A Review of Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

By Joyce Sidman

*Note: This blog fulfills a course requirement at TWU.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sidman, Joyce. Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night. Ill. by Rick Allen. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company: 2010. ISBN: 0547152280

PLOT SUMMARY

This Newberry Award Winner is a thematic collection of Joyce Sidman poems that focuses on various creatures of the night, including plants, trees, and the moon. The author presents twelve poems that Rick Allen’s detailed illustrations bring to life. Readers will lose any fear of the night and enter a world where “porcupette’s pirouette,” “crickets sing,” “spiders offer advice” and an “oak tree” that hears “beetles whisper in [his] bark”, plus poems that feature an owl, snail, night spider, primrose moth, mushrooms, efts, bats, and the moon that watches over them.  There is a natural cadence in Sidman’s style that is lyrical and rhythmic in nature. Some poems do not rhyme and they are written in different cadences, but the common thread that ties them together is the rhythmic delivery that is enhanced by reading them aloud.  On the page opposite of the poem, scientific facts are presented regarding each creature, plant, tree, and the moon featured in the collection. These are informative and are a good teaching tool. Sidman’s creative poetry, along with the Allen’s wonderful artwork, creates a mental picture or imagery for the reader that is certainly worthy of the honors the book has received.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The book combines wonderfully-written poetry with scientific facts about the creatures, plants, an oak tree, and the moon, along with intricate illustrations that are both inviting and serve as a fun teaching tool. Sidman’s work is recommended for children, ages 6-9 years-old. The poetry and artwork helps alleviate any aspect of the night that a child might fear. The author presents 12 separate poems focusing on night life in the forest. Each poem has its own cadence and shows a child the various types of poetry and that poetry does not have to rhyme to create the imagery that emerges through Sidman’s carefully chosen words. A glossary is included in the back of the book that defines unfamiliar terms, like porcupette which refers to a baby porcupine. Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night are best enjoyed when read aloud. Highly recommended!

REVIEW EXCERPTS

A 2011 Newbery Honor Book

School Library Journal – “Sidman continues her explorations of natural history in this set of poems about nocturnal life in the forest. As in her other collections, each selection is set in an expansive spread that includes a factual discussion of the featured subject. The illustrations are bold, richly detailed linoleum prints colored in gouache. The 12 poems are led by a scene setting “Welcome to the Night” and go on to feature 9 different creatures and some mushrooms with a concluding lament by the moon as night fades into morning.” 

Booklist – “Here, poems about the woods at night reveal exciting biology facts that are explained in long notes on each double-page spread. The facts are further reinforced in the accompanying picture, which shows the small file on a cricket's wing.”

Publisher’s Weekly – “In Sidman's delicious poems, darkness is the norm, and there's nothing to fear but the rising sun. Allen's detailed yet moody prints … encapsulate the mysteries and magic of the midnight hours.” 

CONNECTIONS

Read other works by Joyce Sidman:

·         Sidman, Joyce. Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems. ISBN:  0618135472

2005 Caldecott Honor Book

·         Sidman, Joyce. Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow. ISBN: 061856313X

·         Sidman, Joyce. Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors. ISBN: 0547014945

And others …

Ø  Sidman’s nature-driven books and poetry complete with scientific-related facts and a glossary can serve as a great teaching tool for parents and teachers.