FIREFLIES AT MIDNIGHT

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Singer, Marilyn. FIREFLIES AT MIDNIGHT. Ill. by Ken Robbins. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2003.  ISBN 978-0-689-82492-0

2. SUMMARY

FIREFLIES AT MIDNIGHT is a thematic collection of poems about the life and activities of various insects and creatures. Each poem focuses upon the work or play of a specific creature in its natural setting within a twenty-four hour period.

3. CRITICAL REVIEW

Marilyn Singer structures the order of the poems so that the reader has a distinct sense of nature in action throughout a twenty-four hour period. The author writes many of the poems from the creature’s point of view and with great attention to its voice. Each page of poetry mirrors an illustration page that consists of a grainy photo-like rendering of the subject matter. Ken Robbins’ illustrations give the reader a close-up, relatively natural looking view of the creature at work or play, often interacting with other creatures of nature.

“Up cheerup I’m up” from the morning robin gives the reader the joy of morning while the words blend together to sound like a bird chirping. As the otter poem tells of the otter’s fun slipping and sliding, the author cleverly placed the couplets in a curving form that support a slipping and sliding motion effect. These are great poems to read aloud, and within the collection, each poem includes a cleverly rhythmic cadence and many repeat a verse between stanzas. “One and one and one and one” repeats throughout the poems about ants; this reinforces the theme that synergy is the best way to accomplish tasks. From the free-flowing butterflies, to the shadowy elusive bunny, to the quietness and serenity of a bat’s moonlit night, the illustrations each complement the informative yet whimsical poetry.

FIRELIES AT MIDNIGHT includes subtle humor as illustrated in the poem and illustration about the frog: “I’m the duke/ I’m the king/ of this piece of the pond.” The early dawn illustration depicts a frog with a look of superiority, perched upon a rock, staring boldly at the reader. There is simply something so silly about a regal frog . . . a reader must smile. This is a collection that you will want to read over and over because with each examinations, the reader discovers something new and clever.

3. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPTS

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books starred, May 2003

Horn Book, October 2003

School Library Journal starred, May 2003

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: (2003) “Robbins's ‘photographic treatments’ use full-color, graphically enhanced photos and photo collage for an almost painterly effect. These portraits perfectly echo the tone of the poems as subjects soar, hide, flit, and sit.”

KIRKUS REVIEW starred: (2003) “This time, Singer spreads her evocative poems throughout a single day, from a robin "first to greet the light" and a cavorting otter out for a morning swim to ants in the afternoon, a camouflaged rabbit at dusk, the eponymous fireflies flashing at midnight, and on through the night to a mole digging in for sleep as a new dawn approaches.”

4. CONNECTIONS

* Because many of the poems in this collection are brief and follow a distinct pattern, each one would be an appropriate model for young students to create their own original  “pattern poetry.” The class first analyzes the pattern in the original poem, and then creates original poetry following the same pattern. This activity can be an end of unit activity and assessment after studying or researching any particular content area subject.