Cover Image: Moving Words About a Flower

Moving Words About a Flower

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Member Reviews

A very cute and engaging nonfiction picture book. I can see it being a great addition to any library programs or classrooms.

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This is a story about the life cycle of a dandelion. It is a collaboration of efforts between the poet and the artist. It is written in poetry that is intertwined with art. The colourful and bright pages are a sight to behold, it is as though a field was spread across the pages indoors, completely engaging with the reader to bring them to the outdoors. It is a perfect book to read with your child and learn about the science of nature in bite sizes. It is easy to understand and makes for a great teaching experience. Next time you see a dandelion, you may remember the little education you've received in the story and share the little fun facts with your friends. Because of the language, a child will find it difficult to understand if they read it alone. It would be great for storytime or a STEM teaching plan.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

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The life cycle of a resilient dandelion, that sprouts in a crack of a busy city sidewalk, is written as a concrete poem. The dandelion’s seeds blow far from the city, landing in a field where they sprout. The story takes place over the four seasons, describing how the dandelion survives: “At last the child found it, plucked it, and took a mighty breath…and whoosh!” The full color gouache artwork begins in a gray city and moves to the green field with a blue sky, with the text placed on the pages to mirror the movement of rain, wind, and snow. The people are shown to represent different skin tones, and the little girl at the end has brown skin and long black hair. The book ends with four pages of facts on dandelions, making this a nice informational book for young children. ARC

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This story is a wonderful look at a dandelion that survives against all odds. Told through lovely shape poems this books is educational and beautiful for all readers. There is a section at the back of the book that includes more information about the life cycle of the dandelion which is fascinating and a great resource for anyone who wants to learn more.

Special thanks to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

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What a lovely book! The story of the humble dandelion is told though beautiful, creative poetry that uses both words and form to convey the message. There is a real sense of wonder in the text that encourages readers to notice and appreciate everyday beauty.

The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and the unconventional form will be great to hold student attention and inspire discussion. Because of the detail in how the words are presented, this would be better as a small group or individual read vs. circle time. This would be a lovely science book for pre-K and elementary and would be a great addition to school and classroom libraries!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

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What beautiful words and beautiful illustrations about dandelions. An absolute joy to read this picture book about the life of a dandelion. Also appreciated that the end some interesting facts about dandelions. So not only beautiful, but educational too. Many thanks to NetGalley for the a copy in exchange for my views.

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Moving Words About a Flower is a dynamically illustrated picture book about the life cycle of the dandelion. The first part of the book uses the words in the story as an active part of the illustration, incorporating the words into the illustrations creating a movement to the words. The shorter second part of the book is a scientific approach to the presentation of the dandelion's life cycle. A captivating picture book about a plant that is familiar and loved by all children.

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Absolutely love this one creating connection between the urban life and the nature. Love the grafity kind of illustrations and the sentence presentation.

This picture book does feek quite modern.

Thank you, publisher and the team, for the advance reading copy.

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This story is about the life cycle of a dandelion seed, highlighting their resilience as a species even though some may not live to experience all stages of their life cycle. The texts are written in unusual ways, with varying fonts. At times it was great fun to read these and at other times, I had to squint and turn my head a bit :) but all in all, a lovely book.

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Moving Words About Flowers by K.C. Hayes was an engaging story for children.

The poetry was fun in that it was written into the illustrations. What a great visual for the children. It was also educational on dandelions which are fun flower/weed for kids to learn about. I think this would make a great edition to home, school, or public libraries.

I received an eARC from Charles Bridge through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

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Moving Words About a Flower is a lovely addition to the world of botany for children. The illustrations are lovely, the prose is delightful, and the way the font is integrated into the pictures is perfect (and still legible!).

That the dandelion is the flower of choice is perfect because they are everywhere and kids love them already. This book is perfect as a stand alone but will meld beautifully for homeschool unit studies or in the classroom. Delightful!

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This is a delightful and informative book that children and their grown-ups will enjoy. It's a truly collaborative effort between the author and illustrator that uses concrete poetry to help children visualize the art and its meaning. Each spread is bright and colorful, and the text is used--always used--to mimic motion and growth. This is a beautiful book that's perfect for STEM lessons, poetry lessons, group storytime, or individual reading.

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Using acrostic poetry and word art, the author follows the journey of the humble dandelion. The beautiful illustrations and poetic writing make this a lovely story to share with a child. It also includes science facts at the end which gives resources for parents and facts for the children to learn.

I loved reading this charming picture book. It was lovely, and a wonderful read for children and their grown ups.

I highly recommend this book!

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I LOVED how this pictute book simulated movement by how the words were placed and really brought you into the world of the dandelion. Great for teaching new sxientific concepts! And just fun to read.

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Moving Words About a Flower is an absolutely beautiful concrete poem all about the life cycle of the dandelion. I loved seen all of the shapes made out of the words on each page. This made the story so much fun and it did almost look like the words were moving across the page. Although this shape poem is fun to look at, it is also very informational because it thoroughly explains the plant lift cycle. I could see this book being used for a language arts class or a science class.

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This inspiring book is artsy, clever and educational. The author uses concrete poetry to create a story whose words tumble, leap, and swirl across the pages to the readers' delight. What are concrete poems? In this particular story they are brilliantly created poems with words that replace the stems, stalks , and roots of one of our familiar flowers... the dandelion! The playfully arranged words marry with the fantastic illustrations to portray the life cycle of a dandelion making it such fun to read.

The use of concrete poetry helps kids to remember the story long after the book is read. Not only is "Moving Words About a Flower" a breath of fresh air but it contains actual scientific information regarding the dandelion's life span.

I love how the words are in motion throughout the story and land right into kid's hearts. Nature is an awesome thing and this book will motive kids to stop and discover the wonder of the world around them. This is a great addition to a classroom or an elementary school library and I highly recommend it.

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This story is full of STEM ingredients and told by means of concrete poetry. It follows the life cycle of a dandelion seed. From being planted in a crack by a rainbow, to sprouting, to its glory, to the scattering of more seeds to finding new homes. One gets the impression of splendor sprouting all around, of a world full of simple grandeur.

Concrete poetry is focused on the visual effect when words are arranged in a certain way.

The information is reinforced by the image presented.

It helps the child remember the story, like a photograph in their minds.

I found MOVING WORDS ABOUT A FLOWER to be beautiful and rich with not just with words, but with colors bright and luminous.

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I remember decades ago some people made a big flash in the pan of animated short films, when they would create their world out of the letters of the relevant words – ie a C, an A and an R would look like a vehicle, perhaps passing in front of the typography in both the image and the words of CRASH BARRIER, and stopping in front of a building made from the letters of OFFICES, and so on. This book very much does the same thing, with a most dynamic, kinetic layout, where words are in place of dandelion stems, stalks, and roots, and where the letters show the impact of what they are conveying. A dandelion is nibbled? So are the letters. It's crushed to the floor in two chunks? So are the letters. You get the drift.

So while the life cycle of a dandelion seed might not be an essential purchase for every educator, this is a really eye-opening portrayal of it, giving the narrative oomph aplenty, just through font play. No, twisting and turning the head to accommodate the wacky layout of the text will not appeal to everyone, especially those with reading disabilities, but this will strike allcomers as an inventive volume. Here's hoping, then, for a full set of similar books, if there isn't already.

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Beautiful book! Would make a lovely gift and a great addition to any classroom. Engaging illustrations and chock-full of elementary level science.

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