Once Around The Sun: A Year Of Poems

by Bobbi Katz, LeUyen Pham (Illustrator)

Children don't need a calendar to tell them which season it is. Every month has its own distinct clues, like in September "when yellow pencils / in brand-new eraser hats / bravely wait on perfect points." In a dozen unforgettable poems, this fresh yet nostalgic collection captures the excitement of each season, spinning us once around the sun--twelve months, four seasons, one amazing year.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

A former editor at Random House, Katz has published many rhyming picture books for elementary school students.

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In her 12 poems dedicated to each month on the calendar, Bobbi Katz subjects seasonal objects to personification in the most delightful ways. My favorite poem, and the first, “January” wishes the “sled would stop whispering “one more time” and once—just once—pull you back up that hill! The poems and the illustrations bring people together. “Grandma tells you how each spring she falls in love with the world all over again—and you understand” (“April”). It is multi-cultural, multi-generational, mult-geographical (love the urban inclusions) experience.

I enjoyed how in Marilyn Singer’s A Stick is an Excellent Thing, LeUyen Pham uses a cast of characters throughout, but I also enjoy her following a boy who has a little sister and a mom and dad and a dog and a grandmother) through Once Around the Sun. The child-oriented contemplations of the months and what they mean or bring seem suited to a singular character. The choice also allows for the illustrator to adapt the mood each poem brings more readily. The little boy becomes a thread and a joy.

I adore the color-work, and while it has a tinge of nostalgia, Katz and Pham are creating a sentimentality all their own, and in the present.

L (omphaloskepsis)
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/20...

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be better shared in early January, one to begin the year and use every month all year! It was published over ten years ago, and I saw someone share it, finally got it from the library. What beautiful pages LeUyen Pham has filled with scenes of happy kids doing the wonderful things you can predict for every month of the year. Bobbi Katz' poetry delights in clever poetic images every.single.month. The opening double title page spread from left to right, from winter snowman-building, spring kite-flying, summer-ice cream cones and autumn - leaves falling is a lovely invitation to view all the rest of the year. January's poem "slides" down the page in words all about sledding. March is "when your hands begin to dream. . . about being a fist/thumping/into the soft leather cup/of a baseball mitt." July "when the Milky Way doesn't seem so far away" and September, "when yellow pencils/in brand-new eraser hats" remind us of those special times in those months. Every month can hold a variety of things in memories but Bobbi Katz has beautifully captured the essence of each one.

[Alyssa DeFini]

Bobbi Katz writes 12 different poems and each one represents a single month. The poems tell the story of a little boy over a period of a year. They illustrate his activities, feelings, and opposites he is given during each month. Although each poem is written separately, they all connect and follow a sequence.

These are rhyming poems and they use imagery to explain the characteristics of each moth. Katz writes these poems to connect with the reader (specifically students). Each poem is detailed, tells a story, and contains rhyming words. With support of the detailed images, students will be able to visually see the poem and how it is represented through pictures. This is a great text to use when support students understanding of visualizing poems.

Books to connect with:
1. Happy Haiku, by Elizabeth Crocket (haiku poems)
2. A Stick Is an Excellent Thing, by Marilyn Singer

Quote:
"April is when the earth parades in a green so brand-new you can almost hear it playing a tune"

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a terrific picture book to have on the shelf for the entire year. With fun, vibrant illustrations showcasing the details of each season, and lyrical poetry celebrating each and every month of the year, this book makes great use of sensory details and descriptive writing. Right now as spring is having a difficult time taking hold, I can really relate to the "March" poem: "March is when a cheerleader no longer cartwheels inside your chest because the forecast is 'SNOW'...

[Emily Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I loved about the book was the fact that the poems were written for every month of the year. So each month had it's own description and pictures that we tend to think of when we hear the month's name. I think this would be a good book for reading the first day of every month and for a calendar lesson in kindergarten.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations (as usual) by LeUyen Pham. The poems are a bit lofty for my first grader, though, and most of the metaphors and personification went over her head.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry was pretty good, I loved the illustrations.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is made up of poems. It explains what happens during the different months. I absolutely loved this book and would use it to teach seasons. I felt that the poems were so easy to connect with. I loved the art work and also just the flow of the book. I wanted to see what each month brought.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book full of poems, one for each month of the year. What attracted me to this book was the illustrations. So colorful and evoke wonderful memories. I like the imagery the poems conjure, as they use lots of metaphors and similes. I would love to use this book in my future classroom.

This is one of my picture book selections.

[Kayla Spires · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bright, colorful illustrations take the reader through 12 poems representing the 12 months in a year. The transitions of seasons is made obvious through the illustrations and the moods. The reader goes through many moods and clues about each season like weather, holidays, and school time.

[Amy Holliday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comments on the Story:
Each month is well depicted. I think that the pictures really help the poetry. For example, in February, although hearts are mentioned in the poem, seeing the boy on his red and pink bed drawing a heart on the dew that has gathered on his window really helps the poem to evoke more February meaning. There is not a lot of rhyme to these poems and just a little rhythm.

