The Alligator's Smile: And Other Poems

by Jane Yolen, Jason Stemple (Photographer)

Overview

Get up close and personal with alligators in all their tooth-filled glory in this collection of poems by New York Times bestselling author Jane Yolen. Rhymes and rhythms reflect on how alligators hunt, keep warm, and care for young.

Stunning, large-scale photographs zoom in on these mighty hunters, while fun fact boxes accompany the poetry, providing details that are sure to pique young readers' curiosity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467755757
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2016
Series:	Nonfiction - Grades 4-8
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 10 Years

About the Author

Jane Yolen lives in Massachusetts and has written more than 400 books across all genres and age ranges, including the Sydney Taylor Honor book Miriam at the River. In 2022 she was named the The Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Winner. She has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of America and the Aesop of the twentieth century.

Jason Stemple is a photographer who lives in South Carolina with his family.

Editorial Reviews

"The mother-and-son team of Bug Off! Creepy, Crawly Poems (2012) here focus on alligators. . . . [T]his is an intriguing blend of wordplay-rich verse, visuals, and introductory information."—Booklist

From the Publisher

2016-06-01
Fascinating facts and playful poems about the dinosaur's smiling cousin.Prolific, award-winning author and poet Yolen presents 13 short descriptive poems about the alligator. Touching on topics from hunting style to parenting style, from diet to habits to physical characteristics, most are sneakily informative, and all are good fun to read aloud. "You think that gator's dozing / In the dreamy afternoon. / You're wrong if you're supposing / That he's having a sweet swoon. / He's probably just chilly. / He can't raise his body heat— / But with the warming of the sun, / Can lumber to his feet." Each poem is accompanied by a paragraph or two that expands on the topic highlighted in the verse. Each is also paired with a full-page, beautiful (and sometimes scary) photograph of a gator or gators taken by Yolen's award-winning photographer son (and frequent collaborator), Stemple. Many of the photographs were taken on a monthlong fellowship-funded trip to the Everglades. The aftermatter includes additional gator facts and a short glossary as well as websites and a few book titles for further investigation. A splendid addition to the creators' explorations of the natural world. (Picture book/poetry. 7-11)

Kirkus Reviews