The author artfully employs a vast arsenal of poetic devices to elevate the lowly insect to a literary subject. When lacking sufficiently descriptive scientific terminology, Florian invents his own. �Fatterpillar� conjures the image of a ravenous caterpillar engorged with leaves, and �spiderobic exercise� could only describe the fitness regimen of an arachnid.
Assonance and consonance are cleverly incorporated, as seen in �The Inchworm� (�inch� �arch� march� and �pinch� along with �stick� �thickets� �pick� and �tickets�). The second line of �The Weevils� states �We are evil.� Words that include the sound of �evil� are used repeatedly throughout the poem: �weevil� �evil� �primeval� and �medieval.� In �The Ticks,� the last word of every line ends with the letters �tic,� reinforcing the visual image of a tick.
Metaphor is seen in �The Monarch Butterfly,� when the monarch is referred to as a royal personage three different ways: �a king,� �a prince,� and �a duke.� The dragonfly is described as �the demon of skies,� and the inchworm describes himself as �just a pinch.�
Internal rhyme is used in �The Termites:� �Our nest is blessed to be immense� and �still our hill suits us just fine.� This device is used again in poems about the hornet and water bug: �a hornet�s born with yellow rings;� �the giant water bug can lug.�
Onomatopoeia is a literary device that lends itself well to describing critters and their sounds. The crickets �chirp� and �cheep;� locusts �swarm;� treehoppers �lunge,� �plunge,� �lurch,� and �lope;� whirligig beetles �whirl� and �twirl;� and inchworms �inch� and �arch.�
The author uses a variety of styles and formats in his poems. The most distinctive are �The Whirligig Beetles,� �The Inchworm,� and �The Termites,� all concrete poems, in which the arrangement of words on the page visually represent the subjects. In �The Locusts� the word �disappear� is in faded text, a type of visual onomatopoeia.
Rhythm and meter are used effectively in �The Army Ants,� which reads with an unmistakable, military cadence. The stair-step arrangement of �left � right� reinforces the marching beat. In �The Treehoppers,� the short, clipped two-syllable lines, with the second syllable being accented, helps the reader to envision the incessant hopping the poem describes.
In �The Daddy Longlegs,� Florian uses the device of repetition: �O Daddy, Daddy O.� We see this again in the poems about the mayfly and monarch butterfly: �a mayfly flies;� �swallows that swallow him.�
The illustrations are a visual feast, with remarkable detail. Each is a collage, incorporating water color paintings on brown paper bags and snips of paper, with everything from elaborate calligraphy and primitive artwork to magazine cut-outs. The abstract images, colorful and provocative at first glance, contain details which elaborate on the stories told in the poetry, and are a thoroughly satisfying complement.
These poems have all the elements that appeal to children: they are understandable and funny, with pleasing rhythms and rhyme. They also present a surprising amount of factual information in a way that not only makes learning fun, but easy to retain. The skilled combination of fanciful art and lighthearted, lyrical poetry promises to delight children of all ages. This book is destined to become a classic, and merits a space in every serious collection of children�s literature.
Related Website:
Embracing the Child: http://www.embracingthechild.org/Booknature_florian.htm