In Celebration of National Poetry Month:
Fold Me a Poem by Kristine O’Connell George and and illustrated by Lauren Stringer is one of those picture books that you love to review because it is so easy. Dig through your bag of superlatives, sprinkle a few in each sentence and you are done. It is simply an outstanding book.
Through spare poems, the author tells a lovely tale of a boy folding and interacting with a zoo of origami animals. She mixes humor, conflict and adventure to tell a compelling story, starting with a bare haiku about the boy folding a rooster and the rooster waking up. The results are enchanting.
The illustrator admits she had to learn how to fold origami to make the illustrations for the book, and you can see her hard work. The illustrations really shine. The lively images carry the story line just the right amount.
Supposedly for ages 4-8, this book appeals to a much broader age range. I know an 11 year-old-boy who enjoyed it immensely, and adults have raved about it, too. Not only is the book engaging, it is also inspiring. We wanted to fold origami and write poems as soon as we finished it. See how we folded paper butterflies in the illustrations and photos below.
Be sure to visit Kristine O’Connell George’s website, as well Lauren Stringer’s origami instructions, for additional information, educational activities and peeks into the book.
Fold Me a Poem by Kristine O’Connell George and illustrated by Lauren Stringer
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 56 pages
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books (April 1, 2005)
ISBN-10: 0152025014
ISBN-13: 978-0152025014
To fold a paper butterfly, take a look at the illustration here and then the photos below. Start with a square piece of paper, any size, but preferably brightly colored. If it is colored only on one side, make sure the colored side is facing out on the first fold.
Photo 1. Offset the two corners about an inch on the first fold if you are using eight inch square paper.
Photo 2. Simply fold the two sides together down the center between the two tails. Already it starts to look like a butterfly.
Photo 3. Now fold up a “body” of roughly 1/3 inch along the center fold. Crease one way, unfold, and then turn over and fold again.
Enjoy your spring butterfly!