San José and Johnson (both formerly on the editorial staff of Highlights for Children) have organized an anthology of traditional rhymes, lesser-known verses and nicely crafted child-authored poems. The selections offer “a path” to interpreting the world through Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, so the readers’ experiences are filtered through their own senses as influenced by the nuance of language, visual imagery and the sounds of a vibrant world. While the poems themselves may be obscure, some of the poets will be familiar; Eileen Spinelli, Lucille Clifton, Margaret Hillert, Joy Cowley, John Ciardi and even D.H. Lawrence share these pages. Hall’s eclectic artwork, in a combination of media and styles ranging from cartoon to abstract to folk, reflects the individual mood and theme for each poem. For example, a whimsical scene of floating earthly characters sits below “I Am the Earth,” a poem by a seven-year-old, while a simple, striking collage illustrates “Cradle Song of the Elephants,” by Adriano del Valle. A versatile collection to encourage creativity and multiple learning strategies. (Poetry. 6-10)
