












































Georgia Journal of Literacy 
2025, Vol. 47(1), pp. 84–97 
https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.169 
ISSN: 2833-7611 

   
Teaching Tips 

   
 

 

CONTACT Dr. William P. Bintz, Professor of Literacy Education, College of Education, Health, and Human Services; 
School of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum, Kent State University, Kent, OH; wbintz@kent.edu. 
 

Combining Picturebooks and Poetry as Blended 
Genres to Teach Life Science 
 
William P. Bintz 
Kent State University, Kent, OH 

 

ABSTRACT 

This article introduces the concept of combining poetry and picturebooks as blended 
genres and shares an instructional strategy that K–8 teachers can use with blended 
genres to help students learn important concepts in ELA and life science. It begins 
with background on the important relationship between science and literature. Next, 
it describes fundamental differences between paired text and blended genres and 
connects blended genres to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and 
the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Then, it shares examples of blended 
genres and a sample of an instructional strategy that can be used with blended 
genres to teach important concepts in Life Science. It ends with a final thought. 

KEYWORDS 

science and 
literature 
integration; 
intertextuality; 
blended genres, 
picturebooks and 
poetry; inquiry-
based learning   

 
There is much to be learned from both poetry and science, and when they are 
combined, the potential for learning grows. 

(McClure, 2013, p. 13) 
 

 teach a graduate reading course entitled Reading in the Content Areas. A major goal of the 
course is for me to demonstrate, and my students to experience, the power and potential of 
picturebooks as curricular resources to teach content material across the curriculum. I begin 

each class session by reading aloud a selected picturebook from a different content area and for a 
specific purpose.   

Recently, I read aloud I Wonder (Harris, 2013) to highlight wondering as an important 
process in learning science and introduce the importance of inquiry in learning. This picturebook 
tells the story of Eva, a little girl who likes to take walks with her mother. On one walk, Eva 
wonders and poses questions to her mother about gravity, life cycles, and the vastness of the 
universe. While neither knows the correct answers, her mother reminds Eva that wondering is the 
first step to understanding and it is always okay to say, “I don’t know.”   

Afterwards, I invited students to share their responses to the picturebook. All responses 
were thoughtful, but one response caught my attention. One student stated,  

This picturebook reminded me of taking walks with my grandfather around his farm 
when I was little. Like Eva, I’d asked lots of questions, too. And like the mother, 
my grandfather listened, too. It also reminded me of the poem, “I Like to Wonder 
Off Alone.” I read this poem in high school, and I’ve never forgotten it. As you 
were reading, I found myself seeing all kinds of similarities between the 
picturebook and the poem.  

I 

mailto:wbintz@kent.edu


Bintz 85 
 

   
 

This response was interesting and insightful, but not the first of its kind. After reading aloud 
picturebooks, I often hear students saying they were making personal connections to the 
picturebook during the read aloud. In this instance, however, this student’s response, unbeknownst 
to her and me at the time, created a paired text. Traditionally, a paired text consists of two texts 
that are interrelated in some way, and the texts reflect the same or similar genre (Bintz, 2015). Her 
paired text was different. I Wonder (Harris, 2013) and “I Like to Wonder Off Alone” (Wynne, 
2023) is a paired text but consist of two different genres, one a picturebook and the other a poem. 
In many ways, her paired text was a blended genre.   

I started to wonder about the idea of blended genres. I have read I Wonder several times, 
but was unfamiliar with the poem, “I Like to Wonder Off Alone.” I wondered what connections I 
would make between the picturebook and the poem. I read the picturebook again, then the poem, 
and completed an H-Map to record my connections between the two texts (see Figure 1).   

I used an H-Map to record my intertextual connections between this blended genre. I wrote 
the title of the picturebook at the top of the left vertical column, and the title of the poem at the top 
of the right vertical column. I wrote the heading, Intertextual Connections, at the top of the 
rectangle to connect the left and right columns. During and after reading, I recorded important 
ideas from the picturebook in the left column, and important ideas from the poem in the right 
column. In the middle, I recorded important intertextual connections from this blended genre. I 
found this instructional strategy helpful for recording and reflecting on my intertextual 
connections.  
 
Figure 1: H-Map 

Text: I Wonder 
 

Tells the story of Eva, a young girl 
who wonders about everything. She 
wonders why the moon follows her 
from place to place, disappearing 
behind trees and then appearing 

again someplace new. One day she 
talks a walk with her mother and 
shares her wonderings along the 

way. How does the moon really stay 
close to us? Her mother introduces 
her to the concept of gravity. How 

many grains of sand are in the 
whole world? Her mother reminds 

her that is okay to say we don’t 
know and encourages her to keep 

wondering. Where did all these 
butterflies come from? Her mother 
introduces her to the notion of life 

cycles and invites her to think about 
other things that change. After their 
walk, Eva learns that it is important 
to always wonder, but wonderings 
can reveal mysteries and it is okay 

to say we just don’t know. 

