In preparation for National Poetry Month, we jumped at the chance to gather all the science poetry you love! Check out Leslie Bulion’s fun and informative approach to nonfiction learning, featuring some silk-spinning spiders, acrobatic amphibians, tiny critters dwelling in the leaf litter layer, odd undersea creatures, and more! So dive, soar, float, or crawl right into this animal- and nature-filled list of poetry books.

SpiKu

Spi-KuA Clutter of Short Verse on Eight Legs
Written by Leslie Bulion
Illustrated by Robert Meganck

Welcome to the silk-spinning, bungee-jumping, hunting, trapping, trick-filled world of spiders! Watch as they find mates, find prey…or find mates that become prey! Award-winning poet Leslie Bulion and illustrator Robert Meganck team up again for this clutter (a collective noun for spiders) of Haiku and other short poems and humorously accurate illustrations that celebrate the amazing attributes of Araneae. A feast for science and animal fans and a bonanza for teachers and students interested in cross-curricular studies!

Looking for more information about these rolling, diving, web-weaving creatures? Check out this teacher’s guide for spider-themed fun in the classroom!

Order Spi-Ku from Bookshop.orgAmazon, or Barnes & Noble just in time for some at-home poetry month celebration.

Amphibian Acrobats

Amphibian Acrobats
Written by Leslie Bulion
Illustrated by Robert Meganck

Step right up and learn all about the lively participants in the Amphibian Acrobat show—from the agile Wallace’s flying frog to the bouncing Venezuelan pebble toad to the tricky yellow-eyed ensatina. These show-stopping creatures hail from around the world and your own backyard! Come along and get to know all about these lively denizens with this entertaining collection of science verses from author Leslie Bulion. Illustrator Robert Meganck’s witty drawings add another layer of fun to this humorous and informative exhibition.

Can’t get enough of these talented critters? Check out this teacher’s guide for more amphibian learning fun!

Order Amphibian Acrobats from Bookshop.org, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble just in time for some at-home poetry month celebration.

Superlative Birds

Superlative Birds
Written by Leslie Bulion
Illustrated by Robert Meganck

Explore the fascinating world of superlative birds―from the bee hummingbird, the tiniest bird in the world, to the peregrine falcon, the fastest creature on Earth. Get to know all about the best and brightest―and smelliest!―denizens of the bird world with this collection of nonfiction science verses. You won’t need your binoculars to observe the superlative characteristics of these avian wonders. Author Leslie Bulion’s science glossary, notes on poetry forms, and resources for information about these extraordinary birds, and Robert Meganck’s enjoyable illustrations make this an informative and humorous gallery of the world’s most accomplished birds.

Fly further into the wonderful world of birds with this teacher’s guide!

Order Superlative Birds from Bookshop.orgAmazon, or Barnes & Noble just in time for some at-home poetry month celebration.

Leaf Litter Critters

Leaf Litter Critters
Written by Leslie Bulion
Illustrated by Robert Meganck

Have fun on this poetic tour through the leaf litter layer and dig into the fascinating facts about the tiny critters who live there. Nineteen poems in a variety of verse forms with accompanying science notes take readers on a decomposer safari through the “brown food web,” from bacteria through tardigrades and on to rove beetle predators. Glossary, hands-on investigations, and resources are included in the back matter.

Check out this teacher’s guide, and dive deeper into the leaf litter layer.

Order Leaf Litter Critters from Bookshop.orgAmazon, or Barnes & Noble just in time for some at-home poetry month celebration.

Random Body Parts

Random Body Parts
Written by Leslie Bulion
Illustrated by Mike Lowery

Take a free-form trip though the human body with these humorous riddle poems. In these pages you will discover the astonishing answers to these questions such as, “Which body parts would wrap four times around the equator?” or “Which body part, if spread out flat, would cover a tennis court?” Put your cerebral cortex to work. Follow the anatomical, poetic, and visual clues to make a guess, then read the science notes to check your powers of riddle reasoning. You’ll even find hints from the greatest poet of them all―William Shakespeare!

Want to learn more about human anatomy? Download the free teacher’s guide.

Order Random Body Parts from Bookshop.orgAmazon, or Barnes & Noble just in time for some at-home poetry month celebration.

At the Sea Floor Cafe

At the Sea Floor Café
Odd Ocean Critter Poems
Written by Leslie Bulion
Illustrated by Leslie Evans

Witty poems and elegant artwork introduce what’s on the menu for some unusual undersea creatures. The ocean is Earth’s largest ecosystem, and this clever collection of poems for kids describes the devious and surprising methods ocean denizens use to forage for food, capture prey, and trick predators. The poems bobble and swim effortlessly from page to page, leading readers from the snailshell home of the jeweled anemone crab to a raft of violet snails hanging upside down in their bubble houses. In addition to helpful resources included in the back matter, striking linoleum prints round out this title, which can be used across the curriculum.

Order At the Sea Floor Café from Bookshop.orgAmazon, or Barnes & Noble just in time for some at-home poetry month celebration.