Due to a passing in the family a few years ago and my subsequent health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for years after the bereavement. Thank you for the opportunity.

Great collection of poems for children! I have added this book to the library I work in at our school in the mountains. It's a great way to get the children thinking about writing their own nature poems.

lovely poems with different month's themes . Some of them were the inspiration for my paintings . i thoroughly enjoyed the book .

RATING: 3.5 STARS
2019; Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions
(Review Not on Blog)

This is a cute little book with a poem for each month (two pages long each) with pretty landscape painting around it.

***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***

I'm not sure children will understand all of the poems, but this is a perfect gem of a way to teach them about poetry and nature at the same time. A lovely book.

Some gorgeous poems abut nature. I really enjoyed reading this is small chunks, picking it up and reading a few poem and then coming back to it at a later date.

Previously I have loved Joseph Coelho's work but this book just didn't speak to me.

I think I preferred the poems towards the end of the year.

The illustrations were fantastic however and did more to reflect the events of a year to me than the words on the page. They illustrated the poems well showing the main theme of each verse and reflected the general mood of each season.

It won't put me off reading more of Coelho's poetry, and I may still consider using this in school as a stimulus for art work.

This is a gorgeously illustrated collection of twelve nature poems, one for each month of the year. A short introduction to each poem gives some brief background information on the subject of the poems. The poems are a mix of themes: some are odes to seasons, plants, or animals, while some are more personal poems about experiences from the author's childhood, such as digging a pond and picking fruit. I thought the strongest aspect of this collection was the illustrations, actually - they're like a peek into an artist's nature journal, and they frame the poems beautifully.

While this was a nice collection of various nature poems, a few things kept me from really loving this...

#1: Poetry is a really subjective thing, I have found, and what some people love, others do not. I'll admit I didn't love the poetry, but I'm quickly adding that that is my own personal opinion and I'm sure that will not be the case for many other readers!

#2: I'm a little confused on the intended audience. It was listed under "children's nonfiction" on NetGalley, and it technically is a picture book, but Barnes & Noble has it listed for middle grade readers ages 8-12, which I think is more accurate. I found the poems too complicated and wordy to be intended as a read-aloud picture book to younger readers; I think they'd enjoy looking at the pictures, but the poems would probably go right over most of their heads. However, for middle grade readers who have probably started reading and evaluating poetry in school, I think the poems would be just right, especially for those who are particularly interested in poetry or nature - perhaps even better if read with a parent or other caring adult who could help them with certain words or concepts they might not be familiar with.

#3: I wish the words about how nature has been negatively affected by humans had been accompanied by some words about how we can help. There are a few poems that mention issues such as habitat destruction, climate change, and humans' effect on population numbers. For example, in the image I posted above, the introduction to the poem states, "The number of amphibians are in decline, they have suffered from an increase in disease and a lack of habitat as we build and bulldoze." The poem talks about how the author used to collect tadpoles and watch them grown, but now it's "too dangerous" to do that because there aren't many frogs left and their habitats are disappearing. ... Ok, and?? Here's a perfect chance to introduce young readers to conservation, and the idea that they can make a difference! What about asking their parents/caregivers to help them add a frog-friendly space to their yard? It could be as complex as building a pond to as easy as making hiding places like a small garden or a toad abode. What about helping to conserve water where frogs and other animals make their homes by turning off the faucet in between brushing your teeth or washing the dishes, or collecting rainwater to use for watering your plants instead of using the hose? What about checking out books from the library to learn more about how to help protect frogs and their habitats, or finding websites like this one from the National Wildlife Federation blog? There are so many ideas! It would have been so easy to add a few lines or bullet points with brief ideas for actions at the end of a poem, or add some back matter with more resources.

Those 3 things being said, I still did like it, I just didn't love it like I expected to love a collection of nature poems with that gorgeous cover to go with it. For the right audience (in my opinion, a reader in the "middle grade" range rather than younger picture book readers, who is interested in poetry and the environment), I think this would be a hit.

Final verdict: I liked it! I thought this book was good! I enjoyed reading it and I would probably recommend it to others.

A book of 12 inspiring poems from Joseph Coelho, paired with folk art from Kelly Louise Judd give this book year-round appeal, and it makes for a quick but lovely read.

These poems are very good. Packed with imagery, these poems place you in the months they are about as soon as they begin, particularly ‘November’ and ‘April’ which took me straight back to being a kid and gave me some stunning nostalgic moments. This writer really does know how to transport you to another place and it shows in this collection.

