Chatter, Sing, Roar, Buzz: Poems about the Rain Forest by Laura Purdie Salas

Salas, Laura Purdie. Chatter, Sing, Roar, Buzz: Poems about the Rain Forest. Mankato, MN: Capstone Press, 2009. 9781429617055

As soon as you pick up and open this picture book, you are pulled into the highly colorful pictures depicting life in the Rain Forest. The visuals include full and sometimes double page photographs that accompany each poem. The design itself makes the content of high interest to the reader. Poems are written in a fun large font, often in varying colors.

The poem collection itself is comprised of 16 poems about things found in the rainforest: the land, people, wildlife, etc. The poems are simple enough to share and easy to memorize which makes them appealing for reading and sharing out load. They are written in diamante, short free verse, haiku and cinquain which makes them a simple flow for young readers. Students will enjoy seeing and reading about the beard of a wild hog, the chain-saw jaw of an ant and a poisonous tree frog along with a slew of other notable characters and icons associated with the rainforest. An example:

To the Banana

Thick skin forms

a rain proof seal

You’re a fruit

with great appeal

I pack a lot

of things for lunch

But you’re my favorite

of the bunch!

The picture book also helpfully provides sections at the end titled “The Language of Poetry” that explains simply, poetry terms and various forms. A “Glossary” of unusual words that students may stumble across is also included along with suggestions for read-a-likes and internet sites for future exploration.

I found Chatter, Sing, Roar, Buzz a refreshing, visually stimulating, informational poetry picture book that would be a wonderful addition to any classroom.

To introduce a science lesson about rainforests I would begin with background rainforest sounds playing as students enter to help set the mood. I, myself, would dress similar to the rainforest scientist depicted in the picture book. After everyone is settled and had time to enjoy the sounds for a few moments I would introduce the lesson with the below poem:

Treetop Scientist

My lab is high among the trees

I scramble up and down with ease

I climb to work and that is why:

I’m doing science in the sky

Boots are sturdy, helmets tough

I’m in the field, I’m living rough

I dangle free, enjoy the breeze

Because I’m high among the trees

I would then discuss the poem line by line with students checking for understanding and having them describe what each sentence means in relation to the work a scientist might do in the rainforest.

I would then have students trace each other on large sheets of butcher paper and create a depiction of themselves as scientists and what types of scientific work they are interested in and the work they would be conducting.