Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

Bibliography

Sidman, Joyce. 2010. DARK EMPEROR & OTHER POEMS OF THE NIGHT. Ill. by Rick Allen. New York: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 9780547152288

Plot Summary

In this engaging informational poetry collection, the author reveals the beauty of the nocturnal world through 12 poems that include descriptions of various animals and plants that play important roles in our environment after the sun sets at the end of each day.  Each poem celebrates the wonderful yet mysterious qualities the world seems to have after dark, and is accompanied by detailed illustrations that capture the shadowy colors of nighttime.  The reader discovers the types of activities animals partake in when the rest of the world is asleep, including raccoons, snails, moths, great horned owls, spiders, baby porcupines, crickets, and tree bats.  Written from the point of view of the animals and plants who come alive at night while the rest of the world sleeps, the poems found within this collection are breathtaking in their simplicity.  The reader is taken on a journey through an entire night, from just after dusk and the beginning of the night to the start of a brand new day as the moon loses its radiance to the power of the sun.  Although the creatures that come out at night will always be somewhat mysterious, this book of poems helps readers view the night as a little less frightening.

Critical Analysis

With an incredibly appealing organization and design scheme, the collection of poems found within Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night are each paired with related information that contains true facts about plants and animals.  The glossary found in the back of the book is an especially helpful resource for children when interpreting the expository information that is associated with each poem.  Many of the poems contain a lyrical quality that is best expressed when read aloud.  The natural rhythm and rhymes found within the poems creates a literary experience that is simply mesmerizing when reading or listening to them.  Readers of all ages will be captivated by the language of the poems, as the sensory words create vivid mental images of the nighttime creatures and their habitats. A particularly stunning example of the use of language is found in the poem "Oak After Dark" - "As nighttime rustles at my knee / I stand in silent gravity / and quietly continue chores / of feeding leaves and sealing pores...I stretch my roots into the hill / and slowly, slowly, drink my fill."  The dark beauty of the night is effectively captured while the reader's emotional response to the poetry will range anywhere from curiosity to admiration to awe as they discover new details about the fascinating nocturnal world.

Awards

• Newbery Honor Book
• Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book
• Cybils Poetry Award Finalist
• NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts
• Horn Book Fanfare
• Bulletin Blue Ribbon
• Booklist Editor's Choice
• Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
• NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book

Review Excerpts

“From the opening poem, 'To all of you who crawl and creep, / who buzz and chirp and hoot and peep, / who wake at dusk and throw off sleep: / Welcome to the night,' Sidman celebrates the world that comes alive after dark.” – Horn Book (starred review)

“This new volume teams a dozen Sidman poems about nocturnally active organisms from raccoons to snails to mushrooms with the work of artist Allen, who offers a sequence of gouache-tinted linocut prints follows the night from sunset's crepuscular tones into the dark of small hours and through until dawn, with the moon moving across the sky overhead.” – Bulletin (starred review)

"This picture book combines lyrical poetry and compelling art with science concepts." - Booklist (starred review)

"Spiders offer advice, porcupettes pirouette, and the moon laments the dawn, all illuminated by debut talent Allen's detailed yet moody prints, which encapsulate the mysteries and magic of the midnight hours." - Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

Connections

Joyce Sidman has posted suggestions for Reading, Writing, and Science extension activities that complement this poetry collection on her website in the form of the following Dark Emperor Reader's Guide.


While listening to Joyce Sidman read aloud some of the poems from this collection, children can close their eyes and imagine the creatures and plants she describes.  They can sketch their mental images, and then compare them to the illustrations that are actually found in the book.


This collection of poems can be used in conjunction with a unit of study on nocturnal animals and their habitats in Science.  Children can work in groups to research different biomes and identify the various types of nocturnal animals that live within their biome.