Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature

by Joyce Sidman, Beth Krommes (Illustrator)

Overview

Sidman’s lyrical poetry and Krommes’ charming illustrations illuminate this intriguing shape found all throughout the universe. Young readers will enjoy discovering all of the different spirals in nature in this ebook edition. 

What makes the tiny snail shell so beautiful? Why does that shape occur in nature over and over again—in rushing rivers, in a flower bud, even inside your ear?

With simplicity and grace, Sidman and Krommes not only reveal the many spirals in nature—from fiddleheads to elephant tusks, from crashing waves to spiraling galaxies—but also celebrate the beauty and usefulness of this fascinating shape.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547752136
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/30/2018
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	30
Lexile:	AD510L (what's this?)
File size:	79 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

The Newbery Honor winner and Sibert Medalist Joyce Sidman is today’s foremost nature poet for children. Accolades for her books include two Caldecott Honors, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award, the Claudia Lewis Award, and many stars and best books lists. For her award-winning body of work, she won the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. She lives in Wayzata, Minnesota. Visit joycesidman.com

 

Beth Krommes is the Caldecott Winning illustrator of The House in the Night  and other beautifully illustrated, much-acclaimed picture books like Swirl by Swirl, and  Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow. She lives in Peterborough, NH. Visit her online at www.bethkrommes.com.

Editorial Reviews

"The open-ended quality of the verse and the visual nature of the subject create plenty of opportunities for the art. The striking scratchboard illustrations use black lines, shapes, and crosshatched shading on white backgrounds to create strong compositions, while watercolor washes add subtle warmth and brilliance. . .There are, of course, many school uses for this, but just reading it aloud at home will make the everyday fascinating."—Booklist, starred review "The observations, from a few words to a couple sentences, are tucked neatly into Krommes’s gorgeous scratchboard spreads."—School Library Journal, starred review "Exquisitely simple and memorable."—Kirkus, starred review "From the endpapers that gather together all the spirals depicted to the spiraling text on the title page verso, this book is elegantly constructed, and as poetry, picture book, or nonfiction, a success in every way."—The Horn Book, starred review "This is one of those rare children’s books that make you look at the physical world differently. . .spirals are beautiful—whether we see in them hints of infinity, the promise of unfolding potential, or the embodiment of mathematical perfection."—Publishers Weekly, starred review —

From the Publisher

"A spiral is a snuggling shape" is the somewhat homely observation that begins Sidman's brief and graceful poem—she goes on to catalog and celebrate the ways that spirals manifest themselves in the physical and natural world in a way that will draw in the youngest listeners.

Krommes' dense and richly colored scratchboard illustrations, with their closely packed and neatly labeled creatures, plants and natural phenomena, create a feeling of abundance and profusion, with so many parts of the world nestled together in swirls and spirals—effectively demonstrating its fundamental nature. The author and illustrator examine spirals as coiled and protective (fiddlehead ferns, a curled hedgehog) as well as bold and releasing (curls on ocean waves, a spiral galaxy). They further offer observations on the ways that plants and animals use the spiral structure for strength or support (a monkey's tail clinging to a branch, a spider's web constructed between twigs). Two pages of notes at the end offer a definition ("Spiral: a shape that curls around a center point"), details that elaborate on the poem and explain some of the individual manifestations of spirals and a brief nod to the Fibonacci sequence.

Exquisitely simple and memorable. (Informational picture book. 2-8)

Kirkus Reviews