NCTE Award Poetry: SWIRL BY SWIRL: SPIRALS IN NATURE

BIBLIOGRAPHY


Sidman, Joyce. 2011. SWIRL BY SWIRL: SPIRALS IN NATURE. Ill. by Beth Krommes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-547-31583-6

REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

SWIRL BY SWIRL is a poetry picture book all about the spiral shape and where it can be found in nature.   One poem is continued throughout the entire book.  Sidman describes the spirals with her words and Krommes' beautiful illustrations show the spirals found in nature.  Figurative language and sensory images are used to help spirals come to life.  Personification is used throughout the book.  For example, when describing the spirals found on the horns of a Mernio Sheep, Sidman says, "It knows how to defend itself."  Rhythm and repetition are used in SWIRL BY SWIRL.  “A spiral is a snuggling shape,” is an example of alliteration used in the poem.  

Each page describes a familiar object in nature that features a swirl.  These are all things that kids will have some background knowledge on, but might not have necessarily noticed they all have the swirl shape.  

The full, two page illustrations in this book are vibrant, colorful, and detailed.  The artwork illustrates what is being described on each page, and included in the illustrations are labels of the objects that include the spiral shape.  There is a page included at the back of the book that gives details about how the spiral shape is used in each of the objects mentioned in the book.  

A spiral reaches out, too,

exploring the world.

It winds

around

and around...

...and clings tight,

grasping what it needs.

It never has trouble holding on.

This part of the poem is describing an octopus, sea horse, spider monkey, and elephant.  The illustrations on these two pages clearly show the objects that the words are describing.  

Students could find objects in nature that include a shape and write poems about that shape.  They could either take pictures of the shape found in nature, if possible, or illustrate their findings.  At the end of their poem, they could explain in more detail how the shape is used in nature. 

Have students brainstorm other objects in nature that involve swirls.  Allow students to investigate several different shells and the animals that live inside.  They will be able to tell similarities and differences in the shells and animals.   

Students could learn more about Fibonacci numbers and create a Fibonacci Swirl.