Module 5: Poetry Choice: Newer Book

Ruddell, Deborah. 2009. A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk: A Forest of Poems. Illus Joan Rankin. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4169-4211-5.





Lively font and luminous watercolors help deliver the clever poetry of Deborah Ruddell found in A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk: A Forest of Poems. One can almost smell the forest described in Eau De Forest: A Woodsy Cologne.

EAU DE FOREST:
A WOODSY COLOGNE
Deborah Ruddell

It's spiderwebs
and dogwood trees,
a muddy trail,
a blue-green breeze.

A nest, a leaf,
a sycamore trunk.
A whiff of pine,
a hint of skunk.

Ruddell's imagery-laden poem provides an original interpretation of the scents waiting to be discovered within the depths of a bustling forest.

Extension

Have children create a list of the scents found in their classroom, library or home and then describe them through a poem or piece of art. Allow them to share their poems/art work with eachother.