Seasons Archives - Bob on Books

Nature Poems to See By

Nature Poems to See By, Julian Peters. Plough Publishing (ISBN: 9781636081748) 2026.

Summary: An anthology of great nature poems, organized by seasons and graphically interpreted.

Graphic works have rendered original stories in striking fashion for a new generation. And they have brought to life old stories in fresh ways. But can this work in the world of poetry, with its rich, dense, and often metaphorical use of language? This work, by comic artist Julian Peters, answered this question for me with a resounding yes. This is his second foray into this territory, having published Poems to See By in 2020.

As is obvious from these titles, Peters believes poetry is a means by which we see the world. He also believes poetry is a means by which we see ourselves and even greater realities than those we see with only our eyes. And he employs graphic art to aid us in the seeing.

This anthology collects twenty-four poems, including many familiar ones around the theme of nature. It opens with Langston Hughes poem, “Daybreak in Alabama, evoking both the red clay landscape of Alabama, and “the dream” of races reconciled. It closes with Gerard Manley Hopkins “God’s Grandeur,” concluding with a striking image of the final lines:

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
     World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

There are six poems for each of the seasons of the year.

“Summer” includes an imaginative rendering of the rich imagery in William Blake’s “And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time” and an apocalyptic rendering of Gwendolyn Brook’s haunting “Truth.”

“Autumn” opens in a portrayal of Sylvia Plath’s proliferating “Mushrooms” and includes Emily Dickinson’s “There Came a Wind Like a Bugle” which eerily evoked reminders of a recent windstorm. Peters vividly renders “The Voice of God” which eludes all human pretensions to come in the small and the ordinary.

“Winter” includes a striking black and white rendering of Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Then he follows by a monochrome rendering of Stevie Smith’s “Not Waving but Drowning,” with the concluding lines “I was much too far out all my life/And not waving but drowning.”

Finally, we come to “Spring,” opening with e. e. cummings “I Thank You God for Most This Amazing.” Also, this collection includes an op art portrayal of William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.” I felt like I was back in the Sixties!

But some might object to the substitution of the artist’s imagination for one’s own engagement with the text. To address this, the text of each poem follows its graphic rendering. However, I personally found the graphic images encouraged me to pause and ponder the phrasing of each poem that a textual reading alone might gloss over. I found myself wondering why the artist chose particular ways of rendering. This both illuminated and highlighted the ways I was “seeing” the poem.

In conclusion, Julian Peters has created a wonderful doorway into poetry for those new to this world. Likewise, his renderings help us “see” old favorites in a new way. This was a delight to the eye and the eyes of my heart.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

God, Right Here: Meeting God in the Changing Seasons, Kara Lawler, illustrated by Jennie Poh. Downers Grove: IVP Kids, 2023.

Summary: A walk through the changing seasons and a reminder that the unchanging God is always present, always near and may be seen wherever we look in his creation.

During the pandemic, it seemed that all of our worlds shrank to our homes and neighborhoods. And many of us discovered that we didn’t have to go any further to be reminded that amid all the hardships and tragedy of the pandemic, beauty remained, and if we had eyes to see, the handiwork and wonders of the Creator’s world. The beauty of dogwood blooms, the lush lawns and budding trees, glorious sunsets, tree frogs in summer, the glorious fall colors and the crispness of the air, the quiet of walking amid the falling snow.

Kara Lawler describes a similar experience in the birth of this book for families to share. Even around her own home, she says “we found comfort in God all around–holy everywhere. We practiced the art of observing nature as a spiritual discipline–and it offered us solace and peace even in the midst of uncertainty around us.” She takes us through the seasons of the years, reminding us of “God right here. God right there. God’s handiwork is everywhere” and “God is ever near.”

Through simple text and Jennie Poh’s vibrant illustrations, we see the brilliant flowering of spring, from April showers to May flowers. We feel the hot summer sun, the delights of the beach and discoveries of seashells, sand, and water to cool us off, while listening to the laughter of the gulls. She evokes memories of red, orange, and yellow leaves of fall, piled just so that we can jump in! She reminds us of harvests–hay in bales, apples to make cider, pumpkins to make pie–God’s bounties. Then comes winter, catching snowflakes on our tongues as we make snow angels, seeing God decorate with icicles, and listening to the quiet. Short days, long nights, snug under blankets, gazing at decorated trees, reminded of the God who came near, who is ever near. The book concludes with a beautiful scene on a country lane saying, “Through spring, summer, fall, and winter, we watch, and wait, and wonder. The earth is so full of God’s glory.”

The book reminds me of so many wonders of childhood–and to be honest, beauty and goodness pointing to God’s handiwork that I treasure to this day. The book is inclusive, with children of color as well as a child in a wheel chair. My only quibble is that all the illustrations are set in rural landscapes. Must we escape the city to get close to nature–and close to God? Can we not catch glimpses of God and sense God’s nearness in our urban landscapes, the ones in which many of us were confined in the pandemic? Perhaps a sequel!

This looks like a wonderful book to read together with detailed illustrations with so much to notice. And all of this comes with a message we all need–that in the wonders of creation, we are reminded that whatever our situation in life–God is near!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.