David Attenborough and Animal Poetry

Other resources for the Man and Animal block:

David Attenborough

We LOVE David Attenborough and his BBC series is TOP-NOTCH.

"Life in the Undergrowth" is excellent for the world of Insects and other Invertebrates.

"Life in Cold Blood" episodes cover the Amphibians and Reptiles.

He also did a series on "The Life of Birds."

The "Life of Mammals" is also spectacular and would be excellent background for any parent-teacher doing the second Man & Animal block.

Anything that you find by David Attenborough... don't hesitate. Watch it! He's the real deal... no teleprompter. Just passionate about nature, knowledgeable, and relaxed, wandering the world and showing you incredible things and chatting away in the friendliest and most informative manner possible.

Not David A., but I would also recommend "Massive Nature: The Deep" for Fish (the Sardine Run). They used to be available on Hulu, but I'm not sure if they've been removed. Any of these would be nice for a weekly family Movie Night or, of course, for your own background information in story-telling.

Animal Poetry Collections

I have wanted for a LONG LONG time to make a list of all the animal poems in all the books of poetry I own and, after searching for a fruitless 20 minutes for a jellyfish poem last week, I finally turned to the internet. I found, and used in Leah's MLB, Marianne Moore's "A Jellyfish" (1959).

I also liked

INTERVIEW: Kate Coombs, Winner of the 2013 Lee Bennett Hopkins Award

Here is my animal poetry collection;
I've put a picture of the book and a quick list of what animals are covered.

A Journey Through Time in Verse and Rhyme

spider, robin, bird, mouse, cat, lion, unicorn, tiger, duck, hen, peacock, eagle, skylark, sylph, starling, squirrel, hedgehog, beaver, hare, bunny, sheep, pig, donkey, llama, ox, cow, elephant, lobster, crocodile, owl, butterfly, bee, grasshopper, worm, centipede, snail, tadpole, frog, toad

The Waldorf Book of Poetry: Discover the Power of Imagination

Job 12:7-8

butterfly, peacock, bird, bee, cow, rat, rabbit, grasshopper, mouse, kitten, duck, lamb, robin, squirrel, frog, owl, horse, cat, eagle, camel, fish, donkey, wolf, shrewmouse, field mouse, seal, tiger, elephant, ant, horse, nautilus

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices

grasshopper, water strider, mayfly, firefly, book lice, moth, water boatman, digger wasp, cicada, honeybee, whirligig beetle, house cricket, chrysalis

Creatures of Earth, Sea, and Sky

hummingbird, dragonfly, fishes (a poem for two voices), eagle, duck, migrating birds, whale, raccoon, dolphin, frog (a poem for two voices), elephant, snake, bat, spider, bear, Galapagos tortoise, endangered species

Poetry of Earth
selected and illustrated by Adrienne Adams

turtle, bat, the sea, butterfly, buffalo, crow, rabbit, a speck (insect), meadow mouse, snail, eagle, squirrel, buck, goat, owl, tiger, zebra, duck, sandhill crane, sea turtle, prayer for reptiles, red fox, egret, little things, wild geese

beautifully illustrated and nice selection of classic poetry -- I am sorry it is out of print

Eric Carle's Animals Animals

ant, barracuda, bat, bear, bee, billy goat, bird, butterfly, camel, cat, caterpillar, chick, chickadee, cow, cricket, crocodile, crow, dinosaur, dog, donkey, dragonfly, duck, duck-billed platypus, eagle, electric eel, elephant, firefly, flying fish, flying squirrel, fox, frog, giraffe, gull, hawk, hedgehog, hen, hippopotamus, horse, hummingbird, jay, kangaroo, lion, lizard, mouse, narwhal, octopus, owl, partridge, peacock, pelican, penguin, pigeon, pony, porcupine, porpoise, rhinoceros, rooster, seal, shark, sheep, snail, snake, sow, sparrow, squirrel, swallow, tiger, turkey, turtle, walrus, whale, woodpecker, yak

the only book in my collection to have a helpful alphabetical index by animal name

Talking Like the Rain: A Read-to-Me Book of Poems

chicken, swallow, woodpecker, bee, caterpillar, butterfly, mouse, cat, dog, cow, horse, camel (dromedary and bactrian), wapiti, polar bear, wolf

Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night

raccoon, snail, moth, owl, oak tree, night spider, baby porcupine (porcupette), cricket, mushroom, eft (amphibian! -- red efts are the land-dwelling stage of the red-spotted newt), bat, moon

this is a STUNNING Newbery honor book with beautifully written poems and interesting informative sidebar about each topic

The Random House Book of Poetry for Children

mouse, squirrel, rabbit, chipmunk, hedgehog, bat, sloth, camel, buffalo, hippopotamus, elephant, wolf, fox, bear, lynx, polar bear, lion, leopard, seal, mandrill, horse, donkey, pig, dog, cow, cat, little things, bug, praying mantis, cricket, ant, wasp, flea, fly, mosquito, cockroach, dragonfly, caterpillar, firefly, ladybug, codfish, worm, flying fish, shark, fish, lizard, boa, desert tortoise, crocodile, salamander, frog, tree frog, polliwog, hummingbird, fledgling, canary, duck, blackbird, sea gull, sandpiper, wild geese, hen, night heron, vulture, sparrow hawk, eagle

