Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature

by Joyce Sidman and Beth Krommes

“A spiral is a snuggling shape ... a growing shape ... a strong shape ... a... read more

“A spiral is a snuggling shape ... a growing shape ... a strong shape ... a clever shape.” Joyce Sidman describes the traits of spirals found in nature in a beautifully choreographed, lyrical narrative. Sidman’s words dance hand in hand with Beth Krommes’s gorgeous scratchboard illustrations, which reveal many kinds of spirals in nature, from the small and snug (the curled body of a chipmunk in its nest) to the expansive (the galaxy’s spiral of stars). Krommes’s striking palette and images spanning the page spreads are riveting, while Sidman’s exceptional language is arresting. Together, words and pictures mimic the furling and unfurling qualities of their subject, starting small, growing larger, and eventually curling back inward again. Although it reads like a poem, this picture book also works as a book of information, and the end matter provides additional details about some of nature’s spirals referenced in the narrative and illustrations. Highly Commended, 2012 Charlotte Zolotow Award (Ages 3–9)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2012

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