WATER SINGS BLUE: OCEAN POEMS by Kate Coombs

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Coombs, Kate. 2012. WATER SINGS BLUE: OCEAN POEMS. ill Meilo So. California: Chronicle Books LLC. ISBN 9780811872843

SUMMARY:

Missing the sounds of the ocean?  Put down that seashell and experience ocean life through the artful words of Kate Coombs.  Raise those sails and glide through the pages to experience soaring seagulls, a love-struck sea urchin, jellyfish, jellyfish, and not-really-jellyfish.  Savor every word as the ocean whispers, "I was here, wasss h e r e, wasssss h e r e ..."

QUALITY & APPEAL:

Age Range:  4 years and up
Grade Level:  Pre-K and up
Student, itching for summer break, can take a trip to the beach anytime they want as ocean life springs from each page of this beautiful poetry picture book.  The mental imagery created by author, Kate Coombs, is amazing.  Mysteries from the deep ocean waters come to life through the illustrations created by So.  They are realistic and appealing. Students will enjoy getting to experience the ocean and the animals that reside there.  The poetic rhythm will draw them in.  Some poems will have them grinning from ear to ear, while others will leave them in AWW!

What a wonderful book to add to any classroom library!  This informational text brings science concepts to life.  The poetry aspects are used beautifully.  Teachers can used the enclosed poems to teach students about rhyming scheme, various types of figurative language, metaphors, simile, visualization, tempo, and to pause as needed to hear the full meaning of a poem.  The poems can be read separately over time exposing students to a wide variety of vocabulary.  Read poems slowly and savor each pebble of sand each poem has to offer young readers.

SPOTLIGHT POEM:  (Excerpt from book)

SHIPWRECK

Here lie the bones

of twenty trees,

lost far from home

under gallons of seas.

CONNECTION:

• Slowly read the above poem with young students several times while they can view the print.
• Choral reading - Read the poem in unison with the whole class to help increase fluency and to aid in word-to-word matching while reading and viewing text.
• Discuss items that might be found in the shipwreck.
• Make a list of objects as students share their brainstormed ideas.
• Add words to the list that rhyme with students' responses.
• Circle rhyming words and group them together.
• Guide students in creating a simple poem like the one above using rhyming words to create a ABAB rhyming scheme.