Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman

Illustrated by Rick Allen

Copyright 2010

Published by Houghton Mifflin Hartcourt

Lexile Level: 1020L

Grade Level: 5/6

Nocturnal, Wildlife, Beauty, Enchantment, Mesmerizing, Nature

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night is the compilation of 12 poems about different animals in the night.  It provides factual information about nocturnal animals that live in the forest.  This is a great book for your nature and poetry buffs and the illustrations will draw in the attention of any student.  This would serve as a great read aloud for science studies.



Teachers, here are some activities and resources for this book:

Key Vocabulary:

• dappled, nocturnal, nimble, unparalleled, morsels, whorls, nectar, preen, mesmerizing, realm, swivel, pores, warblers, photosynthesis, sprig, pirouette, raucous, trilling, serrated, stridulation, spores, eft, don, vagabond, echolocation

 After Reading Activity:

• Create a Wordle using important words from the text to increase students' comprehension.  Have them choose words that summarize the text and describe each animal or plant.

 Writing Activity:

• After reading, have students choose an animal (from the book or one that they have prior knowledge of) and create their own poem.  Students can use this activity to research an animal, then use this information to write a poem.

 Web Resources:

• Here is a Book Trailer that would be a great resource to use before reading the book with your students.  They will be introduced to some of the animals in the poems as well as the setting and tone of the writings.
• Here is a Teacher's Guide, which includes questions, suggestions for read alouds, writing activities, and science activities.

"Come feel the cool and shadowed breeze,

come smell your way among the trees,

come touch rough bark and leathered leaves:

Welcome to the night."

Sidman, J., & Allen, R. (2010). Dark emperor & other poems of the night. Cookery: Houghton Mifflin Books For Children.