AWESOME EARTH: Concrete Poems Celebrate Caves, Canyons, and Other Fascinating Landforms
AWESOME EARTH debuted from Clarion/HarperCollins on Feb. 18, 2025!
Illustrated by Tania Garcia
Clarion/HarperCollins Books says, "Fun, accessible concrete poems and bold, vibrant artwork celebrate the many shapes and forms of our planet Earth. Perfect for National Poetry Month and Earth Day!" and "The Earth's crust shakes, water swells, lava flows, and glaciers advance. In this ingenious picture book, the landforms created by Earth's powerful forces are examined through compelling concrete poetry: words, ideas, type, and design that combine to make pictures and patterns. Rich back matter that includes a glossary and additional resources for readers, caregivers, and educators rounds out this accessible and thought-provoking ode to the many forms and features of our awesome planet." "The Earth is our Home, and we need to care for it and recognize its awesomeness--poetry is a great way to do that. Every day should be Earth Day and every month Poetry Month!" --Joan Bransfield Graham
Reviews:
"Digitally enhanced mixed-media artwork beautifully supports and extends the text. A welcome addition to science or poetry units." --Booklist (starred review)
"This rocks." — Kirkus Reviews
"An excellent introduction to our awesome planet for novice geographers and poets alike." — School Library Journal
"Concrete poems introduce the remarkable attributes of major Earth landforms in this playfully informational picture book whose shapely verse suits its subjects . . . Rhymes, alliteration, and assonance add further textual drama . . . Poetry and art combine to create an upbeat spin through Earth's forms. Back matter includes further facts." --Publishers Weekly
"The poems are exceptional . . . truly a poetry-geography STEM gem!" — Heidi Bee Roemer, author of Peekity Boo, What YOU Can Do and host of S.T.E.A.M. Powered Poetry
"With her signature wordplay and deep curiosity about the natural world, Joan invites readers on an awe-inspiring journey through Earth's most breathtaking landscapes! Perfect for National Poetry Month and Earth Day!" --Georgia Heard, author of Welcome to the Wonder House, poet/educator, 2023 NCTE Excellence in Poetry for Children Award
"Fun to read and loaded with fascinating information, Awesome Earth is Graham's valentine to the the planet and a budding geologist's dream . . . I was reminded of how our home planet is an ever evolving, dynamic entity full of beauty and wonder . . . marvelous." --Jama Kim Rattigan, author of Dumpling Soup, host of Jama's Alphabet Soup blog
"This book inspires awed 'wow' on every page. Here, Graham's precise yet playful words, combined with Garcia's bold and brilliant art, bring our vast, fantastic world down to earth…and into our hands. There is movement here, and adventure, as our eyes 'read' the concrete shapes, and our tongues enjoy the twists and trips and turns of the words. The illustrations are a cornucopia of color that move in shadow and sun; the poems seep and explore and explode. The reader sits in the center of it all, marveling, laughing, learning. AWESOME EARTH begs to be read aloud…yet also deserves the silence of one reader falling head-long into the deep of these awesome pages... -- Lee Wardlaw, author of Won Ton - A Cat Tale Told in Haiku and My Book of Firsts: Poems Celebrating a Baby's Milestones; winner of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
"A Love Story: This collection of poems makes us fall in love with our planet all over again . . . fabulous."
— Susan Corry, Reviewer, Good Reads with Ronna
"Describe[s] the Earth and its features in a succinct way that is easy for children to digest and rare to find in books about geography . . . It is really fun to have both the meaning of the words and the visual look of the words on the page support each other." — Darcie Caswell, Librarian, Central Rappahannock Library, VA
"The imagery of the words is beautifully reflected in the dramatic illustrations."
— Jean Greenlaw, Reviewer, Book Talk, Denton, TX, Record-Chronicle
"There is so much to love here . . . It's a multi-faceted book and collection . . . I love how the poems visually form the geographic features . . . All the fun word play is also supplemented by wonderful back matter explaining more that appealed greatly to the educator in me (as well as the lifelong learner.)."
--Jena Benton Lasley, author of Kauai's Call, author-illustrator, educator, host of Simply 7 interviews
"Awesome Earth is a welcome addition to the world of science and children's poetry. If you haven't seen Splish Splash and Flicker Flash, now is a good time to check out all three titles! . . . As someone who works with teachers and kids, I see many opportunities for sharing this book in the classroom . . . While it lists the audience for this book as ages 4-8 and grade preschool - 3, I know these poems will be enjoyed by students through middle school."
--Dr. Patricia Stohr-Hunt, Chair, Education Dept., University of Richmond, VA; President, VA Assoc. of College and Teacher Educators (VACTE), host of Miss Rumphius Effect Blogspot