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As the title of An Egret's Day suggests, the subject of this children's poetry book is the daily life of the large and beautiful bird known as the Great Egret. Using a variety of poetic forms, Jane Yolen has written more than a dozen poems about egrets. Each of the poems examines a different aspect of the bird. These include: the egret's name, eating habits, size, nest, flight, feet, walk, preening, beak and more.

The Format of An Egret's Day

Each double-page spread contains one or more striking color photographs of an egret and a poem that relates to what's in the photo. A paragraph of factual information that sheds further light on the subject of the photo and poem is also provided. Like Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman (see my review of Dark Emperor), An Egret's Day combines poetry, art and science. For example, Jane Yolen's poem "On the Hunt" describes how the egret catches fish. Three photographs show the egret hunting for and catching a fish. In an accompanying paragraph titled What Do Egrets Eat?, Yolen provides factual information about the eating habits of Great Egrets.

The Poetry

Jane Yolen uses a variety of poetic forms in An Egret's Day, including haiku and limerick. Older kids may enjoy using the book A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms to try to figure out the poetic form used for each poem. After reading the book, if your kids express an interest in writing their own poems, see my list of recommended books for tweens and teens about writing poetry.
In each poem, Jane Yolen gives new meaning to the subject through her figurative language, similes and metaphors, many of them amusing in nature.

For example, there is a double-page spread that focuses on the Great Egret's preening. In the informational section, preening is defined as egrets "smoothing or cleaning feathers with their beak or bill." In the first verse of her poem "Preening Egret," Yolen writes, "He is his own Laundromat, / And when he does his preening / He polishes the place he sat- / His beak so good for cleaning." In other poems, Yolen likens the egret to "...a world-class waiter" and his wings to "...fresh sheets / hung out upon a line."

The Author and Illustrator: Jane Yolen and Jason Stemple

Jane Yolen is the author of several hundred books for children and teens. She writes in a variety of genres and formats, including poetry, fantasy, picture books and novels. Like a number of her other poetry books, An Egret's Day was illustrated by photographer Jason Stemple, Jane Yolen's son. In an interview with Jane Yolen, I asked her about the process of collaboration and she told me, "With Jason, I use his photographs as a jumping off place for poetry."
Stemple and Yolen have collaborated on more than a dozen books, the bulk of them nature poetry books for children. Their books include: Least Things: Poems About Small Natures, Shape Me a Rhyme: Nature's Forms in Poetry, Count Me A Rhyme: Animal Poems by the Number, A Mirror to Nature: Poems About Reflection, Wild Wings: Poems for Young People, and Snow, Snow, Snow: Winter Poems for Chidren. You should be able to find at least some of Yolem and Stemple's children's poetry books at your local public library.

An Egret's Day: My Recommendation

Sharing An Egret's Day is a good way to introduce poetry to young nature lovers. It is also a good way to share related science information. Younger children will enjoy the poems and photos but may not sit still for all of the information initially. However, they will probably enjoy hearing and seeing the book again and again, and each time you can share more information. Older kids, especially ones who love to collect facts, will appreciate the combination of poetry and photographs that pique their interest and additional factual information that builds on their interest. Happily, all of us can be comfortable with the accuracy of Yolen's poetry because, according to a publisher's note, her poetry was reviewed by Dr. John H. Rappole, who is an ornithologist, as well as scientist emeritus at the Smithsonian Zoological Park and chairman of the board of trustees of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute.
I recommend An Egret's Day for children as young as 4 or 5 up to teenagers. Because of its wide appeal, An Egret's Day would be a good read aloud to share with the whole family. (WordSong, An Imprint of Boyds Mill Press, Inc., 2010. ISBN: 9781590786505)