Dark Emperor by Joyce Sidman

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sidman, Joyce, and Rick Allen. Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night. New York: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

The twelve poems are about different nocturnal animals. Each poem has large illustrations and factual information to accompany the featured subject.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The lyrical poems are long rhyming couplets that create a sing song sound when reading the poems aloud. The words are made to be read aloud and enjoyed with the detailed illustrations. The artwork is dark with intricate line work. There are bold words found throughout the work. The definitions can be found in the glossary in the back of the book. The vocabulary allows that the book to pair well with cross curriculum lesson plans. The information about the nocturnal animals gives the reader's a greater understanding of the subject of the poems. The art work aids in the imagination of the words of the poems. I enjoyed how the illustrations were dark to show the night while containing curiously muted reds, oranges, and brown to show the life that can be found when the rest of the world is sleeping.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

2011 Newbery Honor from the American Library Association

Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book

Horn Book Award Honor Book

From Common Sense Media: "Allen's striking linoleum cut prints work perfectly with the text as they somehow manage to be both scientific and magical."

From Publisher's Weekly: "In Sidman's delicious poems, darkness is the norm, and there's nothing to fear but the rising sun."


5. CONNECTIONS

Other Books by Joyce Sidman:
Eureka!: Poems about Inventors. Illustrator K. Bennett Chavez. ISBN 9780761316657
The World According to Dog: Poems and Teen Voices. Illustrator Doug Mindel. ISBN 9780618174973
Song of the Water Boatman: Pond Poems. Illustrator Beckie Prange. ISBN 9780618135479
Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry. Illustrator Michelle Berg. ISBN 9780618448944
Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors. Illustrator Pamela Zagarensky. ISBN 9780547014944
Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature. Illustrator Beth Krommes. ISBN 9780547315836

Lesson Plans:
Joyce Sidman offers resources for her books on her website. This PDF is a reader's guide that contains guiding questions, read aloud activities, writing prompts, and science activities. Find it here: Reader's Guide