 

Poem: “I Like To Wonder Off Alone” 
 

In rhyming verse, an unidentified 
young person describes a desire to 
wander off alone and wonder about 
the natural world, including the sky, 
a curly cloud, the grass, and birds. 
The young person also wonders if 
things in the natural world wonder 

about him or her. The young person 
concludes that everybody and 

everything likes to wonder because 
there is so much to wonder about. 

The young person will always 
wonder, except for stopping 

sometimes to play. 

Intertextual Connections 
 

1. Both texts include young people 
as main characters. 

2. Both texts include young people 
who like to wonder. 

3. Both texts include young people 
who wonder about concepts 
related to earth and space 
science, e.g. life cycles, moon, 
sky, gravity, grass, flying things 
(birds, etc.), butterflies, clouds, 
etc. 

4. Both texts include young people 
who wonder but don’t insist on 
finding immediate and correct 
answers to their wonderings. 

5. Both texts depict wondering as a 
natural, positive, and lifelong 
process. 

6. Both texts have potential to 
introduce wondering as form of 
inquiry and scientific inquiry. 

 



86 Georgia Journal of Literacy 47(1)  
 

   
 

In the end, this whole experience sparked my curiosity about the idea of blended genres. It 
generated my interest in developing other blended genres across the curriculum that I could use 
with students in my own courses. Specifically, I wanted to develop and share blended genres that 
English/Language Arts (ELA) and science teachers could collaboratively implement in the K–8 
classroom.   

The purpose of this article is to share picturebooks and poetry as blended genres and an 
instructional strategy to teach important concepts in ELA and life science. I focus on ELA and 
science for several reasons. One, I am a former middle and high school English/Language Arts 
teacher with a personal interest in this content area. Two, I am presently a teacher educator in 
literacy education with a professional interest in advocating for the use of literature, specifically 
picturebooks, to support student learning across the K–12 curriculum. Three, to date, I have 
developed blended genres by pairing picturebooks with poems in English/Language Arts and am 
currently developing blended genres in English/Language Arts & Social Studies and 
English/Language Arts & Mathematics. However, I have not developed blended genre in 
English/Language Arts & Science. This whole experience inspired me to do so.      

With this experience and background in mind, I began by providing background on the 
relationship between science and literature, describing differences between paired text and blended 
genres, and connecting blended genres with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and 
Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Next, I share examples of blended genres and a sample of 
an instructional strategy to teach important concepts in Life Science. I end with a final thought.   
 
Science & Literature 

Storytelling will bring the science to children. 
(Kaser, 2001, p. 355) 

 
The value of literature and storytelling to teach and learn science has long been recognized by both 
science and literacy specialists (Dagher & Ford, 2005). Much research continues to indicate that 
literature is a valuable tool to support growth and development across science and literacy 
(Broemmel et al., 2021). Consequently, and fortunately, literature is increasingly being included 
as an integral component to the science curriculum (Rice, 2002).   

Moreover, much research indicates that picturebooks are effective instructional tools to 
integrate science and literacy (Saul, 2004). Among other things, picturebooks help students “ask 
and address questions about science content…and build their capacity to engage in scientific 
reasoning” (Hapgood & Palincsar, 2007, p. 55). Poetry is also an effective tool to integrate science 
and literacy.   
 
Poetry  

Instead of coexisting as parallel lanes without intersection, poetry and science can 
cross over as one merges lanes.  

(Brown, 2015, p. 1)  
 

Historically, poetry has been a popular and flexible literary genre, a way to experiment with rhyme, 
rhythm, repetition, and a variety of poetic formats. Poetry supports abstract thought and provides 
a means to communicate “complex ideas in symbolic ways” (Graves, 1992, p. 163). It also helps 
develop rich vocabulary and explore “poetic devices like metaphor, simile, imagery, alliteration, 
and rhyme” (Kane & Rule, 2004, p. 665).   



Bintz 87 
 

   
 

Poetry offers many benefits for readers of all ages and backgrounds. One benefit is that 
poetry is often brief. Vardell and Wong (2015) state, 

poetry has an advantage in that it typically consists of fewer words than expository-
prose passages, and poems can be read and reread in very little time. The brevity of 
poetry is less intimidating to children who may be overwhelmed by longer prose 
and streams of new vocabulary, especially students acquiring English as a new 
language. (p. 30) 

Poetry is also multisensory. It allows readers and writers to experience all five senses, 
especially through metaphor and imagery. Poetry also supports interdisciplinary teaching and 
learning across the curriculum (Vardell & Wong, 2015), including science (Kane & Rule, 2004).  
 
