IF THE EARTH WERE A FEW FEET IN DIAMETER

Miller’s 1975 poem, a prosaic nine-sentence proposal that our planet would get more appreciation and respect if it were small enough to see all at once, is elaborated with wooden, unevenly executed illustrations, and running sidebars by Vinciguerra of random general facts. McLean interprets Miller’s vision literally, placing a haystack-sized Earth into an open, rural landscape; although he depicts surrounding plants and animals with detailed modeling and precisely applied colors, any feeling of motion is stately at best and the Earth appears flat, with only vaguely visible features. It becomes part of a dubious proposition, in flashy but superficial dress. (Picture book. 6-8)