Favorite Poems Old and New: Selected For Boys and Girls

feather or fur, toad, worm, four things (from the Bible), ant, bumble bee, honey bee, beetle, little green fly, caterpillar, chipmunk, cricket, chameleon, centipedes, dragonfly, firefly, frog, grasshopper, ladybug, minnow, locust, lobster, mice, mole, moth, snail, snake, starfish, spider, tree toad, toad, horned toad, turtle, tortoise, wasp, he prayeth best (from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner), near dusk, end of summer, dog, cat, horse, burro, cow, bull, lamb, pig, rabbit, squirrel, skunk, woodchuck, brown bear, grizzly bear, camel, deer, elephant, fox, kangaroo, lion, monkey, prairie-dog, seal, tiger, wolf, the peaceable kingdom (from the Bible)

Red Dragonfly on My Shoulder
translated by Sylvia and Cassedy and Kunihiro Suetake, illustrated with whimsical multi-media collages by Molly Bang

dragonfly, flying fish, crow, pony, frog, cicada, cat, praying mantis, fly, cricket, dog, sparrow, water strider

another book which I am sorry to see go out of print!

Spiders Spin Webs

all spiders, from around the world: kite spider, most ornate herennia, american tarantula, garden orb web spider, garden spider, black orb weaver, green lynx spider, trapdoor spider, orb-weaving spider, wolf spider, water spider, mexican red-kneed tarantula, net-casting web-throwing spider, crab spider, cave spider

clear illustrations and specific information about each species

The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems

spell of creation, cat, bear, swan, wild geese, fish, buffalo, elephant, pegasus, bird, donkey, lobster, dog, panther, wolf, tiger, the sea

Here's A Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry

a circle of sun, cat, chicks, puppy, hamster, bumble bee

When We Were Very Young

dormouse, puppy, elephant - lion - goat - snail, bear, rabbit, fox, elephant, mouse, cow, swan

Now We Are Six

rabbit, bear, beetle, hen, cat

The Coffee-Pot Face by Aileen L. Fisher
with silhouettes by the author. 1933

beetle, moth, frog, rooster, dog, bug, dragonfly, ant, ladybug, cricket, insect, firefly

The Winding Road: A Family Treasury of Poems and Verses

robin, firefly and owl, dog - dove - harvest mouse - fish

Favorite Rhymes from a Rocket in My Pocket

turtle, tadpole, cow, elephant, raccoon, possum, rabbit, dog

Ogden Nash's Zoo

cat, dog, rabbit, squirrel, duck, cow, turkey, poultries, mule, lamb, fish, guppy, tortoise, lamprey, porpoise, eel, shrimp, shark, squid, whale, clam, oyster, fly, caterpillar, the tsetse, ant, praying mantis, centipede, termite, firefly, bird, canary, cuckoo, grackle, ostrich, stork, swan, toucan, asp, cobra, python, skink, camel, elk / wapiti, hippopotamus, llama, lion, panda, panther, shrew, rhinoceros, kangaroo, armadillo, phoenix

I Wonder How, I Wonder Why
by Aileen Fisher

yellow bird, ant, insects, chicken, daddy longlegs, mole, woodchuck, bat, rabbit, spider - caterpillar - butterfly, hibernation/migration, nocturnal animals

Another Second Poetry Book

spider - fish - sea pigeon - night owl - grey fox, bird, owl - mouse - cuckoo, Mark's Fingers, hippopotamus, dog, kitten, tiger, sloth, fox, lion, minotaur, wolf

A Child's Garden of Verses

cow, a little land, bird

Bone Poems

dinosaurs mostly... but may come in handy at some point! for example, if you are doing North American Geography, you may want "America, the Beautiful Home of Dinosaurs"

jellyfish and clam, crocodiles - turtles - beetles - frogs, an ancient horse, whale (evolution), early humans

"206" is for human bones (if you are doing Human Physiology)

Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost

calf, butterfly, ant, bluebird, cow, happy bees - darting bird

Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson

bees, woodpecker, caterpillar, snake, bee and fly, bird, butterfly, robin

The Dragons Are Singing Tonight

all dragons of the mythical variety -- but could be fun for a bearded dragon page

Every Time I Climb a Tree

glowworm, caterpillar, robin - worm - mole, bluejay, fly, grasshopper, ladybug, grey squirrel

My Cat Has Eyes of Sapphire Blue

all cats and kittens

In Every Tiny Grain of Sand: A Child's Book of Prayers and Praise

bear, robin, cow, duck, mouse, birds, donkey, crowned crane, swallow, snail, finch, ant - flea - tadpole - mosquito - locust - tsetse fly, bat, may every living creature attain peace

Poetry Speaks to Children (Book & CD)

lightning bug - firefly - glowworm, wolf, turtle, owl, eagle, buffalo, shark, baby kangaroo, rabbit, dog, lion, toad, sheep, tiger, mouse

The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, & Issa

Basho: cuckoo, whitebait, worm, crow, crane, horse, wild duck, bee, frog, skylark, crab, cormorant, wasp, sparrow, cicada, monkey, quail, hawk, spider, fox, rooster, cat, lice, fish, caterpillar, dragonfly, bush warbler, sea slugs, silkworm, night heron, snail

Buson: wild geese, snail, frog, sparrow, crow, horse, caterpillar, crab, heron, cormorant, fish, flying squirrel, bat, cuckoo, pigeon, deer, hawk, winter warbler, cat, hen and chicks

Issa: spider, bat, oriole, cat, snail, mosquito, cormorant, inchworm, deer, flea, horse, fly, skylark, pigeon, moth, frog, toad, cuckoo, bedbug, wren, cricket, dragonfly, gnat, duck, tiger moth, sparrow, dog, crow, sea slug, butterfly, fish, woodpecker, pheasant, foal, doe and fawn