Science  

Historically, science and poetry have been viewed as dichotomies, or at least 
“unlikely partners.” 

(Vardell & Wong, 2014, p. 15)  
 
In large part, this is because scientists and poets perceive the world through different lenses and 
reflect different mindsets. Instead of dichotomies, however, science and poetry have had a long 
symbiotic relationship. Webb (1948) stated,  

Poets find science, in the form of nature, more interesting than love…Practically 
every bird, flower, and tree has been studied with poetic insight. The sea, the 
mountains, the sky, the fields, the list of nature’s wonders that have inspired poets 
is almost endless. (p. 30)   

More recently, Hoffman (2002) described this relationship as “two luxuriating contra entropic 
glories of the human spirit walking hand in hand” (p. 137).   

Today, much research indicates that science and poetry are interdependent fields of study 
(Bono, in Kurtz and Loewenstein, 2007), and incorporating poetry in the teaching of science offers 
many benefits for students (Rule et al., 2004). These benefits are based on three important 
concepts: transfer, process, and goal. Transfer recognizes that “spontaneous transfer of useful 
knowledge across domains is a powerful cognitive tool” (Kurtz & Loewenstein, 2007, p. 335). In 
this case, the domains are science and poetry. Process recognizes that the “processes of science 
and literacy learning are similar and may help the development of each discipline” (Akerson, in 
Vardell & Wong, 2015, p. 1). Goal recognizes that science and poetry share a common goal and 
“emerge from an attempt to understand the universe around us—and from a wish to share that 
understanding with others in words” (Hoffman, 2002, p. 140). Additional benefits of integrating 
poetry and science include:  

 Poetry plays a role in humanizing science and functions as a creative trespasser to end 
the cold war between science and poetry (Watts, in Rule, 2001).  

 Poetry uses images and metaphors which can clarify and intensify the meaning of 
science content (Rule et al., 2004).  

 Poetry invites and enables scientists to quickly capture and express new ideas.   



88 Georgia Journal of Literacy 47(1)  
 

   
 

 Poetry offers a way for scientists to play with language, to reframe concepts, and to 
engage with aesthetics to capture readers in ways that are not possible with scientific 
articles (Silverton, 2015).  

 Poetry that reflects good science leads to a fuller inquiry, interpretation, and 
appreciation of science. 

 
Paired Text and Blended Genres 

All texts are tinted with echoes and reverberations of other texts. 
(Bakhtin, 1986, p. 91) 

 
Traditionally, a paired text consists of two texts that are conceptually related in some way (Harste, 
Short, Burke, 1988). It is a curricular resource and instructional tool to teach the concept of 
intertextuality, a term commonly referred to as making connections between texts (Harvey & 
Goudvis, 2017). Intertextuality is an important concept in reading and learning. For example, one 
College and Career Readiness Reading Anchor Standard (National Governors Association Center 
for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010) states the need for students 
to “Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge 
or to compare the approaches the authors take” (Integration of Knowledge and Ideas section, para. 
3). Paired text is one way to put intertextuality into action and address this standard in the 
classroom. A blended genre is also a paired text. It consists of two texts with each text representing 
a different literary genre. For example, the picturebook The Life Cycle of an Emperor Penguin 
(Kalman, 2006) and the poem “Dark Emperor” (Sidman, 2010) is an enjoyable and informative 
blended genre that focuses on the topic of life cycle. 
 
Blended Genres, CCSS, and NGSS Standards 
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, 2013) states that “literacy skills are critical to 
building knowledge in science” (see Appendix M, p. 1). Similarly, the Common Core State 
Standards (CCSS) in literacy identify skills for high proficiency in literacy, and the Common Core 
Reading Anchor Standards (CCRAS) identify skills for high proficiency in reading. To ensure 
consistency, NGSS identifies connections between CCSS literacy and CCRAS reading skills and 
science content demands in grades 6–12. Blended genres is a curricular resource that, when used 
with instructional strategies, can integrate NGSS, CCSS, and CCRAS standards.   

 
Blended Genres and Instructional Strategies 
In this section, I share an example of a blended genre and a sample of an instructional strategy that 
teachers can use to teach important content area material in Life Science. I created this sample to 
share specifically with K–8 ELA and science teachers, but the instructional strategy can be used 
with any blended genre across the curriculum.    

