Children's Nature Books: Daniel Finds a Poem

Upon working on a poem unit with my kindergarten students, I completed a quick catalog search at my public library looking for poem books specific to nature. I was surprised when a picture book showed up titled, Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer. I was not familiar with the book or the author, but hunted for the book on the shelves. When I found it, I judged that book by its cover, and immediately fell in love!

Figure 1

Cover art for the book, Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer.

The art style was reminiscent of Eric Carle and Lois Ehlert who had very distinct art styles using collage. The simple yet realistic illustrations were two things I knew would engage my students. There were a few things that made me fall in love with the story beyond the artwork. 

1. First, with a main character who is a child of color, I knew that many of my students would be able to relate and see themselves in the story. In the early childhood classroom, it is vital that every effort is made to make every child feel welcome and seen in the learning environment (National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC], 2020). They feel represented when they see themselves in displays in the classroom, videos that we watch, and books that we read. 
2. Second, this character lives in a neighborhood that looks similar to my students' neighborhood. There are houses, sidewalks, and a park, just like we have in our school community. There is a pond in this story and we have a large creek that runs behind our school. The character encounters a number of creatures that are very common in our school community like squirrels, birds, spiders, and fish. It is my responsibility to learn about the community in which I teach (NAEYC, 2020). I can ensure that the materials I am using help my students make authentic connections between their own life and the character's life in the story.
3. Third, this book helps me provide opportunities for connection with nature. To address the needs of students across all developmental domains, children need experiences to learn in nature, learn about nature, and learn with nature (Larimore, 2018). This book allows me to do all three. We can discuss phonics or reading skills in our nature story to learn in nature. We can learn about the names of the different animals and insects in the story to learn about nature. If we are on a nature walk and see a squirrel like the boy did in the story, and then discuss our observations of that squirrel, we are learning with nature. 

Reading books with my students is one of my favorite things to do, especially books about nature. I appreciate authors who take the time to represent a variety of children and write stories that help us make meaningful connections to the natural world and real life. Please be sure to check out, Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer.

References

Larimore, R. A. (2018, November). Using principles of nature-based

preschools to transform your classroom. Young Children, 73(5), 34-41.

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2020). 

Developmentally appropriate practice [Position statement]. https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/dap-statement_0.pdf