Thank You, Sun

Florian brings his considerable poetic talents to an exercise in gratitude, thanking the sun, moon, sky, and just about everything in between. . . the bouncy rhyme schemes and playful tone make this an easy readaloud and a creative way to talk about gratitude as an everyday practice.

With these sixteen poems, Florian invites readers and listeners to pause and notice the natural elements all around us, including the sun, oceans, trees, songbirds, clouds, and soil. Each poem begins with a “thank you” and lists basic attributes of that subject while also communicating its role in sustaining humanity or adding to our enjoyment of life. . . . Some use shape to add to the meaning, and all lend themselves to reading aloud or echo reading. Florian illustrates his collection using gouache paint, colored pencils, and rubber stamps on primed paper bags. . . . The images are whimsical and offbeat, with children in every scene embracing or exploring elements of nature. Florian deftly balances a young person’s fresh perspective with salient scientific facts embedded in the poetry, while the unifying theme of gratitude radiates thoughtfulness and positivity.

Heartfelt gratitude infuses Florian’s simple rhymes and naive-style artwork in this accessible collection of nature-based appreciations. For each composition, a sincere “thank you” acts as both title and beginning line as text and art jointly anchor in observation. . . . scribbly illustrations employ colored pencil, gouache, and rubber stamps to capture scenes of figures enjoying nature in this ode to songbirds and bees, snowflakes and wind, mountains and rivers.

*Florian’s new anthology of poems gives thanks to aspects of the natural world. . . . The artwork is modern, with vibrant colors created with colored pencils and gouache on brown paper bags; this gives the pages a childlike feel, ­making the poems easily accessible for even the youngest readers. For reading aloud or a unit on the natural world, this is also a great introduction to poetry. An excellent addition to any library’s poetry collection, and good for teaching about the gifts of the natural world.

The veteran poet’s simply phrased rhymes offer thanks to 14 more wonders as vast as the stars, as small as snowflakes, and as varied as wildlife and landforms. Each short poem is distinct enough to stand alone, but with their unity of theme the verses can also be read straight through as articulations of a single feeling. Florian’s rhymes and rhythms fall so naturally that his lines never sound singsong; few poets can match him for readability or clarity of expression. More serious than silly, and vintage Florian.

*This new book . . . [creates] a series of concise but heartfelt, memorable tributes to animals, plants, rivers, and oceans, as well as other forces of nature. Poetry fans will appreciate his proficiency with rhyme and cadence, and ably illustrating each concise poem is multimedia artwork often incorporating unusual combinations of elements such as "rubber stamps on primed paper bags.” When read aloud to children, Florian’s picture books are as direct and simple as poetry and art can be, yet their appeal to kids’ senses and imaginations can be vast and longlasting. This is a treasure chest of verse celebrating our world, including the sun, the moon, the stars, and the mountain in the distance.