A STRANGE PLACE TO CALL HOME by Marilyn Singer

Science Poetry

Singer, Marilyn. 2012. A STRANGE PLACE TO CALL HOME: THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS HABITATS & THE ANIMALS THAT CALL THEM HOME. illustrated by Ed Young. San Fransisco, CA: Chronicle Books. ISBN 9781452101200.



This collection of fourteen poems give the reader a look at relatively unknown creatures, that live in extreme habitats, and who have adapted to challenging conditions. Each poem features a specific animal and the habitat in which it dwells. The reader will find a penguin that lives in a dessert, a monkey who loves the snow, and a blind albino fish living in a dark cave. After reading the poems in this collection, the reader will be anxious to learn more about these animals featured, and their extreme habitats.

Marilyn Singer uses various forms of poetry throughout the book to highlight the strange creatures and their harsh environments. Singer includes free verse, triolets, haiku, sonnet, cinquain, villanelle, and terza rima poems in this collection. In the back of the book is included a list of each poem and the form it is written in. Each poem is unique in its own way, and has a distinctive rhythm that will appeal to many ages of children. Since the topic of these poems are animals that will be unknown to many children, the poems will stimulate curiosity.

The illustrations in A STRANGE PLACE TO CALL HOME are created by Ed Young, winner of the Caldecott Medal. Young uses torn paper collage to create to astonishing illustrations that accompany each poem. Young's use of the torn paper depicts the movements of the animals, as well as the harshness of the habitat.

Spotlight Poem

CITY LIVING

urban foxes

They have

quiet forests and 

fields for sheds, flowerbeds;

forfeited wild berries for shrimp

lo mein.

It seems

an easy life,

but in close quarters, cars,

capture, and contagion take

their toll.

Foxes

adapted to

city living find it

full of plenty--but plentiful

in risk. 

Classroom Activities

This poem can be a start of discussions of how humans have changed animals habitats. Discuss why many foxes now live in urban areas, instead of in the forests. Have a class discussion of the risks that urban foxes face that Singer refers to in the last stanza of her poem. 

All of the poems in this collection could accompany a science unit for habitats or adaptation. The teacher or librarian could assign groups a poem, and the students would be responsible for finding more information about the highlighted animal. After completing the inquiry, students should be allowed to share with the class their poem and facts about the animal. 

The poems are written in various forms, some of them strict forms that have been given names. With the class, go to the Poetry Foundation glossary page that explains the poetry forms. After the students have learned about the forms of poetry included in the book, allow them to choose their favorite form and write their own poem about an animal.