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WET CEMENT

Name: WET CEMENT
Author: Bob Raczka
ISBN: 978-1-62672-236-1

A MIX OF CONCRETE POEMS

by Bob Raczka ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 8, 2016

Kids will want to wade deeply into this marvelous, winning mix-up.

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Readers may never look at concrete, or shaped, poetry in the same way again.

Of course the words on the pages convey the outline of objects and ideas in Raczka’s stunningly inventive new collection of “word paintings,” but so do letter arrangements and shapes in the poem’s titles. See, for example, “DIPPER,” set against a black two-page spread, with the second P in the title soaring aloft, cup-shaped, at the top of the page, while the shape of the poem itself resembles Ursa Major. The letters in the title “eracer” appear with a partially obliterated c, while the poem includes a pencil-shaped line whose eraser-tip “end” is about to wipe out a “misstake”! And so goes each delightful, child-friendly poem and creative title. Readers will enjoy turning the volume upside down and every which way to catch every word and nuance and won’t miss illustrations a bit. As Raczka points out, “In the poems…I’ve created pictures with words.” Youngsters will be inspired to put their own writing implements to paper voluntarily. Indeed, the author’s final effort is entitled “poeTRY.” Teachers might wish to challenge students to devise cleverly lettered titles, then exchange papers with partners who will follow through with themed poems.

Kids will want to wade deeply into this marvelous, winning mix-up. (Poetry. 8-12)

Pub Date: March 8, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-62672-236-1

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S POETRY

- BOOK REVIEW
THE POWER OF SNOW
by Bob Raczka ; illustrated by Bryony Clarkson

- BOOK REVIEW
YOU ARE A STORY
by Bob Raczka ; illustrated by Kristen Howdeshell & Kevin Howdeshell

- BOOK REVIEW
THE POET OF PINEY WOODS
by Bob Raczka ; illustrated by Kristen Howdeshell & Kevin Howdeshell

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LET

A POEM ABOUT WONDER AND POSSIBILITY

by Kei Miller ; illustrated by Diana Ejaita ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 22, 2023

Vivid visuals for a strong, if gnomically put, proposition.

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Silhouettes and bold colors swirl in illustrations paired to a short meditation on the first word spoken in the Book of Genesis.

“Suppose,” writes poet Miller, “there was a book full only of the word, let,” giving existence to all things “fir and firmament.” Might we not find a “Let” just for each of us, that we could say and repeat “until even silent dreams had been allowed”? Younger or less reflective audiences may find the author’s trains of thought about speaking “in auto-rhyme” and “stumbl[ing] through the streets with open books / eyes crossed from too much reading” hard to unpack. But Ejaita offers accompanying scenes that will have an immediate impact on every viewer, as human and animal silhouettes join tree and other plant shapes, flowing lines of water, and sprays of stars in a dazzling and increasingly crowded dance culminating in a flurry of birds freed to fly, like the creative impulse, anywhere in our minds or world. It’s a liberating invitation, though children may respond more strongly to similar but less abstract calls in the likes of Juan Felipe Hererra’s Imagine (2018), illustrated by Lauren Castillo, Raúl Colón’s Imagine! (2018), or Tom Burlison’s Imagine That! (2020), illustrated by Sara Sanchez. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Vivid visuals for a strong, if gnomically put, proposition. (Picture book. 8-10)

Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2023

ISBN: 9781951836450

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Cameron Kids

Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S POETRY

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HUMMINGBIRD SEASON

by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 13, 2024

Brilliant.

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A California boy chronicles the long, difficult Covid-19 lockdown in verses that explore his confused emotions.

On the day “that started everything” and that “was also a day that ended everything,” Archie’s life is turned upside down. School is abruptly closed, his parents must work from home, and big brother Hank is ever more difficult. Archie’s asthma puts him at risk, causing his parents to take ever-greater precautions. All this, plus attending “(not real) school at home,” makes him feel more and more isolated, unseen, and muted. He has outbursts of anger and despair: “…even though we’re together / stuck inside the house / we’re not really together-together.” Archie’s imagination is captured when he hears a brief buzzing sound, senses something whipping past, and witnesses “the smallest bird ever,” and he soon finds a new purpose. With help from his family, he carefully provides nectar for his “hummingbird restaurant” and becomes especially attached to Ruby, a hummingbird with red patches, as he watches for and worries about her, especially when a wildfire rages. Some poems are lists or consist of a few lines; others flow breathlessly, offering detailed accounts of events, beautiful descriptions, or information about hummingbirds. Archie often repeats important words, phrases, or concepts in a rhythmic way that emphasizes his escalating emotions. He’s intensely loving, deeply compassionate, insightful, inventive, and expressive. Readers will gasp in wonder and empathy, cry and sometimes laugh, cheer at the upbeat conclusion, and feel every emotion that’s so powerfully expressed.

Brilliant. (author’s note) (Verse fiction. 8-12)