Florian, Douglas. 1998. Insectlopedia. Illustrated by Douglas Florian. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company. ISBN: 0-15-201306-7.
Insectlopedia is a poetry collection by Douglas Florian. It focuses on the insect world. It features twenty-one poems. Each poem is written and illustrated by Florian. The illustrations were done in watercolor on primed brown paper bags with collage (48).
Florian�s poems are truly magical. They range in style and format. Many of his poems are concrete. For example, The Inchworm is a poem in which the words form the shape of a worm traveling. I inch, I arch, I march along, I�m just a pinch, a mere inch long, I stroll and stick on sticks in thickets, and never pick up speeding tickets (14). Another concrete poem is The Whirligig Beetles. In that poem, Florian arranges the word to form a circle or a whirl. We whirl, we twirl, we skate, we glide, upon a pond or lake we ride. We swim in circles like little toys, without the windup keys or noise (22). Other poems play with the sounds of words. For example, The Ticks is a poem that plays with language. Not gigant-tic. Not roman-tic, Not artis-tic. Not majes-tic. Not magne-tic. Not aeste-tic. Ticks are strictly parasi-tic (45). No matter what the format, Florian presents his subject in a fun exciting way.
Florian�s book is a wonderful poetry collection. His poems and paintings are delightful. His paintings are very significant in setting the mood or tone of the poem. They are the heart and soul of the poetry. His paintings are fun to examine. I could not imagine the poetry having the same impact without the accompanying paintings.