Whimsical poems will inspire readers to play with their fruits and vegetables.
A collection of lively poems celebrate edible delights from the farmers market.
Fruits and vegetables are not just food, but muses for poet and author Latham and illustrator Moriuchi. Written mostly in free verse, clever poems show farmers market produce in a new light. Cucumbers become larger than life: “a fleet / of green / submarines / in a wicker / sea.” Thoughts about corn echo a child’s curiosity: “I don’t know / why / they call it / an ear / when / I see / rows / upon rows / of tiny / noses.” In addition to viewing their subjects as submersibles or facial features, poems evoke the touch, taste, and smell of items such as honey, watermelon, and even an onion: “Remove / its hairy / roots, / peel its / old-man / skin. / Taste / where / it’s been.” Moriuchi’s colorful collages pair perfectly with Latham’s poems. Her illustrations depict animals in delightful situations: a rabbit carries a lettuce umbrella, and mice fence with fuzzy okra swords. This poetry collection will inspire readers to rush to the farmers market to compare Latham’s images with their real-life counterparts. Kid-friendly recipes are also included at the end of the book.
Whimsical poems will inspire readers to play with their fruits and vegetables. (Picture book/poetry. 3-8)Pub Date: March 8, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-62979-103-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Wordsong/Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A contemplative, visually dazzling masterpiece that will resonate even more deeply each time it is read.
A picture-book adaptation of a work by former U.S. Poet Laureate Harjo, illustrated by Caldecott medalist Goade.
As Harjo, a member of the Mvskoke Nation, entreats readers to look back on their ancestors and the stories that have been passed from generation to generation, Goade draws from her Tlingit culture, depicting first the trickster Raven, who brought light to the world (“Remember the sun’s birth at dawn”), then a young Tlingit girl. The sonorous text prompts the child to remember her birth, the parents who gave her life, “the earth whose skin you are,” “the plants, trees, / animal life who all have their tribes, their families, their histories, too.” Infused with rich hues and energy, Goade’s lavish gouache, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations dance alongside Harjo’s poetry like a musical score. “Remember all is in motion, / is growing, is you.” Dreamlike images of soaring birds, swirling sea creatures, and swift-moving animals travel through a magical world of memories. Children will take comfort in the words of strength about nature and the universe; adults should use this book to spark dialogue about the natural world and family stories: “Remember the wind. / Remember her voice. / She knows the origin of this universe.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A contemplative, visually dazzling masterpiece that will resonate even more deeply each time it is read. (author’s and illustrator’s notes) (Picture book/poetry. 4-8)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-48484-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
Just lovely.
A pretty pair of ideas makes a very nice read-aloud: Tiny snippets of Shakespeare form the text for an illustrated almanac.
Whitt creates fastidiously detailed cut-and-paste, origami and collage images to complement the Bard's words. The book opens with “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” Readers see children on the beach flying kites and building sandcastles, watched by a woman with a book. The beachscape is visually anchored by the head of a woman with long hair, hinting that this may be a memory. The Winter’s Tale’s “mints, savory, marjoram; / The marigold” finds three little girls amid the flowers and green. “Earth’s increase” from The Tempest is a bounty of pumpkins and veggies; “bareness everywhere” comes after a Christmas scene. “The purest spring is not so free from mud” depicts mud-luscious splashing and a pair of yellow boots framing a single crocus. In spring, there is a wedding—“Sweet lovers love the spring,” from As You Like It. A final double-page spread flows from a proposal to a pregnancy to children to teens to an elder couple through the seasons: crocus to primroses to autumn leaves to snow and back to crocuses again. The longest quote is eight lines but most are four or less, and read aloud with the images, they are easily accessible even to very young children.
Just lovely. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-935703-57-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Downtown Bookworks
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2012
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