Insectlopedia: Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian

Bibliography
Florian, Douglas. 1998. Insectlopedia: Poems and Paintings. San Diego: Harcourt Brace.

ISBN: 0-15-201306-7

Summary
In Insectlopedia, Florian presents a selection of poems about a variety of insects, such as inchworm, mayfly, termites, caterpillar, and mosquito.

Critical Analysis
Poet, Douglas Florian writes an entertaining and interesting collection of poems about insects in his book, Insectlopedia. His poems are creative and imaginative, while portraying insects realistically. For example, in the poem, The Dragonfly, Florian writes, "Behold my bold enormous eyes." Also, Florian's poems provide factual information about the insects, making his book timeless and universal.

Florian's poems are factual and entertaining. He does an excellent job of presenting a variety of poems. For example, some of his poems are free verse, while others have strong rhythm and rhyme. There are even a few shape poems that are indicative of that insect. Readers can create images in their mind from Florian's use of strong descriptive words. Another creative technique Florian uses is assonance, for lunch I munch, (9) and consonance, They're hip. They hop, (30).

Insectlopedia is well organized and beautifully illustrated. Florian's watercolor illustrations are a perfect complement to each poem, making this book inviting to readers of all ages.

In the twenty-one insect poem collection, Insectlopedia, outshines many other sources of information about insects. Florian's collection will hook children into being fascinated by the world of insects, as well as encourage a love of poetry.

Review Excerpts
Carolyn Angus with School Library Journal reports, "The verse form is as varied as the creatures presented. Shaped or pattern poems about the inchworm, whirligig beetles, and mound-building termites work particularly well. The words are arranged in pleasing patterns and the rhythms fit the characteristics of the subjects. The design adds to the overall appeal. Each selection is given its own page, allowing for the use of large type and plenty of glossy white space, and paired with a full-page watercolor with a neat border of white. These portraits build on the imaginatively integrated realistic and anthropomorphic images created in the text. There are other books of poetry about insects and lots of collections of humorous verses about animals but none match Insectlopedia" (1998).

Kirkus Review announces, "Some of the entries rely on clever wordplay, while others are examples of concrete poetry; the text takes on the hump of the inchworm or the spiral movements of the whirligig beetle. The watercolor illustrations, abstract and stylized, achieve a comic effect by incorporating collage elements reminiscent of an entomologists field notes (1998).

Review excerpts accessed from http://www.titlewave.com/

Connections
Florian's poems are so lively and entertaining, they would make a great poetry study:
Autumnblings: Poems and Paintings
Beast Feast: Poems and Paintings
Bing Bang Bong: Poems and Drawings
Bow Wow Meow Meow, It's Rhyming Cats and Dogs
Handsprings: Poems and Paintings
Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings
In the Swim: Poems and Paintings