Following the huge success of Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox, this companion book is a lyrical celebration of our relationship to the natural world.
In each of twelve short poems, a child tells us how or why they feel like the sun, a river, a mountain, a cloud, the rain, a forest and more. Their deeply felt connections and identification with these wonders point to how much we are all part of the natural world. Each poem comes to life through vivid, playful illustrations that show the children immersed in their surroundings. The book serves as a gentle call to action — to notice, appreciate, preserve and protect our environment, while delighting in all its beauty.
A mindfulness activity — A Mindful Walk or Roll — invites young readers to use their senses to experience their surroundings to the fullest. Includes a brief author’s note that highlights our connections to the natural world.
Key Text Features
author’s note
illustrations
poems
procedural text
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.5
Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
Following the huge success of Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox, this companion book is a lyrical celebration of our relationship to the natural world.
In each of twelve short poems, a child tells us how or why they feel like the sun, a river, a mountain, a cloud, the rain, a forest and more. Their deeply felt connections and identification with these wonders point to how much we are all part of the natural world. Each poem comes to life through vivid, playful illustrations that show the children immersed in their surroundings. The book serves as a gentle call to action — to notice, appreciate, preserve and protect our environment, while delighting in all its beauty.
A mindfulness activity — A Mindful Walk or Roll — invites young readers to use their senses to experience their surroundings to the fullest. Includes a brief author’s note that highlights our connections to the natural world.
Key Text Features
author’s note
illustrations
poems
procedural text
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.5
Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Mar 7, 2023 |
| Specifications | 32 pages | 8.25 in x 10 in |
| Keywords | beauty in nature; counting your blessings; great outdoors; habitats and ecosystems; interconnectedness; respecting nature; rhymes; senses; verse; mindfulness; self awareness; outdoor adventure; poetry for children; understanding the world around you; Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak; Forever Birchwood; Daughters of the Deer; Martin and the River; |
|
Supporting Resources
(select item to download) |
Guide |
| Written By |
DANIELLE DANIEL is an award-winning author and illustrator whose journey into artmaking and book publishing has gone hand in hand with all she has learned—and continues to learn—about her Indigenous ancestry and her relationship with the land. Her picture books include Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox (Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award), Sometimes I Feel Like a River and Once in a Blue Moon. She has also written novels for children and adults. Danielle lives on Manitoulin Island with her family. |
| Illustrated by |
JOSÉE BISAILLON has illustrated more than forty picture books, and she has been nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award four times. The Snow Knows by Jennifer McGrath won the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and was a finalist for the Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration. Josée has also illustrated Martin and the River by Jon-Erik Lappano and Out into the Big Wide Lake by Paul Harbridge. She lives with her family near Montreal, Quebec. |
| Written By |
|
DANIELLE DANIEL is an award-winning author and illustrator whose journey into artmaking and book publishing has gone hand in hand with all she has learned—and continues to learn—about her Indigenous ancestry and her relationship with the land. Her picture books include Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox (Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award), Sometimes I Feel Like a River and Once in a Blue Moon. She has also written novels for children and adults. Danielle lives on Manitoulin Island with her family. |
| Illustrated by |
|
JOSÉE BISAILLON has illustrated more than forty picture books, and she has been nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award four times. The Snow Knows by Jennifer McGrath won the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and was a finalist for the Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration. Josée has also illustrated Martin and the River by Jon-Erik Lappano and Out into the Big Wide Lake by Paul Harbridge. She lives with her family near Montreal, Quebec. |
| Audience | ages 3 and up / grades P and up |
| Key Text Features | author’s note; illustrations; poems; procedural text |
| Common Core |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.5 |
Daniel and Bisaillon's splendid collaboration proves to be a powerful invitation to breathe in the great outdoors.
” —Shelf AwarenessFrom feeling like the sun rising early and shining one's light on the earth to feeling like thunder as one booms and roars, these beautifully written poems incorporate onomatopoeia and other elements of figurative language to showcase how and why we are connected to marvels of the world. Josée Bisaillon’s imaginative, vibrant illustrations—rendered in a mix of soft and wax pastels, cut paper, colored pencils, gouache, charcoal and digital art—dance across each double-page spread with a playfulness and simplicity that perfectly complements each poem.
” —School Library ConnectionThese lyrical verses encompass an arc of of emotions for each natural setting.
” —Canadian Children's Book NewsThis refreshing series of poems reminds us of the natural world we live in and creates a longing to walk amongst the trees and to lie on one’s back and ponder the sky.
” —CM: Canadian Review of MaterialsSometimes I Feel Like a River establishes Daniel as a leading author in the mindfulness genre, a growing group of titles focused on helping kids understand their emotions and fall in love with their environments.
” —Montreal Review of BooksA gentle call to action to protect and appreciate our environment.
” —Quebec Library AssociationIn a time of climate emergency and deep unrest in the world, Danielle Daniel’s Sometimes I Feel Like a River is a reminder to acknowledge our emotions and find kinship in nature ... A book to return to again and again!
”