A Poem is a Firefly: Book Review {and Giveaway!}

Why do children enjoy lullabies, nursery rhymes, and short stories? It’s more than just the rhythmic sounds they make. “A Poem is a Firefly” tells us why.

The Author

Charles Ghigna (pronounced like Geen-ya with a hard G) is the author of more than one hundred books and has written more than 5,000 poems for children and adults. He has read his poems in many places across the globe including The Library of Congress and The John F. Kennedy Center.

Ghigna is often referred to as “Father Goose.” He tells kids he writes in his “treehouse” which is really the attic of a 95-year-old English tudor cottage in Alabama where he and his wife live.

In a 2021 interview with Homewood Life, Ghigna revealed a fascinating secret: “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m probably the only person on the planet over the age of 12 who doesn’t own a cell phone.” How about that? That’s quite inspiring—especially to all the osprey-kids.

You can learn more about Father Goose at https://www.charlesghigna.com/.

The Illustrator

Michelle Hazelwood Hydehas illustrated over twenty children’s books and numerous editorial illustrations. She created adorable illustrations of woodland animals for this book. You can see more of her work at https://www.michellehazelwood.com/,

Hazelwood lives in the same town as the author of this book, which is Homewood, Alabama.

When she’s not sketching and painting, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, and two dogs.

The book “A Poem is a Firefly” was awarded a Purple Dragonfly Picture Book Award and the North Light Book Awards in the poetry category.  

The Book: “A Poem is a Firefly”

This picture book for ages eight and under begins with a question among a gathering of forest animals, “What is a poem?”

One by one, the animals share how a poem can be anything from a whisper to a shout . . . “ poem is a laugh, a poem is a sigh. A poem is an echo . . .slowly passing by.”

The beauty of poetry is reflected in the different interpretations of the various animals. One sees a poem like a moon while another sees it like a star. And yet one more animal uses it to see a reflection of himself.

While portions of it may be too abstract for the youngest listeners, they will still enjoy the illustrations and the rhyming verse. Older children may use this book as a delightful introduction to metaphors and creative writing.

I like the tone of this book. It’s warm and uplifting. It has a soothing vibe to it and would make a great bedtime read as well. And, of course, my favorite line is the last one:

“A poem is a firefly, upon the summer wind.

Instead of shining where she goes . . .

She lights up where she’s been.”

Book Giveaway

I won this book and another book by Charles Ghigna on Carol Baldwin’s blog. They’re always giving away wonderful books over there!

I’ve decided to keep one of the books, “The Father Goose Treasury of Poetry” (which I’ll review at a later date). It contains the poem, “A Poem is a Firefly” in it.

Therefore, I’m giving this delightful book, “A Poem is a Firefly” away to one of my blog subscribers!

I’ll randomly select a name from the subscriber list on August 11 and will announce it here. I’ll also email the winner asking where they’d like me to mail the book—at my expense, of course.

I’ve created a fun firefly coloring sheet for you to share with your children. You’ll find it under the “Resources” tab. It’ll be available for a few weeks. If you want a copy after it’s been rotated out for new content, just send me an email via the contact page and I’ll email it to you.

I’d like to know when was the last time you caught fireflies (a.k.a. lightning bugs) in a mason jar?

Shimmer! Shimmer! We have a Firefly Winner! Congratulations to L. Hood! I’ve sent you an email asking where you’d like me to mail your book. Yay!