cover image Seeds, Bees, Butterflies, and More! Poems for Two Voices

Seeds, Bees, Butterflies, and More! Poems for Two Voices

Carole Gerber, illus. by Eugene Yelchin. Holt, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-9211-0

Yelchin%E2%80%99s cheerful gouache illustrations call to mind sidewalk chalk art in this collection of nature- and spring-themed poems designed to be recited by two readers. The poems%E2%80%99 alternating parts are differentiated by color, with multicolored phrases intended to be read in unison. Gerber%E2%80%99s poems are casually conversational (%E2%80%9CIt%E2%80%99s springtime!/ Will you be up soon?/ I feel sure you%E2%80%99ll be cute,%E2%80%9D a hungry rabbit urges a green sprout), while she sneaks in a surprising amount of information about flowers, berries, bugs, and more, as well as topics including germination and pollination. The airy poems are pleasing, but maybe not perennial. Ages 4%E2%80%93up. Author%E2%80%99s agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Illustrator%E2%80%99s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Feb.)