Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian

Genre III

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Florian, Douglas. 2007. COMETS, STARS, THE MOON, AND MARS: SPACE POEMS AND PAINTINGS. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc.. ISBN 9780329641634

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Florian shares beautiful poetry once again in this collection about the solar system entitled COMETS, STARS, THE MOON, AND MARS: SPACE POEMS AND PAINTINGS. Some are written in quick, sharp phrases and others are flowing and mystical. The engaging verses supply terrestrial facts as they entertain readers with humor, rhythm and rhyme. Readers are taken on a journey through our solar system as they begin “Skywatch”ing and finally come to rest in the land of black holes and “the Great Beyond.”

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Florian’s collection of twenty poems is skillfully written and arranged from far-reaching subjects like “The Universe” to specific planets. Each poem describes and creatively communicates what is currently known about each planetary body. Using rhythmic couplets to free verse, Florian reaches across the vastness of space and brings distant, unfamiliar information into the hands of readers and makes them memorable. He uses consonance, repeated phrases, sensory words, listing and shaping to create images of these stellar subjects. Readers will connect emotionally to some of the funnier poems but most will not evoke deep emotion even in the most sensitive poetry lovers. A table of contents and “A Galactic Glossary” are included as well as a bibliography of suggested additional readings to assist curious readers. Florian is also the illustrator of this anthology. As is typical of his style, he uses collage, gouache and rubber stamps on brown (primed) paper bags and includes his signature cut outs on each two page painting. The collage pieces and the rubber stamped text are informational as well as artistic and are a valuable accompaniment.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
*SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Nothing gladdens the heart of believers of good poetry for children more than a new collection by Florian. . . . This one literally sings the music of the spheres. . . . In both language and artwork, Florian strikes the perfect balance between grandeur and whimsy.”

*THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW: “The poet-painter’s latest book brings warm wit to the outermost reaches of cold, dark space. . . . Florian’s illustrations depict the marvels of space with luminous texture and detail.”


5. CONNECTIONS
*Working in partners have students choose three poems to read and analyze for facts. Allow students to share the facts they learned from each poem with the class.

*Using the poem, “The Constellations”, its illustration, black construction paper, a shoebox and a pencil, have students create a mini planetarium.