With these poems is the beautiful artwork. ‘December’ is the definition of Winter, with gorgeous snowy scenes with deer that make for such beautiful pages in this book, however this high standard of artwork continues throughout the collection. ‘September’ has a beautiful border taking inspiration from nature and ‘July’ has a gorgeous aquatic scene that works so well with the words.

A lovely collection of poems, well worth checking out.

(I received an ARC from Netgalley for honest review).

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. The illustrations are lovely. The poems aren't bad, but I'm not sure what audience they're aimed at- some of the vocabulary used seems a little much for younger kids, and even older ones might have trouble. Not a bad book, but I didn't like it as much as I'd hoped.

2.5 stars

I didn't really like this one, sadly. The illustrations were pretty, but I noticed a couple typos and comma splices that turned me off to the quality of the writing, and the poems seemed all over the place thematically. Many of the poems seemed too abstract for kids, though some of the descriptions were still neat.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

A Year of Nature Poems may be compact, but it is a definite treasure for you and your child to share.

Each page has a poem with a short introduction that provides information about the subject of the poem. For instance, February’s poem is about frogs and the introduction gives a brief discussion of how the environment is changing and amphibians are decreasing in number. March is about the different types of daffodils, which the list poem cleverly describes. Likewise, the July poem is about a visit to the sea and the narrator being stung by jellyfish and how a changing climate may be increasing their numbers. While the introductions are intended to teach, they are not preachy, just informative.

"The leaves were piled

bonfire high –

whizzing russets, shooting oranges, exploding yellows

that she scooped

in armfuls

and cascaded over me

in a dry-leaf firework display

of love"

October

The poems are beautifully written, many reading as lovely stories, perfect for children eight and older who are curious about nature.

The artwork is stunning and perfectly compliments the poetry.

This would be an unforgettable gift for a parent and child to share.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stunning illustrations and beautifully laid out, this book is ideal for younger readers. The poems are well chosen and a great introduction to both poetry and nature.

This is an exquisite book. Wonderful illustrations and beautiful poems. I will be buying a hard copy as soon as it is published.

Absolutely stunning illustrations and a pleasure to read, even for the youngest readers. A great book to add to a nature lovers collection.

I didn't love this. I think part of the problem is that I was expecting something suitable for children, but this really isn't. The vocabulary is way too advanced, and some of the subject matter may have little kids saying, "What?" There's a mention of grandmother's "wobbly incontinence", and the poem for May is about puberty.

I also wasn't impressed with the writing and editing. There were some missing spaces in some of the poem introductions, and a glaring comma splice in May's intro as well. Also, I get that there's a certain amount of poetic licence allowed in a book like this--it is free verse, after all--but I still expect to see possessives and dialogue punctuated properly.

The environmental conservation message that's woven through the poems is nice, but I'm not sure the little introductions really work. They're a little too explain-y for adults (who would get the messages of the poems without the little blurbs) and kind of pointless for kids, who won't understand a good deal of the language in some of the poems. Here's a sampling of some of the vocabulary:

murmurations, Rorschach, air-shoals, crèche, draught, hurst, verges, discipled, pubescent, exultation, incontinence, groynes, indiscriminate, squidge, reliquary, accumulation

Now, I don't know about you, but having to explain all of those words would be tiring. (Especially since you might have to look a few of them up yourself! Even my spellchecker balked at a few.) I'm all for including challenging vocabulary in children's books, but the text in this one goes far beyond challenging; I'm afraid many kids would just give up.

The painted illustrations are kind of hit-and-miss for me. Some of them are really pretty, while others just left me cold. I'm also not convinced that black text on a dark blue background (for the October poem) was the best choice; I found it kind of difficult to read.

If this had been marketed as a poetry book for teens or adults, I might have gone into it with different expectations. But because it's supposedly a children's book, I couldn't help but notice the mismatch between the intended audience and the book itself. The only value I can see in this one for very small children is the visual aspect; I doubt they're going to get much out of these memoir-like poems that go too far beyond the experiences of childhood.

I read this as I thought it would be a perfect introduction to poetry for my daughter (5yrs), however, I feel that the poems were a little old for her to really appreciate. She did enjoy the introductions to each poem/month though. For me, I really enjoyed the poems; March, April, July and December being my favourite. I love the throwbacks to the author's own memories and how they are tied with a particular month. The writing is exemplary, evocative and just thought-provoking. The introductions to each poem/month tie in to the environmental changes that have occurred since the author's childhood and I like this; makes the poems more personal and relatable. Finally, the illustrations are phenomenal - me and my daughter sat and looked through all the pictures before we read the book and we truly thought they were beautiful; really invited us in to read the book.

The lovely illustrations will draw you to the book. While younger children may not understand the poems, parents and older children will enjoy and appreciate them.