Twenty-three short poems celebrating family, animals, flowers, and music, many of them alluding to a tropical island setting. The joyous pictures, built of simple shapes combined like stained glass in panels swirling with brilliant color, are splendid. Bryan's poetic voice is standard English, enriched with colloquial and island diction ("Vine Leaves": "...A morning assembly/Of vine leaves/Boogies on down/The upright/Uptight/Trellis"). There are some poignant moments here, and some intriguing thoughts, but these poems are most notable for their rhythmic, musical language--and as a foil for the lyrically decorative art. (Poetry/Picture book. 8+)