First, however, I want to share a two-step process that teachers can use to teach this 
strategy, along with the other strategies, to help students make intertextual connections between 
the two texts in any blended genre. The two-step process involves teacher demonstration and 
student engagement. For demonstration, teachers can do the following: 1) organize students in 
pairs or small groups (3–4) to support collaboration and discussion, 2) prepare and distribute a 
blank copy of the instructional strategy to each student, 3) display a selected blended genre to 
students and introduce each text with a picturewalk, introduction, book chat, etc., 4) demonstrate 



Bintz 89 
 

   
 

the instructional strategy by reading aloud both texts, pausing at strategic times, e.g., major 
episodic changes in the text, 5) identify examples of intertextual connections between the texts and 
record these connections on the instructional strategy displayed to the entire class, e.g. PowerPoint, 
and 6) as a culminating experience, invite student discussions on the paired text, reflections on the 
intertextual connections, and questions about completing the strategy on their own. For 
engagement, teachers can follow the same procedure with a different blended genre, but this time 
inviting students to identify, discuss, and record intertextual connections between the two texts.  
 
Life Science  

Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian (Engle, 2010) is a picturebook biography of Maria 
Merian, naturalist, field scientist, and artist. Born in 1647, she secretly captured, fed, and observed 
insects that at the time people considered “beasts of the devil.” She observed that many insects, 
especially butterflies, go through developmental life cycles. Over time and with persistent 
observation, she discovered metamorphosis and nine new species of butterflies.  

“Maria Sibylla Merian, January 1670” (Ackerman, 2020) is a biographical poem about 
Maria Merian. Here is an excerpt. 

Maria Sibylla Merian, January 1670 
There was a way of beholding nature  
that was like a form of prayer.  
When she painted a caterpillar,  
she limned the whole bracing saga of its life  
from birth, instars, and metamorphosis…  
She chose to reveal the smallest,  
most despised creatures on earth  
as divine works of nature…  
and peer in wonder at the visible  
but unseen life all around them,  
dining, sparring, molting, mating…  
Here is a caterpillar's eye, her paintings said,  
look how cleverly it's designed!  
Here is a spider's toe with tiny hairs.  
Can you imagine how they tread?  
Here is time elapsing inside a chrysalis,  
where caterpillar becomes butterfly,  
shape-shifting with infinite gradualness  
from one unlikely form to another,  
its behavior and purpose radically changed.  
Come closer, I will show you.  

Figure 2 illustrates Interwoven Intertextual Connections as an instructional strategy to 
represent intertextual connections between this blended genre (for additional strategies, see Bintz, 
2015). This strategy invites individual students, pairs of students, or small groups of students to 
create and represent intertextual connections they consider most important across the blended 
genre. Afterward, students share their connections with the whole class, noting and discussing 
similarities and differences between connections.   



90 Georgia Journal of Literacy 47(1)  
 

   
 

Teachers can also use this strategy to create and represent their own intertextual 
connections and share them with the class. This is important for three reasons. One, it demonstrates 
active engagement by teachers. Second, it allows students to see and understand connections 
different from their own. Third, in the event students do not recognize some important connections, 
it allows teachers to bring those connections to the attention of students. 

 
Figure 2: Interwoven Intertextual Connections 

 

Summer 
Birds 

In Medieval times, 
butterflies were a mystery. 
People believed they 
magically came from mud 
and were evil and people 
who studied them, like 
Maria Sibylla Merian, 
practiced witchcraft. 

Maria Sibylla Merian 
studied the life cycle of 
summer birds, noting they 
are born from eggs, eat 
leaves, spin cocoons, and 
turn into butterflies. 

Maria Sibylla Merian 
compared herself to 
summer birds, growing 
slowly but waiting to fly to 
faraway lands. 

Marian Sibylla Merian also 
studied other species born 
from eggs and who change 
forms, e.g. tadpoles turning 
into frogs. 

 

        Trailblazer Life Cycle Personal  
Connections 

Changing  
Forms 

“Maria 
Sibylla 
Merian, 
January 
1670” 

Maria Sibylla Merian 
studied butterflies which in 
Medieval Times were 
regarded as “one of the 
most despised creatures on 
earth.” She discovered and 
shared just the opposite. 
She regarded them as 
“divine works of nature.” 

Maria Sibylla Merian wrote 
about the life cycle of 
butterflies, using language 
people could understand, 
e.g., a caterpillar is a 
shapeshifter until it 
gradually becomes a 
butterfly. 

Maria Sibylla Merian 
considered studying nature 
as a form of prayer and a 
chance to peer in wonder at 
the visible but unseen life 
existing all around. 

