Leaf Litter Critters is a book of poems written by Leslie Bulion and illustrated by Robert Meganck. The poems are themed on the topic of the tiny critters that live within the leaf litter layer. Each poem talks about different types of critters that live there. Each poem features science notes somewhere on the two-page spread per poem. There is a table of contents and there are 19 poems. After the pages that contain the poems, there is a glossary for words that might be unfamiliar to the reader. Most of the words are familiar to the reader but some words might be difficult to read and might be new to the reader. After the glossary, there are poem notes. Each poem has a short poem note that informs the reader of the type of poem they read and some additional information. After the poetry notes, there are experiments that the reader might try to further investigate this world in addition to some further resources noted after that. The last informational page has a diagram that shows the size of each critter compared to a pin. The poems are informational and would appeal to those interested in science, especially things studied in microbiology. This book would also be a great additional resource for a science class.
The author uses rhyming and imagery throughout the poems. The author describes how the “critters” are living their lives for example in Glue Peg? Please! I’m a Springtail, the author describes the antennae as “strung like pearls” (Bulion and Meganck 2020). In Proturans and Diplurans, the author uses different fonts and colors to show the differences and similarities in each (Bulion and Meganck 2020). This would be a good place to do chorus reading or have different voices say each part and then all together. However, in Three Protists, the author chose to use only different text to describe each one and keep the text the same color.
The illustrations are colorful and eye-catching. The illustrations were created digitally (Bulion and Meganck 2020). Each poem has its own illustration. Each illustration is a visual representation of each of the “creatures” and for some of the poems their habitat. The illustrations are cartoons and attention-grabbing creating interest in each poem. The illustrations span into the glossary, poem notes, and resources. Again, the diagram illustrates a size comparison of each “critter” to a pin.
Not Much Muscle
The tiny white wigglers called pot worms,
Can be found in most any soil that’s got worms.
The earthworm digs tons of tunnels-it’s lots bigger.
The pot worm is daintier, so it’s not as big as a digger.
(Bulion and Meganck 2020)
This poem or book of poems might be a great addition to a themed story time for older children during Summer Reading. This might pair with a garden-themed storytime. I would introduce the poem by explaining the leaf litter layer and how nutrients are in the soil. I would pair this book with other books about gardening. For the activity, for storytime outside, I would have the children and parents plant either flower seeds or vegetable seeds for sprouting and then send the families home with instructions to take care of the seeds and then how to replant and take care of the plants.
References:
Bulion, Leslie, and Robert Meganck. 2020. Leaf Litter Critters. Holiday House.
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