“She likes chess, and I like sports, / she likes jeans, and I like shorts, / but on two things we do agree, / both of us like her / and me.” Opening with a bout of brotherly “Wrestling” that ends when “he lets me win,” closing with “Three On A Plane” playing word games and guessing at cloud shapes before drifting off to sleep together, and in between avowing affection for new or little siblings, firm friendships and strong family ties, Greenfield’s 24 new poems accentuate the positive in sibling relationships. Reflecting the poetry’s upbeat tone and simply expressed emotions, Gilchrist’s African-American children and adults pose close to each other in sketchy settings, generally bearing happy or loving expressions—or, at worst, a mild pout. A feel-good collection, equally suited to reading alone or aloud, but it won’t provide the nuance children prickled by those close relationships often need. (Poetry. 6-8)
