A Planet Is a Poem

I haven't been on #NetGalley in a while, and when I went, I stumbled upon the CUTEST of books. "A Planet Is a Poem" was written by Amanda West Lewis and illustrated by Oliver Averill. 

["Science and poetry combine in an out-of-this-world exploration of the wonders of our solar system.

From a ballad of Earth and an ode to the sun to a villanelle for Venus and a sestina for Saturn, here are 14 original poems about planets and other bodies in our solar system. Each poem is written in a different poetic form that’s been chosen to reflect the object’s unique characteristics, and each is bursting with intriguing details sure to capture readers’ imaginations. Why is Mars known as the Red Planet? How many moons does Jupiter have? And what exactly is the Kuiper Belt? Budding astronomers, young and old, can find the answers to these questions and many more in this innovative, enchanting book.

Amanda West Lewis’s unique and engaging poems and text are lavishly illustrated with stunning artwork by Oliver Averill that celebrates the vastness of space while bringing its curious objects to vivid life. Every spread features a stunning space scene, a poem and a fold-out flap that, when opened, reveals easy-to-understand science facts about the object as well as an explanation of the poetic form used and why it was matched with that object. From sonnet, free verse and persona to prose, acrostic and hip-hop poems, there are 14 poetic forms to enjoy. With loads of curriculum connections in Earth science and language arts, this immersive and beautifully crafted book is a terrific choice for STEAM lesson plans. The back of the book contains a glossary, references, an activity, an illustration of our solar system and an index."]

This. Book. Was. Fabulous.

It was informative on planets and space and stars and that fast nothingness-everythingness that is the universe. It was also super informative on poetry, stanzas, styles, and famous poems/poets. Plus all those fabulous, colorful, expressive, explosive pictures?!?! Hell. Yes.

You have to go read this!! I got it as an ARC, but I might need to go buy the physical book (it debuts May 7, 2024).

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