Recommended Uses for the Book:
This would be a great book to read in kindergarten and first grade classrooms, especially for units on months. There is a part in the book that talks about yearning for summer vacation in late May and early June that might resonate well with the children. I think that this book is a little too abstract for a story hour. But, maybe some of the poems could be utilized. The one for January is about sledding and uses lots of onomatopoeia. This book might also be fun to use at home for a year and read each month’s poem to a preschooler on the first day of each month.

[Deana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poetry and illustrations in this books of monthly poems seamlessly meld the urban and rural while capturing essential aspects of childhood; from new pencils and pink erasers in September to capturing fireflies in mason jars in July. Pham’s winsome illustrations are reminiscent of Ezra Jack Keats’ work in the classics “Goggles” and “The Snowy Day” but if this is imitation it is lovingly done. Pham who also illustrated “Big Sister, Little Sister” has a gift for capturing emotion. Katz’s poems are simple and memorable. While the reading level is higher (9-12 years old) these poems are easily accessible to children 6 and older. Illustration lovers will appreciate Pham’s glorious representations of children of all nationalities.

[Aimee]

This text is all about using poetry to engage the reader. The months as the title of the poem with descriptions that students will connect with.

This would be a great way to get students into using knowledge in their own poems. This would work well to get students to learn a new topic by having them research to be able to write on the topic. This book uses many cultures in the children that are in this book. This is always a good thing in a classroom to show equality in everything that you do. The poem that I like the most was February, because it showed a frosty cold window that a child has used to draw a heart with their finger. Students would be able to see how the pictures follow the words.

[Caycee Hatchette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal reaction: I enjoyed this book and I liked that it went month by month instead of season by season.

I think this book would be appropriate for first, second, and third grade students. There is a fair share of figurative language in the poems as well: " your big toe starts to complain", "when a frost-feathered windowpane tells your fingernail to carve the first letters of your name". There are some vocabulary words that will be challenging as well: "forsythia", "gnawing". I would have students brainstorm things that they are excited about in the upcoming month and then I would read the poem and we would see if some student's thoughts correlated to the words written. The illustrations also give a detailed picture of what is happening in each month.

[Gracie Larcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading, Once Around the Sun. I thought the book did a great job at highlighting the different aspects of each month in a poetic format. In addition, the pictures were very bright and beautiful, and between seasons there would be a break of a two paged illustration.

Once Around The Sun would be a great book to read to a first or second grade classroom. I think as a teacher, you should work to incorporate poetry into all kinds of lessons and not just when teaching poetry and this book is a great way to do it. You could read the book aloud to students and discuss how seasons are created by the process of the sun rotating around the earth.

[Maddie Scheer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal: This was a cute book. It went through the months of the year and had a poem for each month for what happens during this month, especially for children. I have found that I enjoy poems for children more than poems for adults through this book. Also, the illustrations fit the poems perfectly.

Purpose: This would be a great book for K1 students and studying the different seasons and different times of the year. I also think it would be a good poetry collection to read aloud to students while studying the calendar year and what each month stereotypically looks like.

[Taryn Vogel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Reaction: I really enjoyed how this poetry book was set up. Meaning that it went month by month, and had a different poem for every month and what is important.

Purpose: I believe students from 1st-3rd grade would really enjoy these poems. These poems could be read just for fun, in the way that a poem was read at the beginning of every month as an opening to what their next few weeks would look like. These poems are filled with many examples of figurative language that would be a great tool for identifying different formats of poems, and the language of the poems.

[Emily Peer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun book is filled with narrative and lyrical poems. There is a poem that corresponds with every month and would be great for a quick read aloud at the beginning of every month. It is an easy read with few challenging words but rich sentence structure. The illustrations are diverse and very entertaining. The use of personification is seen throughout the book. This book would be good for grades K-2.

[Dominique Woodbridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once around the sun is a great poetry book for kids who are learning their moths of the year. There is a poem to go along with each month. The poems are all different, there are some rhyming poems or some free verse poems. The poems are all very descriptive of what goes on during the months of the year. There are great illustrations to represent what the poem is saying.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Theme: months of the year
Summary: Twelve poems with no rhyme or verse dedicated to a specific month.

[Cana · Rating 3 out of 5]

poetry

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is chock full of great metaphor and a new poem for every month that children can both understand and appreciate. This is a great book. I loved it.

[Rebecca Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good poetry book that also teaches students the months of the year. Through the words and pictures you can see the seasons change too.

[JoEllen Mccarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful poetry collection that explores month/seasons.

[Burbank Library Children's Department · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful collection of poems, one per month, that follows a family as they experience all the fun of the seasons. A wonderful way to introduce poetry to young children.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

These poems for the different months are charming! And the pictures along with them really make you feel like you have experienced each month of the year.

[Jordan Hernandez]

This fun book is excellent for ages 4-6. It can be used to teach both the months of the year and the seasons that collaborate with those months.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should be more of a poetry reader than I am but I'm not. I found these poems to be so beautifully written! This is on my Wish List for our library