Readers willing to pick and choose will find some gems, but there are a few rocks as well
Learning to read, wanting to read, daring to read—nearly every state of mastering the word is explored in VanDerwater’s collection of 23 poems.
Bookless? No worries. Cereal boxes, road signs, or even wildly decorated notebook paper can fill the bill for the greedy page gobbler. But if you happen to have a book…ahhhh, the sublime delight of reading under the covers way past dark (just like mom did) is unsurpassed. “She taught me how / a story leaps / like magic / from each page. / I’m sure my mom / read past her bedtime / under blankets / at my age.” However, in this inconsistent collection, the meter alternately flows, leaps, limps, and stutters. An achingly sweet poem about a child mourning her grandma while holding fast to the lessons learned in Charlotte’s Web is two back flips away from a pedestrian ode to hawks. “I am nestled on my couch / field guide perched upon my lap. / I am learning names of hawks / that own the never-ending sky.” O’Rourke’s illustrations are also uneven in quality. The oddly flat expression in “I Explore” vies with both the poignant father/daughter tableau in “Stories” and the comically imperious countenance of rodent Cleopatra in “Googling Guinea Pigs.” Overall, these poems lack the organic integrity and easy lyric harmony found in VanDerwater’s earlier books: Forest Has a Song, illustrated by Robbin Gourley (2013), and Every Day Birds, illustrated by Dylan Metrano (2016).
Readers willing to pick and choose will find some gems, but there are a few rocks as well . (Picture book/poetry. 5-10)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-59078-975-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Wordsong/Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
A collection well-suited to young boys of color as well as all young fans of hip-hop culture, who often long for...
What if Shel Silverstein grew up on hip-hop?
Children’s poetry meets hip-hop culture in this colorful collection anchored by street art and mixed with witty and empowering rhyme. Offering over 60 poems accompanied by graffiti-inspired illustrations from an international collective of artists, Cannon touches on all facets of youth culture in this comical assortment. He explains in an introductory note that, as a child, he found equal inspiration in Shel Silverstein and rappers, whom he identifies as “the storytellers of the street.” From there, he leads readers into poems such as “Graffiti Dreams,” in which he writes “Lost in my passion, I spray my heart away / I breathe graffiti and dream of a new day,” celebrating street art, which many hold as a key element of hip-hop culture along with the MC, DJ and B-boy. Sillier poems, such as “Halitosis” and “Funky Feet,” make clever reading opportunities out of the gross-out humor so popular with growing boys. Dedication poems such as “Mateo” and “A Champion Named Ikiaka” add a heartfelt touch. The standout “Weird Concrete” seeks to empower readers to overcome the obstacles of inner-city life.
A collection well-suited to young boys of color as well as all young fans of hip-hop culture, who often long for family-friendly content. (Poetry. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-72281-0
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
An unusually mixed bag.
The title of Viorst’s latest collection of poetry for children provides an open invitation for readers not only to ponder feelings in general, but to examine their reactions to the assembled poems as well.
Complemented by White’s free-flowing mixed-media illustrations, the light lyric pieces cover topics ranging from “School Stuff” to descriptions of the seasons, with the most memorable poems centering on personal and familial relations. The reasons “Why Cats Are Better Than My Older Sister” include (but are not limited to) the following: “They never tell you what to do. / They never ever yell at you. / They don’t think that they’re always right. / They’re prettier to look at, too.” In “New Brother,” trenchant free-verse anti–new-sibling sentiment is hilariously underscored by White’s rendering of a smiling, swaddled babe strapped to a rocket heading “To Mars.” But some stumbles make for an uneven reading experience. There are occasional grammatical lapses, as found in “Could Somebody Please Explain This to Me, Please?,” which hinges on subject-verb disagreement, and questionable messages, as offered in “Help Me!”: “Help me please with all my / Ninety-seven other chores. / Then help me make excuses / When you ask for help with yours.” Though likely made in the service of humor or adopting a child’s persona, such poetic choices might give adult readers less to be “glad” than “mad about.”
An unusually mixed bag. (Poetry. 6-10)Pub Date: Feb. 9, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-2355-7
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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