Douglas Florian

By: Anabella Pelaez

Poetry is not black and white. It is more like
the gray and purple area that connects all the
things we live in."

Table of Contents
Pg. 1..Introduction
Pg. 2.Biography
Pg. 3...What I Love About and analysis
Pg. 4...Winter Eyes and analysis
Pg. 5.The Tortoise analysis
Pg. 6.Winter Wear analysis
Pg. 7..Looking Different poem and why I chose it
Pg. 8Softball and My Mom is Great poems and why I chose it
Pg. 9... Summer Eyes and What I Love About Summer poems why I chose it
Pg. 10....Work cited page/resources














Why I chose Douglas Florian

I chose Douglas Florian to learn and write about because he is both an illustrator
and a poet. He is a great writer and writes for children for ages 6 through 10. It is so
good that he writes for kids that age because they are learning how writing more and
better.
I think that Douglas Florians poetry is important and worth reading because his
poetry and his artwork show creativity and originality. His poems engage readers at a
young age and helps them use their imagination when writing.
I have learned from Douglas Florian several things. Ideas should come to you,
you shouldnt go to them. The best ideas come from exploring the world around you. I
also learned that you must do a lot of writing before you get really good at it because
writing is difficult. I have learned that poetry connects the things in your surroundings.
Finally, I learned from Douglas Florian that the harder you work at writing the better you
will feel about it.
I think that other people including myself would enjoy Douglas Florians poetry
because most of poetry is fun and creative. Also, because he is not only a writer but also
an artist. He uses his imagination to write his poetry, draw his pictures and engage his
young readers. A lot of kids would probably love to be able to be a great writer and artist
just like Douglas Florian.




Biography

Douglas Florian was born March 18, 1950 in New York City. He still lives in
here with his wife and 3 kids. His dad had inspired him to become an artist because his
father was an artist. Douglas Florian attended Queens College and the School for Visual
Arts. He started his career off as a cartoonist for The New Yorker. It was not until 1977,
when he started illustrating books. In 1980, he illustrated and wrote a book of poetry
called A Bird Can Fly. Since then, Douglas Florian has published over 50 books of
poetry such as Winter Eyes, Lizards, Frogs, and Polliwogs, and many more. These
poems are important because they have earned Mr. Florian prestigious awards. His
writes a lot about animals and seasons.
Mr. Florian has received numerous awards like the Gryphon Award, which is an
$1,000 given to an author for his or her non-fiction/fiction, ALA Notable Childrens
Book Award, Booker Prize which is given for the best novels, Lee Bennett Hopkins
Awards, Kirkuks Reviews Best Book of the Year, Parents Magazines Best Book of the
Year, and so many more.
Major themes by Douglas Florian are animals (dinosaurs, frogs, tortoises,
Polliwogs) and he writes about winter and all the fun stuff you can during the season.
When he writes he allows his imagination to do his work, which makes Doug Florians
poetry fun and simple to understand.



Four well-known Poems by Douglas Florian
What I Love About Winter
Frozen lakes
Hot pancakes
Lots of snow
Hot cocoa
Skates and skis
Evergreen trees
Funny hats
Thermostats
Sunsets blaze
Holidays
Snowball fights
Fireplace nights
Chimneys steaming
Winter dreaming


Analysis for What I Love About Winter:

In What I Love About Winter by Douglas Florian the narrator is talks about the
enjoyments of winter like the frozen lakes hot pancakes or the snowball fights fire
place nights.
I think the author is trying to say that there are a lot of things to enjoy and love
about winter because although it is a cold and long season you can have fun indoors and
outdoors, like have snowball fights outdoors and fireplace nights indoors.
Using rhymes like chimney streaming, winter dreaming and lots of snow, hot
cocoa the poet makes winter seem like lots of fun.












Winter Eyes

Look at winter
With winter eyes,
As smoke curls from the rooftops
To clear cobalt skies

Breathe in winter
Past winter nose
The sweet scent of black birch
Where velvet moss grows

Walk through winter
With winter feet
On crackling ice
Or sloshy wet sleet

Listen to winter
With winter ears
The rustling of oak leaves
As spring slowly leaves


Analysis for Winter Eyes:

In Winter Eyes by Douglas Florian the narrator talks about that we all listen,
hear and look at winter with from our own perspective.
I think the narrator is trying to say that everyone has a different ways looking,
walking, and listening to winter.
Using metaphors such as The sweet scent of black birch the poet makes the
reader feel what people experience through winter.












