On the Wing by David Elliott

In the past I've enjoyed David Elliott's books of short poems for young children (On the Farm, In the Wild, and In the Sea) illustrated by Holly Meade.  In his newest book, On the Wing, his poems are illustrated by first-time picture book artist, Becca Stadtlander.  Here, the 16 poems included are all about different kinds of birds such as the bald eagle, the hummingbird, the Caribbean flamingo, the Australian pelican, and the great horned owl.  In free verse the avian-inspired poems are short and sweet and meant to be read aloud.  Take the concise poem entitled, "The Puffin." "The puffin/is unique--especially/it's beak."  Or how about "The Macaw" verse: "The Macaw/Who spilled the paint?"  I can just hear kids laughing at that one when they see the colorful gouache illustration of this particular bird.  All of the pictures are a double-spread design and the print is large for young readers to read on their own. The artwork for the cardinal poem and the Japanese cranes poem are particularly lovely.  Introducing preschoolers and primary grade children to brief poems helps them with language development and sparks their imagination. Books like On the Wing make a perfect introduction to poetry beyond nursery rhymes.  Check out all of David Elliott's neat picture books of verse and have fun sharing them with little ones.  You can find this book on the New Book shelves in the Children's Room of the Iowa City Public Library.