In addition to butterflies, 
Maria Sibylla Merian also 
studied other living things 
that changed form 
(spontaneous combustion), 
e.g., maggots hatching 
freely from eggs. 

 

Final Thought 
According to Vardell and Wong (2015), “Science is rich in content and poetry offers powerful 
language. Together they can both inform and inspire” (p. 15). The student vignette at the beginning 
of this article inspired me to develop blended genres for use in the English/Language Arts and 
science classrooms. I hope this article will inform and inspire ELA and science teachers to use 
blended genres of picturebooks and poems as an instructional tool not only to teach life science, 
but also earth and space, and physical science. In addition, I hope this article will inspire students 
and teachers to develop and use their own blended genres.   
 
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https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/poetry-maria-sibylla-merian-january-1670/
https://hellopoetry.com/poem/%E2%80%8C796930/metamorphosis/
https://hellopoetry.com/poem/%E2%80%8C796930/metamorphosis/
https://www.nowpoems.com/dna


Bintz 93 
 

   
 

Dove, R. (2004). Heart to heart [Poem]. Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/
poems/51662/heart-to-heart 

Dunphy, M. (2008). The peregrine’s journey: A story of migration. Web of Life Children’s Books. 
Ehlert, L. (2001). Waiting for wings. Clarion Books. 
Engle, M. (2010). Summer birds: The butterflies of Maria Merian. Henry Holt & Co. 
Espinoza, J. R. (2021). The ugly butterfly: An imaginative story about the life cycle of a caterpillar. 

Independently Published. 
Fleischman, P. (1988). I am phoenix. HarperCollins. 
Gelman, R. G. (1992). Body battles. Scholastic.  
George, J. C. (2014). Galapagos George. HarperCollins. 
Gibbons, G. (2014). Beavers. Holiday House. 
Grennan, E. (1998). Winter bees [Poem]. Poetry Magazine. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/

poetrymagazine/poems/40133/winter-bees 
Gunawardana, D. (2016). Darwin. In Two poems on Darwin and evolution. ResearchGate. 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/296976075_Two_Poems_on_Darwin_and_Evo
lution  

Harris, A. (2013). I wonder. Four Elephants Press. 
Harrison, D. L. (2020). And the bullfrogs sing: A life cycle begins. Holiday House. 
Hopkins, L. B. (1999). Spectacular science: A book of poems. Simon & Schuster. 
Hough, R. (2011). My genes [Poem]. Poem Hunter. https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/my-

genes-2/ 
Humowitz, M. (2020). Operation achoo! Page. 
Isadora, R. (2006). What a family! Putnam Juvenile. 
Jenkins, M. (1999). The emperor’s egg. Candlewick. 
Kalman, B. (2006). The life cycle of an emperor penguin. Crabtree Classics. 
Krutsinger, C. (2022). Bubba bear’s cozy hibernation haven [Poem]. Poetry Soup. 

https://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/bubba_bears_cozy_hibernation_haven_1506814 
La Marche, M. (n.d.). What’s up with DNA [Poem]. 23andMe Education. https://education.

23andme.com/dna-poems/ 
Lasky, K. (2012). One beetle too many. Candlewick. 
Lewis, J. P. (1998). Doodle dandies: Poems that take shape. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 
Lewis, J. P. (2005). Galileo’s universe. Creative Editions.  
Lewis, J. P. (2007). Poems for teaching in the content areas. Scholastic. 
Locker, T. (1997). Water dance. Clarion Books. 
Long, D. (2020). When Darwin sailed the sea. Wide Eyed Editions.  

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51662/heart-to-heart
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51662/heart-to-heart
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/40133/winter-bees
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/40133/winter-bees
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/296976075_Two_Poems_on_Darwin_and_Evolution
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/296976075_Two_Poems_on_Darwin_and_Evolution
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/my-genes-2/
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/my-genes-2/
https://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/bubba_bears_cozy_hibernation_haven_1506814
https://education.23andme.com/dna-poems/
https://education.23andme.com/dna-poems/


94 Georgia Journal of Literacy 47(1)  
 

   
 

Loper, C. M. (2020). The sneezy breeze. Crown & Arrow Publishing. 
Lyon, G. E. (1998). Counting on the woods. DK Children. 
Mahtrow, S. J. (2006). Rosalind Franklin [Poem]. Poem Hunter. https://www.poemhunter.com/

poem/rosalind-franklin/ 
McKinney, B. S. (1998). A drop around the world. Dawn Publications. 
McKinney, B. S. (2000). Pass the energy, please! Dawn Publications.  
Milne, A. A. (1927). Forgiven. In Now we are six. E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc. https://www.gutenberg

