AT THE HEIGHT OF THE MOON

The poetry of bedtime in words and images.

Divided into six sections that examine various aspects of sleep (“Dreamland,” “Mind Ablaze,” and “Creepy Crawlies and Things That Go Bump in the Night,” for instance), this anthology pairs a variety of topical poems with a curated group of famous paintings meant to capture the moods expressed by the poets. It’s an exciting idea, especially as poetry is often incorrectly perceived as serious and intimidating. Sadly, though, the result of this curation is a Eurocentric period piece that reinforces more stereotypes about poetry than it dismantles. Practically every artist represented is White (Utagawa Hiroshige, represented by two works, is a lonely exception), and every human face depicted, except those in Karl Friedrcih Christian Welsch’s Crossing the Desert at Sunset, is White. There is equally scant diversity among the poets. Children should be exposed to poetry and artwork, but when every major museum in the free world is engaged in conversations about equality, representation, and inclusivity, this book isn’t going to open any doors or advance any conversations. This is a title destined to collect dust in a gift shop—not to engage readers looking to learn more about art and its various forms of expression. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Put it back to bed, it’s underslept.