SHAPE ME A RHYME

Indefatigable author Yolen and her photographer son make another foray in an extremely engaging series. These titles are beautifully designed, displaying eye-catching photography and inventive use of typography and placement. All of these poems rhyme except for one haiku, and while the photographs are all from the natural world, the shapes are sometimes presented in unorthodox ways. “Square” explains itself fully: “A shadow square / Upon a frond / Resides beside / A quiet pond. / Since nature rarely / Seeds a square, / We must make do / With what is there.” Each double-page spread holds the photographic image, the poem, a matte cut-out of the shape and a few words that are synonyms or close in meaning. A pale photograph of the crescent moon floats opposite the azure shape of itself: The words are “sickle . . . semicircle . . . lunate” and the poem ends, “Your shape, like the side / Of a copper cent, / Out of pocket but / Not yet spent.” Very enjoyable, and allows for much exploration. (Poetry. 6-9)