.org/ebooks/70516 
Monem, S. (2019). Charles Darwin [Poem]. Poem Hunter. https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/

charles-darwin-3/ 
Mr. R. (n.d.). Butterfly metamorphosis [Poem]. Mr. R.’s World of Science. https://sciencepoems

.net/butterfly-metamorphosis-poem/ 
Mr. R. (n.d.). Human bones poem [Poem]. Mr. R.’s World of Science. https://sciencepoems.net/

human-bones-poem/ 
Nash, O. (1937). The germ. In The private dining room and other verses. Little, Brown and 

Company. https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-germ/ 
Nims, J. F. (1990). The six-cornered snowflake and other poems. New Directions. 
Norman, K. (2019). Give me back my bones! Candlewick. 
O'Meara, K. (2020). In the time of pandemic [Poem]. The Daily Round. https://www.medhumchat.

com/discussionguides/2020/7/15/kitty-omeara-in-the-time-of-pandemic 
Padmini, S. (2021). Caterpillar’s journey to metamorphosis. Independently Published. 
Pallotta, J. (2000). Dory story. Charlesbridge. 
Petty, D. (2021). Moth & butterfly: Ta da! Nancy Paulsen Books. 
Pham, B. (2022). Cardiology for kids: A fun picture book about the cardiovascular system. Black 

Phoenix Press.  
Pulsifer, C. (n.d.). Life like a butterfly [Poem]. StressLess Country. https://www.stresslesscountry

.com/bring-butterflies-garden/ 
Recao, F. (2021). Why the butterfly: Why do seasons and weather change? Author. 
Reniscience Education. (n.d.). Cell theory [Poem]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/

ourlearninglab/posts/a-poem-explaining-cell-theory-by-a-7th-grader__________
shakespearean-sonnets-are/302855489846947/ 

Richardson, J. (2015). And Tango makes three. Little Simon. 
Robertson, M. P. (2009). Food chain. Limited. 
Scieszka, J. (2004). Science verse. Viking. 
Senker, C. (2003). Rosalind Franklin. Hodder Wayland. 
Sidman, J. (2000). Just us two: Poems/animal dads. Millbrook Press.  

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/rosalind-franklin/
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/rosalind-franklin/
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/70516
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/70516
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/charles-darwin-3/
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/charles-darwin-3/
https://sciencepoems.net/butterfly-metamorphosis-poem/
https://sciencepoems.net/butterfly-metamorphosis-poem/
https://sciencepoems.net/human-bones-poem/
https://sciencepoems.net/human-bones-poem/
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-germ/
https://www.medhumchat.com/discussionguides/2020/7/15/kitty-omeara-in-the-time-of-pandemic
https://www.medhumchat.com/discussionguides/2020/7/15/kitty-omeara-in-the-time-of-pandemic
https://www.stresslesscountry.com/bring-butterflies-garden/
https://www.stresslesscountry.com/bring-butterflies-garden/
https://www.facebook.com/%E2%80%8Courlearninglab/posts/a-poem-explaining-cell-theory-by-a-7th-grader__________%E2%80%8Cshakespearean-sonnets-are/302855489846947/
https://www.facebook.com/%E2%80%8Courlearninglab/posts/a-poem-explaining-cell-theory-by-a-7th-grader__________%E2%80%8Cshakespearean-sonnets-are/302855489846947/
https://www.facebook.com/%E2%80%8Courlearninglab/posts/a-poem-explaining-cell-theory-by-a-7th-grader__________%E2%80%8Cshakespearean-sonnets-are/302855489846947/


Bintz 95 
 

   
 

Sidman, J. (2005). Song of the water boatman and other pond poems. Clarion Books. 
Sidman, J. (2010). Dark emperor and other poems of the night. Clarion Books. 
Sidman, J. (2014). Winter bees & other poems of the cold. Clarion Books. 
SilentFairyNat. (2011). White blood cells [Poem]. AllPoetry. https://allpoetry.com/poem/

7202472-WHite-blood-cells-by-SilentFairyNat 
Silverstein, S. (1981). A light in the attic. HarperCollins. 
Simon, S. (2006). The heart: All about our circulatory system. HarperCollins. 
Sis, P. (2016). The tree of life: Charles Darwin. Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. 
Smith. A. (2022). Allergies [Poem]. Funny Poems for Life. https://www.funnypoemsforlife.com/

poems/allergies  
Sunprincess. (2013). Mystical migration of the monarch butterflies [Poem]. Poem Hunter. 

