Nonfiction poetry has come up several times on the NFforKids Yahoo group that I’m on. And Cave, by Diane Siebert (illustrated by Wayne McLoughlin), is the closest thing I’ve seen to true nonfiction poetry (thank you, Elaine of Wild Rose Reader, for recommending Siebert’s books to me).
Cave is a single, lengthy poem written in rhyming couplets. The reason I think of this as nonfiction is that the number one goal of the writing seems to be information. Starting with sedimentary rock forming on an ocean floor and traveling through eons of time as a limestone cave emerges, this book gives detail after detail of the geologic process of cave formation.
But it’s also poetry. It’s filled with gorgeous language, lovely rhythm, and phrasing that makes me think of things in a new light.
Near the beginning are these lines:
I am the cave,
And at my core
A sea once was that is no more–
A sea alive and sunlight-warmed
Where limestone, born of death, was formed
As sediment of shell and bone,
Compressed, became a floor of stone.
What an amazing summary of how sedimentary rock forms.
One way that Siebert takes poetic license is by telling the story of the cave’s formation from the point of view of the cave itself. But the poem is really a beautifully-told accumulation of facts.
I would think poetic nonfiction would be difficult to categorize/sell because it’s not the most efficient way to relate facts. The focus is equally on the facts and the language. And Siebert does a wonderful job with both.
But it seems like it might be hard for this kind of book to find an audience. It’s a picture book (with stunning illustrations), so would middle school and high school kids want to read it? But the vocabulary and sentence construction is appropriate for kids much older than the typical 4-8-year-old picture book audience.
The Publishers Weekly review says All ages. Booklist puts it at Grades 2-4. And Kirkus says 10-14 years old. How’s that for consistency?
I think younger kids would love this book, if it were shared by a grownup who savored the poetry and would take the time to explain things and answer listeners’ questions. But if a 3rd-grader tried to read this book on her own, she’d probably be quickly overwhelmed.
I can’t say for sure what ages this book is best for, but as an adult who loves both poetry and geology, this book is a treat for me! Here’s another favorite passage:
And in those depths untouched by light,
In places darker than the night,
All hues are lost, eyes cannot see,
And troglobites have come to be;
These creatures, pale and blind, have found
No need for sight beneath the ground,
And sightless, they can never leave,
But with their other gifts perceive
The unseen world in which they dwell–
A world of hearing, touch, and smell.
I’ve shared a couple pretty accessible passages, but there are parts that are more abstract, too. Though the great illustrations do help illuminate the text.
This book is an amazing balance of info and poetry. Give it a read and see what you think. Is it truly nonfiction? Is it poetry? Is it a beautiful blend of both? Where should it be shelved? What age range do you think it’s for? I’d love to hear your thoughts once you have a chance to look at it…or even your thoughts right now just based on the excerpts.
OK, I’m off to the hospital for the day, since one of my daughters is having an outpatient surgical procedure. I’ll be escaping nerves in the waiting room by writing, and also by reading one or two other Siebert books. I hope they’re as good as Cave!
Check out the Nonfiction Monday round-up at Anastasia Suen’s blog!
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Ready to write some children’s poetry? Check out Getting to a Poem, my one-week workshop in May.