Sidman is Cybils Poetry Book Winner

Congratulations to Joyce Sidman for winning the first ever Cybils Bloggers’ prize for children’s poetry this year for Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow (illustrated by Beth Krommes) published by Houghton Mifflin. I also included it in my personal list of the best children’s poetry of the year, describing it as "full of “exquisite riddle rhyme pairs that explore the plants and animals of the meadow along with informative prose paragraphs and a glossary.” I’m a big fan of all of Sidman’s poetry and have written about her and her work in my upcoming book, POETRY PEOPLE, A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO CHILDREN’S POETS (due out this summer with Libraries Unlimited). Here’s an excerpt.

"Much of Joyce Sidman’s poetry centers around the subject of the natural world and is marked by poetic innovation and an elegance of expression. Often she weaves together scientific information alongside poetic descriptions…. Sidman has two nature-themed collections that are somewhat parallel in form and layout: Song of the Water Boatman: Pond Poems illustrated by Beckie Prange, (Houghton Mifflin 2005) and Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow illustrated by Beth Krommes (Houghton Mifflin 2006). In Song of the Water Boatman, we learn about the diverse life of ponds through eleven poems in various forms, including haiku, free verse, and cumulative rhymes. Each poem is accompanied by a prose paragraph with further scientific information. A glossary of science terms make it even more useful for instruction. Pair this with Hey There, Stinkbug! by Leslie Bulion, (Charlesbridge 2006%2