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/mystical-migration-of-the-monarch-butterflies/ 
Swope, S. (2000). Gotta go! Gotta go! Square Fish. 
Tan, S. (2019). Cicada. Arthur A. Levine Books. 
Tweet, J. (2016). Grandmother fish: A child’s first book of evolution. Feiwel & Friends. 
Vilma. (2020). Untitled poem about COVID-19 [Poem]. Save the Children. https://www.savethe

children.org/us/charity-stories/childrens-poems-about-covid-19-and-lockdown 
Winter, J. (2016). My name is James Madison Hemings. Schwartz & Wade. 
Wilson, K. (2002). Bear snores on. Little Simon. 
Wing, C. (2005). Evolution song [Poem]. Poetry Magazine. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/

poetrymagazine/poems/43237/evolution-song- 
Wolf, A. (2003). The blood-hungry spleen and other poems about our parts. Candlewick. 
Wynne, P. J. (2017). My first book about the five senses. Dover Publications. 
Yost, J. (2013). Snakes! CreateSpace. 
 
Table 1: Additional Blended Genres in Life Science  

 Topic Picturebook Poetry 

Grade 
Band  
K–4 

Charles Darwin The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin (Sis, 2016) Darwin (Gunawardana, 2016) 

Charles Darwin When Darwin Sailed the Sea (Long, 2020) Charles Darwin (Monem, 2019) 

Charles Darwin One Beetle Too Many (Lasky, 2012) Forgiven (Milne, 1927) 

Evolution The Story of Life: A First Book About Evolution 
(Barr, 2015) Evolution (Scieszka, 2004) 

Evolution Grandmother Fish: A Child’s First Book of 
Evolution (Tweet, 2016) Evolution Song (Wing, 2005) 

Natural Selection Galapagos George (George, 2014) The Loneliest Creature (Lewis, 2007) 

Life Cycle The Life Cycle of an Emperor Penguin (Kalman, 
2006)C Dark Emperor (Sidman, 2010) 

https://allpoetry.com/poem/7202472-WHite-blood-cells-by-SilentFairyNat
https://allpoetry.com/poem/7202472-WHite-blood-cells-by-SilentFairyNat
https://www.funnypoemsforlife.com/poems/allergies
https://www.funnypoemsforlife.com/poems/allergies
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/mystical-migration-of-the-monarch-butterflies/
https://www.savethechildren.org/us/charity-stories/childrens-poems-about-covid-19-and-lockdown
https://www.savethechildren.org/us/charity-stories/childrens-poems-about-covid-19-and-lockdown
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/%E2%80%8Cpoetrymagazine/poems/43237/evolution-song-
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/%E2%80%8Cpoetrymagazine/poems/43237/evolution-song-


96 Georgia Journal of Literacy 47(1)  
 

   
 

Life Cycle The Ugly Butterfly: An Imaginative Story About 
the Life Cycle of a Caterpillar (Espinoza, 2021) Chrysalis Diary (Fleischman, 1988) 

Life Cycle Spring Peepers are Calling (Billings, 1978) Listen for Me (Sidman, 2005) 

Life Cycle Beavers (Gibbons, 2014) Under Ice (Sidman, 2014) 

Life Cycle Song of the Water Boatman and Other Poems 
(Sidman, J., 2005) Water Boatmen (Fleischman, 1988) 

Life Cycle Coral Reefs: A Journey Through an Aquatic 
World Full of Wonder (Chin, 2016) 

How Coral Reefs are Made from 
Tiny Animals (polyps) not Much 
Bigger than a Pinhead (Lewis, 2007) 

Grade 
Band 
5–8 

Life Cycle Cicada (Tan, 2019) Cicadas (Fleischman, 1988) 

Life Cycle The Emperor’s Egg (Jenkins, 1999) If I Were an Egg (Sidman, 2000) 

Life Cycle And the Bullfrogs Sing: A Life Cycle Begins 
(Harrison, 2020) Bullfrog (Lewis, 1998) 

Life Cycle The Tiny Seed (Carle, 2005) The Seed (Hopkins, 1999) 

Life Cycle The Peregrine’s Journey: A Story of Migration 
(Dunphy, 2008) Egg Business (Sidman, 2000)  

Snakes Snakes! (Yost, 2013) Snake’s Lullaby (Sidman, 2014) 

Seasons 
& Weather 

Why the Butterfly: Why do Seasons and 
Weather Change? (Recao, 2021) Life Like a Butterfly (Pulsifer, n.d.) 

