This book is a poem illustrated by beautiful abstract ripped paper scrap art. The theme of the poem of never ending love using the subject of nature as characters. The poem reminds its readers that the spirit of our loved ones surrounds us through the presence of nature. Viewers could also interpret this book through a Christian lense and interpret the love presented in the poem as the neverending love of God. The wonderful thing about this book is that it can be interpreted in many different ways by many different people. This book is best for any age (first grade through middle school) because this book offers something to every reader. ( )

Inventive illustrations. I'm not sure that it was quite meant for children. But then I did have certain professors in my MA program... ( )

Themes: Nature, Love, Friendship, Feeling

Teaching Points: Repetition, Illustrating using a mixture of mediums (paper, photos, calligraphy), Describing using adjectives and vibrant verbs, metaphors.

Should You Be a River is a beautiful poem about the love someone has for another and what lengths they would go for them. It describes what the author would do for the person he loves. "Should you be a gentle wave, I'll wait for you to lap my shores. Should you be a beach, I'll build a fire to keep you warm." These lines are so beautiful, they needed to be shared. The whole poem is beautiful, though. The illustrations are great, too. They are so colorful, they stand out a lot and even some pages has cut outs. I think this poem can be used for any grade when learning about poems. I think it may be a little harder to understand for the younger kids because they may be asking a lot of questions about what some things mean but it's not hard to explain to them. I really enjoyed this poem. ( )

very unique poem about nature and love. ( )