Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

Written by Joyce Sidman

Illustrated by Rick Allen

Title: Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

Joyce Sidman and Rick Allen

Author: Joyce Sidman is an author who writes poetry. She was born in Connecticut and lived there with her parents and two sisters. Joyce has written many books has had eleven of her children's poetry books published. Her books have won many awards and honors including the Caldecott Honor. She spends her free time outdoors and enjoys spending time with her dog. She currently lives in Minnesota with her husband, two sons, and dog. http://www.joycesidman.com/

Illustrator: Rick Allen creates linoleum cuts, wood engravings, and boardsheets at Kenspeckle Letterpress in Duluth, Minnesota. He works their with his wife Marian Lansky who is his creative partner. Rick's artwork has adorned the pages of two children's books. http://www.kenspeckleletterpress.com/

Genre: Poetry

Grade Level: Elementary

Synopsis: Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night is a poetry book that is also an expository text. The poems in this book are about animals and insects in the woods and what they do at night. The poems are child friendly and quite informative. To accompany every poem is a deeper explanation into each animal/insect. It provides some factual and scientific information not included in the poem. http://youtu.be/bEwQsuHOG4g

Theme: The three major themes that can be connected to this book are poetry, animals/insects, and science.

Welcome to the Night

Pre-reading Activity: Ask the students what they do at nighttime. Call on a few students to share their nighttime routines or rituals. Ask the students what they think happens in the woods at nighttime. Call on a few students to share their ideas.

Post-reading Activity: After the book is read, have the students write a poem about their nighttime routines or rituals. They must include four things they do at nighttime.

Assessment: The students will be assessed on their poems. They will be assessed on the quality of their work and if they included four details of things they do at nighttime.

Personal Reflection: Dark Empoeror & Other Poems of the Night is a great book to use during a science unit. The poems are interesting and detailed and the expository text is very accurate and informative. Including this book in a science lesson would be a great way to incorporate literature into other content areas. The book is full of amazing illustrations and tons of child friendly information.