THE ECO-DIARY OF KIRAN SINGER opens with letters between Kiran and her grandmother. Kiran’s grandmother invites her to spend time with her on a conservation crew that is working to restore a bog. Along with the invitation, Kiran’s grandmother sends her a birthday gift of a new journal. Kiran’s five-day visit is told through a series of thirty-five poems written in her journal. The collection is organized by daily entries and each day has several poems.
The new journal proves to be the perfect place for Kiran to record her impressions and experiences during the week she spends working in the bog. The poems are light, lilting, and as warm as the summer days they describe. Each poem conveys a sense of wonder for the beauty and magic of nature. The poems contain highly evocative words that transport readers to the bog and allow you to experience things as she must have. In “Bog Walking," for instance, she writes, “…Don’t ever step in the bog/or the moss and the mud and the peat will suck/schlupp! schlupp! on your shoe/and you will be stuck…”.
The story and the poems within it were inspired by the time author Sue Ann Alderson spent working on the restoration of Camosun Bog in Vancouver, B.C. The poems reflect the real experiences and real people that she encountered during that time. The illustrations by Millie Ballance contribute to the warm, peaceful spirit of the book. They are the perfect balance to the poems and the images and colors are as soothing as the words they accompany.
Whether you are a lover of poetry, nature, or just good books, you are sure to enjoy the time you spend reading THE ECO-DIARY OF KIRAN SINGER. -- Reviewed by JodiG. www.teensreadtoo.com
Told in verse, 12-year-old Kiran's diary reflects her weeklong
experience working with her grandmother and a conservation crew to
restore a bog in Vancouver, Canada. The poems are accompanied by a
series of small, detailed watercolor illustrations as Kiran
insightfully and beautifully records her observations of nature and
interactions with the “boggers.”Going Green by Lindsay Cesari -- School Library Journal, 8/1/2009
Poetry Friday: An Eco-Diary!!!
THE ECO-DIARY OF KIRAN SINGER opens with letters between Kiran and her grandmother. Kiran’s
grandmother invites her to spend time with her on a conservation crew that is working to restore a bog. Along
with the invitation, Kiran’s grandmother sends her a birthday gift of a new journal. Kiran’s five-day visit is told
through a series of thirty-five poems written in her journal. The collection is organized by daily entries and each
day has several poems... Read complete review
Kiran is worried about the earth. She writes to her grandmother to ask if there is anything "a kid" can do. Luckily Grandma is a devoted environmentalist, and she invites Kiran to come to her work party on the weekend as "There's a bit of the planet right here ... it's a little bog" that needs saving. The bog to which she is referring is Camosun Bog in Vancouver's Pacific Spirit Park and the rest of the "eco-diary" contains poems about their experiences there.
There is a lot going on in a bog! "Sedges and rushes grow/from the mud at the edge/of the pond, wave in a /whisper of wind./ Their roots fold and hold/the wet earth together". "In fall you'll see/a gold or orange patch/come overnight and disappear the next:/a million cells together in a swarm--/no one knows why. It does no harm,/this bright splash of colour coming and going/to its own rhythms, its own song". A fellow bogger named Adam found 'velvet blueberry', "an oldtimer", folks thought had died out. "He took cuttings and nursed them/watched them and watered them/gave them good bog soil". "Denis found a berry unlike any other--". He "took their measure/To his pleasure, he discovered he had found/a brand new plant no one had seen before". By the end of the diary, Kiran can weed grass out of moss instead of the other way around, she receives her 'new bogger' badge made from a slice of pine and learns that "One plus one plus one and so on ... That's how
we can save something/heal something, change something" and that "Everyone can be part of the song".
I included so many examples of the poetry in this dear little book because I wanted to show not just their quality (which I thought was pretty good) but also their level because I think this book is for a young audience. It is full of information about the interesting peculiarities of life in a bog as well some sweet and funny stories about the "crazy boggers" who take care of it. The diary format allows the insertion of simple, colourful illustrations of boggers of all ages and cultural backgrounds and the flora and fauna they strive to protect. It is also refreshing to find a book containing a multi cultural family--Kiran and her grandmother as well as an alternative one--the "crazy boggers!". Note too that the paper used is "100% ancient forest friendly".
Thematic Links: Environment; Biology; Family; Empowerment; Poetry; Bogs; Environmental Activism; Beauty in Small Things; Values; Global Responsibility/Citizenry
Good, even great at times, generally useful!--Resource Links
CM, Volume XIV Number 2, September 14, 2007
Kiran is worried about the earth. She writes to her grandmother to ask if there is anything a kid can do. Luckily Grandma is a devoted environmentalist, and she invites Kiran to come to her work party on the weekend as "There's a bit of the planet right here" it's a little bog that needs saving. The bog to which she is referring is Camosun Bog in Vancouver's Pacific Spirit Park and the rest of the "eco-diary" contains poems about their experiences there.
There is a lot going on in a bog! "Sedges and rushes grow/ from the mud at the edge/ of the pond, wave in a/ whisper of wind./ Their roots fold and hold/ the wet earth together". "In fall you'll see/ a gold or orange patch/ come overnight and disappear the next:/ a million cells together in a swarm--/ no one knows why./ It does no harm,/ this bright splash of colour coming and going/ to its own rhythms, its own song". A fellow bogger named Adam found "velvet blueberry", "½an oldtimer", folks thought had died out. "He took cuttings and nursed them/ watched them and watered them/ gave them good bog soil". "Denis found a berry unlike any other". He "took their measure/ To his pleasure, he discovered he had found/ a brand new plant no one had seen before". By the end of the diary, Kiran can weed grass out of moss instead of the other way around, she receives her "new bogger" badge made from a slice of pine and learns that "One plus one plus one and so on" That's how we can save something" and that "Everyone can be part of the song".
I included so many examples of the poetry in this dear little book because I wanted to show not just their quality (which I thought was pretty good) but also their level because I think this book is for a young audience. It is full of information about the interesting peculiarities of life in a bog as well some sweet and funny stories about the "crazy boggers" who take care of it. The diary format allows the insertion of simple, colourful illustrations of boggers of all ages and cultural backgrounds and the flora and fauna they strive to protect. It is also refreshing to find a book containing a multi cultural family - Kiran and her grandmother as well as an alternative one - the "crazy boggers!". Note too that the paper used is "100% ancient forest friendly".
Thematic Links: Environment; Biology; Family; Empowerment; Poetry; Bogs; Environmental Activism; Beauty in Small Things; Values; Global Responsibility/Citizenry Leslie L. Kennedy -- by Sue Ann Alderson, Resource Links, Vol. 13, No. 1 (October 2007)
Vancouver's Camosun Bog and full of lovely musing on nature. --Canadian Living , December 2007
CHILDREN'S BOOKS- by Susan Perren,globeandmail.com
"Miraculously, Sue Ann Alderson makes a living bog rise from the printed page. It's remarkable that her musical poems convey not only the sights and sounds of a nature preserve, but its textures and seasons, its plants and birds and animals. The book happily introduces children to the urgent concerns of saving the earth, by starting with a child's eye view of one cherished part of it."- X. J. Kennedy, winner of the National Council of Teachers of English Year 2000 Award for Excellence in Children's Poetry |