The Tortoise

I wear a helmet
On my back
It is hard
And guards
Me from attack
And if I wheeze
Or sneeze
Or cough
The shell I dwell in
Will not fall off
Its glued without
A screw of mortise
Im born with it,
For I am a tortoise

Analysis for The Tortoise:
In The Tortoise by Douglas Florian the narrator is talking about what the
features of a tortoise to protect it I wear a helmet on my back it is hard and guards...
I think the author is trying to say that the Tortoise has features that help it survive
in the wilderness and never fails him.
Using rhymes like Its glued without a screw of mortise, I am born with it for I
am a tortoise the poet makes the reader able to know that the tortoise is born with a shell
that keeps him safe and away from harm.
















Winter Wear

The weasel wears a coat of white.
He always keeps it zippered tight.
It helps him weasel out of sight.

The snowshoe hare from head to toe
Wears white wherever she may go
To help her hide against the snow.

The snowy owl perched in a tree
On snowy days is hard to see.
I dont see him, but he sees me.

In our white coats we come to peek.
On our wildlife we sneak.
We play a game of hide and seek.


Analysis for Winter Wear:
In Winter Wear by Douglas Florian the narrator talks about how the animal furs
like the weasel and the snowshoe hare changes colors to white. For example the weasel
wears a coat of white.
I think the narrator is trying to say that animals have their own way of protecting
themselves during winter like camouflaging so they dont get eaten.
Using metaphors like the weasel wears a coat of white the poet makes the
reader see that like us animals also need things in order to stay alive during winter
season. Like fur, habitats, to stat warm










Poems written by Anabella Pelaez

Looking different

August looks different,
Hes not like anyone else,
But he is okay because,
Looking different isnt bad.

August looks different,
He is special in his own ways,
But hes okay with looking different cause,
Looking different isnt bad

August looks different,
He is one of a kind,
But he is okay with that cause,
Looking different isnt bad

I chose looking different because it reminded me of a book I read called
Wonder by R.J Palacio and how August the main character looked different from
everyone at his school because he was born with a deformity. No matter who picked on
him he knew that he was special in his own way and he was okay with looking different
because looking different isnt bad and in the end he had made a lot of friends.









Softball

Big bright yellow fastball,
Heavy bat,
Leather glove,
Run the bases,
Thats all you need for softball,
Go out and try it,
You can learn a lot from it but remember,
Practice makes perfect.


I chose Softball because it is my favorite sport and I am good at it. I am very
passionate about it. I play it and watch it. Softball is about discipline and teaches kids
teamwork. I learned from softball that hard work pays off. I learned that the more you
practice the better you get. This poem was inspired by Douglas Florian because the
harder you work the better you get.


My Mom is Great

My mom is great.
She is great at everything
My mom is brave,
She tackles anything that comes her way,
My mom is great
She does everything from the heart
My mom is great in so many ways


I chose My Mom is Great because my mom is great! Fantastic even! She is
always cheering me up and cheering me on. She is my biggest fan. She is always making
sure I am safe and out of harms way. I love my mom with all my heart and I am glad she
is my mom.



Summer Eyes
Look at summer with summer Eyes
As waves come in from the ocean
To clear blue skies,

Breathe in summer,
Past summer nose,
The sweet scent of the ocean,
Where sandy beaches are


I chose Summer Eyes because it was a poem inspired by Douglas Florian. He
writes about seasons especially about winter and since I love summer I decided to write a
poem about it.
What I Love About Summer

Sandy beaches,
Cool waters,
Lots of sprinklers,

Shorts, and sandals,
No more jeans,
Hooray its summer,
Isnt summer great!

I chose What I Love About Summer because it was a poem inspired by a poem
called What I love About Winter by Douglas Florian. It shows everything there is to
love about summer liking getting to go to the beach and being able to wear shorts and
sandals.






Thank you Mr. Maresco for introducing me to Douglas Florian. Though he
is not like Maya Angelou I still learned a lot about Douglas Florian







Resources
http://paulaoneil.tripod.com/id7.html
http://douglasflorianauthorvisits.blogspot.com/
http://poetryatplay.org/2013/01/14/chatting-with-douglas-florian-childrens-poet-and-
artist/
http://childrensauthorsally.com/authors/douglas-florian/
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/douglas-florian