Spi-Ku
A Clutter of Short Verse on Eight Legs
by Leslie Bulion
illustrated by Robert Meganck
We’ve met tiny critters living in the leaf litter layer, soared with the best and brightest denizens of the bird world, and bounced along with the lively participants of the amphibian acrobat show. Now, dive back in to the entertaining world of science poetry with Spi-Ku, a humorous exploration of the silk-spinning, bungee-jumping, hunting, trapping, trick-filled world of spiders!
Meet spitting spiders spinning prey-pinning silk, scuba diving spiders donning snazzy silver bubbles, bulky, burrowing, trap-setting spiders, and so much more. Watch as the Tiger Wandering Spider attracts mates with her perfumed silk trail, or perhaps hitch a ride with some Dock Spider eggs as they travel in their mother’s jaws. Award-winning author and master of science poetry Leslie Bulion’s clutter (a collective noun for spiders) of Haiku and other short poems pairs wonderfully with Robert Meganck’s humorous illustrations to celebrate the amazing attributes of Araneae.
Read on for helpful sidebars, call-outs, and backmatter, including a glossary of science terms, notes about the poetic forms, a list of common and scientific names, a spider-hunting adventure how-to, resources for further study, and a relative-size chart. This must-read is sure to entertain little scientists, young animal fans, and lovers of all things with eight legs!
See more of these fascinating creatures in this excerpt, and the eight-legged fun never has to end with this teacher’s guide.
Explore more science poetry from Leslie Bulion!
“Cheerfully illustrated… As always, Bulion uses both evocative vocabulary and a variety of poetic forms; these are chosen with care and defined in the backmatter… Engaging and information rich, this is wonderfully well woven.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Notes on poetic form are on hand for readers who gravitate to the “A” in their STEAM curriculum, but the verses are also effective as mnemonic devices…teasing wordplay…and wry Gorey-esque bait for the spider grossout fans… Meganck’s digital artwork balances light-hearted cartooning with reliably detailed anatomical drawing.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Book
Find Spi-Ku spinning onto a bookshelf near you this March at your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble, and be sure to check out the rest of our brand-new picture books and middle grade and YA titles coming to Peachtree this season!
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