Poetry Review: Social Studies - Earthshake: Poems from the Ground Up by Lisa Westberg Peters

Bibliography:
Peters, L.W. 2003. EARTHSHAKE: POEMS FROM THE GROUND UP. Ill. by Cathie Felstead. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 0060292660.

Plot Summary:
Earthshake presents 22 poems about various aspects of the earth from rocks and rivers to meteors and whales. Lisa Westberg Peters’ poems are playful while still including factual information about each topic, and Cathie Felstead’s collages provide intriguing visual clues. The book contains a table of contents and endnotes that explains the scientific basis for each poem.

Critical Analysis:
Peters’ collection of poems explores our planet through fun writing that contrasts the facts of science with everyday items. In the poem Instructions for the Earth’s Dishwasher, the author compares tectonic plates to a dishwasher because every plate needs to be in its place to prevent damage. Her comparison allow students to see the lesson from a different viewpoint that have meaning in their life such as the levels of earth represent a layer cake. Not only does she do this, but she also provides endnotes that provide technical information.

Felstead’s collages fill each page framing each poem which creates a unified appearance throughout the picture book. Her illustrations are playful such as the ones for Recipe for Granite where she places Africa on a measuring scale and drains the Earth in a colander. The poems in this collection would be a welcome addition to any science lesson due to its ability to transform fact into a visceral experience while also creating new associations.

Poem Excerpt:

Don’t Eat It

The earth:
a spinning roll
in the cosmic bakery
lumpy and crumbly crust
warm, green filling
iron-hard jawbreaker center

(from Earthshake: Poems from the Ground Up by Lisa Westberg Peters)

Review Excerpts:
BOOKLIST
“… a book of light poetry with a unifying theme rather than a series of lessons set to verse. A creative addition to earth science units.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
“Nuggets of information and mounds of playful images can be unearthed in this mother lode of poems about all things geological. The bold graphic artwork adds just the right element to make the selections shine.”

Connections:
Earthshake can be incorporated into lessons about the earth or geography because the poems provide an alternate way of understanding the lessons. Use the poems to introduce a topic such as glaciers, lava, deserts, or wind.