reading, analysis, or writing).
ARC provided in exchange for review by the publisher via NetGalley.
A must-have for anyone who loves poetry, experimental writing, writing poetry, and teachers (particularly those who - you guessed it - teach poetry, be that reading, analysis, or writing).
ARC provided in exchange for review by the publisher via NetGalley.
September 20, 2020
I used to create poems this way for my journals and atc's! I think all ages can benefir from reading these found poems. Irene Lathan has done a wonderful job of creating a book of found poetry and shows the reader, step by step how to create their own. Good book for a classroom at any grade. I especially liked the Sneeze poem! Very clever! Lol!
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchang for a fair review.
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchang for a fair review.
February 3, 2023
ELA teachers and librarians should all have this and use it! Latham writes 4 lovely season-themed poems and then makes "nestlings", collections of smaller poems using only selected words from the original 4 poems. We usually do this as an activity anyway (blackout poems), and this is an excellent mentor text for that to launch such an activity. Thankful that our 6th grade writing/reading teacher shared this with me!
June 13, 2025
The book starts with one long poem and then transforms it into 161 shorter poems that sprout from the original. Themes include nature, language, and creativity. Children can learn that poetry can be free flowing and can change like living things.This book would work great in a writing workshop or creative expression activity.
It is anti-bias by celebrating diverse poetic voices, offering accessibility to all types of learners, and promoting freedom of expression.
It is anti-bias by celebrating diverse poetic voices, offering accessibility to all types of learners, and promoting freedom of expression.
September 17, 2020
This Poem is a Nest is a poetry book built around certain words and is focused on nature. The photo is quite appealing and draws one into the writing. This book also has some simple, but quaint, illustrations within it. It is a nice book to share with school children. Thank you to Netgalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review.
May 2, 2021
Interesting. I liked the smaller poems and visions they brought. A wide variety of subjects were covered. A good book to read on breaks at work. Thoughts to take you away from it all on multiple journeys. Two stand outs were: Orange "imagine a tiger's wild heart" and Blue " vast sea- a home for everything".
September 6, 2021
Interesting concept: one longer poem (the nest) and then many many smaller poems (nestlings) created using only words from the longer poem.
The smaller poems are VERY small -- maybe just 8-12 words each in many cases.
It's all free verse.
Occasionally, one of the nestlings clicked for me, but mostly it missed.
The smaller poems are VERY small -- maybe just 8-12 words each in many cases.
It's all free verse.
Occasionally, one of the nestlings clicked for me, but mostly it missed.
September 18, 2021
When I picked this book up, I was definitely not expecting that it was a fresh way to look at writing and discovering poems. I loved the idea of writing one poem and then using fresh eyes with those same words and seeing what other poems can be "born" from it. This is something I am definitely going to try with my students because I know that their creativity will really take it to new levels.
October 2, 2022
I thought this book was pretty decent. The poetry was really engaging for children and I would love to read this book to one of my classes someday. It was an interesting storyline and I thought there were really good illustrations. I would recommend this book. I liked that there were so many lines of poetry in the book.
December 10, 2020
I love this book! The whole premise of creating, interweaving, folding in and expanding out. . . A book I will read over and over again. Sharing with kids and adults, this is a book of anticipation, thrill, meander, and joy!
May 28, 2021
The idea of finding smaller poems within the larger ones is unique, but the smaller poems didn't grab me.
The author uses titles for the smaller poems to indicate what they represent. Seemed kind of a stretch.
The author uses titles for the smaller poems to indicate what they represent. Seemed kind of a stretch.
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August 20, 2021I was not familiar with this style of poetry and found the concept interesting. My budding poet didn’t quite grasp the process, but proceeded to fill half of a notebook with poems after I brought this one home from the library.
October 11, 2020
Such a creative book! Taking the words from one poem and creating 160 other poems. I plan to use this process with students. Loved the author’s notes at the beginning and end.
November 12, 2020
Beautiful! The first poem was my favorite.
November 23, 2020
I love Irene Latham's medical way with words. This Poem is a Nest was beautiful and I couldn't wait to share it with my nature preschool class as we discovered the world around us.
December 19, 2020
Loved this concept. The poet wrote a poem called Nest. The rest of the book consisted of (very) short poems using only words that were in the original poem. The poems were in many different categories, like planets and countries around the world.
December 17, 2020
What a terrific example of found poetry. I enjoyed this far more than I expected.
December 22, 2020
Didn't really get into this until p. 77 and the sneeze poem. OK so the Tips for a Nest Builder and end makes this go up a star. I can see this should be in classroom library poetry collections.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews