Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by: Joyce Sidman (poetry and non-fiction)

This book features a collection of twelve poems filled with exquisite and detailed illustrations to complement each. The first poem "Welcome to the Night" introduces the main subject of nocturnal natural wildlife. The remaining poems elaborate with factual information, describing various occurences that happen during the night. The book concludes by describing the night fading away and the sunlight coming through.

This is a great book to use with grades three and older to introduce science units featuring nocturnal events. Some of the margins also contain additional information and highlight science keywords in bold. The author also includes various types of poems in the book. This book can be used to introduce a new science unit to describe nature during the night. The book can also be used to incorporate literacy, specifically poetry. After students have experience with different formats of poems, I could use this book to give students practice of identifying some of these types.