Seasons 
& Weather 

The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's 
Wonder (Cassino, 2009) 

The Six-Cornered Snowflake (Nims, 
1990) 

Seasons 
& Weather 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Spring 
(Carle, 2022) First Burst of Spring (Lewis, 1998) 

Five Senses My Five Senses (Aliki, 2015) The Senseless Lab of Professor 
Revere (Scieszka, 2004) 

Five Senses My First Book About the Five Senses (Wynne, 
2017) Senses (Silverstein, 1981) 

Food Chain Dory Story (Pallotta, 2000) Food Chain (Scieszka, 2004) 

Food Chain Pass the Energy, Please! (McKinney, 2000) Food Chain (Scieszka, 2004) 

Food Chain Food Chain (Robertson, 2009) Food Chain (Scieszka, 2004)  

Metamorphosis Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian 
(Engle, 2010) 

Maria Sibylla Merian, January 1670 
(Ackerman, 2020) 

Metamorphosis Moth & Butterfly: Ta da! (Petty, 2021) Changes (Scieszka, 2004) 

Metamorphosis The Very Impatient Caterpillar (Burach, 2019) Conversation on a Leaf (Lewis, 
2005) 

Metamorphosis Waiting for Wings (Ehlert, 2001) Metamorphosis (AmberLynne, 2014) 

Metamorphosis Caterpillar’s Journey to Metamorphosis 
(Padmini, 2021) Changes (Scieszka, 2004) 

Metamorphosis Butterfly House (Bunting, 1999) Butterfly Metamorphosis (Mr. R’s, 
n.d.) 

Hibernation Bear Snores On (Wilson, 2002) Bubba Bear’s Cozy Hibernation 
Haven (Krutsinger, 2022) 

Migration Gotta Go! Gotta Go! (Swope, 2000) Mystical Migration of the Monarch 
Butterflies (Sunprincess, 2013) 



Bintz 97 
 

   
 

Human Heart Cardiology for Kids: A Fun Picture Book About 
the Cardiovascular System (Pham, 2022) 

You Can’t Beat Your Heart (Wolf, 
2003) 

Human DNA Rosalind Franklin (Senker, 2003) Rosalind Franklin (Mahtrow, 2006)  

Human DNA DNA is Here to Stay (Balkwill, 1993) DNA Test (n.d.) 

Human Cells Cell Wars (Balkwell, 1993) Cell theory (Reniscience Education, 
n.d.) 

Human Cells Cells are Us (Balkwell, 1990) Fifty Million Cells (Lewis, 2007) 

Human Bones The Bones You Own (Baines, 2009) Human Bones Poem (Mr. R’s, n.d.) 

Genes What a Family! (Isadora, 2006) My Genes (Hough, 2011). 

Chromosomes My Name is James Madison Hemings (Winter, 
2016) Chromosome poem (Lewis, 2007) 

Chromosomes Amazing Schemes Within Your Genes (Balkwill, 
1993) Chromosome Poem (Lewis, 2007) 

Human Bones Give Me Back My Bones! (Norman, 2019) Boneless (Wolf, 2003) 

Human Circulatory 
System The Circulatory Story (Corcoran, 2010) Shy Silent Rivers (Wolf, 2003) 

Human Lungs Lungs (Brown, 2022) Lungs (Wolf, 2003) 

Human Germs Under the Microscope: Earth’s Tiniest 
Inhabitants (Professor, 2024) 

Under the Microscope (Hopkins, 
1999) 

Human Germs Cell Wars (Balkwill, 1993) Germ (Nash, 1937) 

Germs Germs Make Me Sick! (Berger, 1985) Germ (Nash, 1937) 

Germs Operation Achoo! (Humowitz, 2020) Germ (Nash, 1937) 

Germs Body Battles (Gelman, 1992) White Blood Cells (SilentFairyNat, 
2011) 

Viruses A Little Spot Stays Home: A Story About Viruses 
and Safe Distancing (Alber, 2020) 

Untitled poem about COVID-19 
(Vilma, 2020) 

Parasites What’s Eating You? Parasites, the Inside Story 
(Davies, 2009) Mary had a… (Scieszka, 2004) 

Allergies The Sneezy Breeze (Loper, 2020) Allergies (Smith, 2022) 

Human Heart The Heart: All About Our Circulatory System 
(Simon, 2006) Heart to Heart (Dove, 2004) 

Human Body Human Body Book: Introduction to the 
Respiratory System (Professor, 2017) Respiratory Failure (Bagert, 2006)  

Viruses & 
Pandemics 

A Little Spot Stays Home: A Story About Viruses 
and Safe Distancing (Alber, 2020) 

In the time of Pandemic (O’Meara, 
2020) 

 
  
Received: August 16, 2024 | Accepted: October 21, 2024 | Published: May 20, 2025 


	Science & Literature
	Poetry
	Science
	Paired Text and Blended Genres
	Blended Genres and Instructional Strategies

	Life Science

	Final Thought
	References
	Picturebooks and Poetry Cited

