FLASHLIGHT: And Other Poems

by Judith Thurman ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 15, 1976

Twenty-five modestly inventive changes on everyday objects (balloons, flashlights, skinned knees) and small pleasures such as ""Going Barefoot,"" ""Pretending to Sleep"" and starting a ""New Notebook."" Thurman's unexpected word choices (""rainbows"" as a verb), her playful rhymes, and her striking images (""a flock of sparrows--/ a handful of small change/ spilled suddenly/ from the cloud's pocket"") demonstrate a level of craftsmanship not often found in this sort of slight verse for children. She's most comfortable in a quiet, noticing mood--even playing in the closet and going through a tunnel sidestep any scary feelings. But after the ordinary, often dreary observations of the likes of Myra Cohn Livingston and Karla Kuskin, one is cheered by the freshness of ""morning/ grazing like a zebra/ outside my window"" and the imaginative leap of ""Campfire"" (""We eat and sing/ and feed twigs to the fire:/ bones it begs for,/ leaping to lick our fingers""). Gratifying.

Pub Date: March 15, 1976

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1976

Categories: NONFICTION