Amanda West Lewis
“A Planet Is a Poem is a book that celebrates and embraces creativity, which makes it a valuable addition to any classroom. The arts and sciences tend to be separated in institutions of learning, but historically they share a sense of play, curiosity, and an urge to invent and create.”
-Quill & Quire
A Planet is a Poem
Kids Can Press. May, 2024
Ages 7 - 12
There's a reason why people write poems about the night sky. When you look up, the marvel of our solar system is overwhelming. And the more you find our about it, the more awe inspiring our solar system becomes!
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With new, powerful computers and cameras, we know more about space than ever before. Scientists are discovering that the solar system is even more surprising, miraculous, bizarre and poetic than we thought.
​Poetic? Actually, planetary scientists — the people who study the planets, satellites and other bodies in our solar system — are some of the most poetic people around! They need to describe our universe, but our universe is so incredible it’s almost impossible to find the words. So they try to capture your imagination using images and metaphors.
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In A Planet is a Poem each element in our solar system is explored as a different poetic form. You'll discover why an Ode is just right for the Sun, a Villanelle is perfect for Venus, and a Sestina is a complex puzzle perfect for Saturn. Every planet has its own rhythm and characteristics! With bright and joyful illustrations by Oliver Averill, A Planet is a Poem is a book to take you dancing to the outer edges of our solar system!
3 STARRED REVIEWS!
Winner of the Lane Anderson Award for Science Writing, youth category
Included in Bank Street College of Education’s The Best Children’s Books of the Year, 2025; Finalist for the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada Book Awards; EUREKA! 2024 Excellence in Children’s Non-Fiction Award, California Reading Association HONOR BOOK; NCTE Notable Poetry Book; Cybils Award nominee 2024; School Library Journal Best Poetry Books 2024
“An impressive achievement that is unique in our solar system!” Booklist
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"...budding wordsmiths and skywatchers alike will find the ride worth taking..." Kirkus Review
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“It’s a book that can be enjoyed from different perspectives and as a resource for teaching and learning across both science and language…A Planet is a Poem is as expansive and substantial as the premise upon which it is based, and sure to be checked out by both young readers and their teachers.” CanLit for Little Canadians