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POEMS IN BLACK AND WHITE

Name: POEMS IN BLACK AND WHITE
Author: Kate Miller
ISBN: 978-1-59078-412-9

by Kate Miller & illustrated by Kate Miller ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2007

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Miller pairs lovely images with monotypes in different hues, including inky black and cool white. Sometimes the titular theme examines the colors directly, celebrating in “First Steps” a new baby’s inked footprints and in the clever “Dog-eyed,” both a canine’s black-and-white eyesight and his Border Collie coat, which, “among his doggy friends / is just as grand as / Irish Setter red.” Other poems tease out the theme more obliquely: “Dandelion Dreams” contrasts the plant’s tenacious root with “her head . . . filled with / winged seeds—her fluffy cloud-white dreams. . . . ” Short lines beautifully integrate assonance and near rhyme in unselfconscious verse that plumbs the natural world and occasionally reflects on a child’s familial connections. Miller’s often exquisite exploitation of the monotype medium (as in illustrations for “King Crow” and “Comet”) falls short in pictures for “Dad’s Closet” and “Almost Perfect,” wherein a doctor’s coat, stethoscope and buttoned shirt, flatly depicted, lack the lush nuance found elsewhere. Worthwhile overall, with glimmers of brilliance; an artist to watch. (note on illustrations) (Poetry. 6-12)

Pub Date: March 1, 2007

ISBN: 978-1-59078-412-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Wordsong/Boyds Mills

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2007

Categories:

CHILDREN'S POETRY

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VISITING LANGSTON

by Willie Perdomo & illustrated by Bryan Collier ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2001

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A little girl is going with her daddy to visit the home of Langston Hughes. She too is a poet who writes about the loves of her life—her mommy and daddy, hip-hop, hopscotch, and double-dutch, but decidedly not kissing games. Langston is her inspiration because his poems make her “dreams run wild.” In simple, joyful verse Perdomo tells of this “Harlem girl” from “Harlem world” whose loving, supportive father tells her she is “Langston’s genius child.” The author’s own admiration for Hughes’s artistry and accomplishments is clearly felt in the voice of this glorious child. Langston’s spirit is a gentle presence throughout the description of his East 127th Street home and his method of composing his poetry sitting by the window. The presentation is stunning. Each section of the poem is part of a two-page spread. Text, in yellow, white, or black, is placed either within the illustrations or in large blocks of color along side them. The last page of text is a compilation of titles of Hughes’s poems printed in shades of gray in a myriad of fonts. Collier’s (Martin’s Big Words, 2001, etc.) brilliantly complex watercolor-and-collage illustrations provide the perfect visual complement to the work. From the glowing vitality of the little girl, to the vivid scenes of jazz-age Harlem, to the compelling portrait of Langston at work, to the reverential peak into Langston’s home, the viewer’s eye is constantly drawn to intriguing bits and pieces while never losing the sense of the whole. In this year of Langston Hughes’s centennial, this work does him great honor. (Poetry. 6-10)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-8050-6744-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2002

Categories:

CHILDREN'S POETRY | CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

- BOOK REVIEW
¡CLEMENTE!
by Willie Perdomo & illustrated by Bryan Collier

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POCKET POEMS

edited by Bobbi Katz & illustrated by Marylin Hafner ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2004

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With an eye toward easy memorization, Katz gathers over 50 short poems from the likes of Emily Dickinson, Valerie Worth, Jack Prelutsky, and Lewis Carroll, to such anonymous gems as “The Burp”—“Pardon me for being rude. / It was not me, it was my food. / It got so lonely down below, / it just popped up to say hello.” Katz includes five of her own verses, and promotes an evident newcomer, Emily George, with four entries. Hafner surrounds every selection with fine-lined cartoons, mostly of animals and children engaged in play, reading, or other familiar activities. Amid the ranks of similar collections, this shiny-faced newcomer may not stand out—but neither will it drift to the bottom of the class. (Picture book/poetry. 7-9)