Franco, Betsy. 2008. Bees, Snails and Peacock Tails. Ill. by Steve Jenkins. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division. ISBN 9781416903864
2. Plot Summary
Betsy Franco creates a poem that engages the reader into considering shapes and patterns in nature. First, Franco introduces the theme of the poem so readers are engaged and prepared for what is to come throughout the book. She starts with bees and describes patterns on multiple animals and insects eventually ending with topshell snails. The poem includes nature on land, in the air and in the sea.
3. Critical Analysis
The rhyming and cadence of this poem are extremely age appropriate and beneficial to the reader. A child (or adult!) may not even recognize all that they have learned while they bounce through the shapes and patterns that Franco presents. The words move around the pages while drawing attention to the geometry of nature. Not only is the placement of the words important, the specific diction is spot on for this book. The readers can stay engaged and learn information about the animal world without being daunted by difficult or overwhelming words. The descriptions on each page are factual and teach readers more about nature.
The collage illustrations by Steve Jenkins compliment the imagery that is created by Franco’s words. Jenkins adds life to the motif of the poem through vivid artwork with bright colors and textures. Nature comes alive through this art and allows the reader to be engaged in the consistent cadence. Each animal, insect or sea creature is focused on and large enough for details - namely patterns and shapes to be shown. For example, the ants are so large that a cookie in the illustration is comparable in size (larger than a fist).
4. Review Excerpt(s) and Awards
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY- **Starred Review** “Whether addressing hexagonal beehive cells or a snail's spiral shell, brisk rhymes draw attention to nature's math, as in this description of moth wings' symmetry: Notice the colors/ and stunning 'eyes,'/ perfectly matched/ on either side.”
BOOKLIST - **Starred Review** “Verses tuck neatly into each subject's double-page spread or cleverly echo its shape, mimicking the spiral lines of a snail's shell or the rounded exterior of a puffer fish, and an appending section explains the scientific facts behind each poem.”
Nominated for Kentucky Bluegrass Book Award
5. Connections
- Provide children with paper and glue sticks and suggest that they create their own shapes in nature.
- Other poems for children about nature:
- Red Sings from Treetops, Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow by Joyce Sidman
