AMERICA, MY NEW HOME

Jamaica-born Gunning turns from her previous offerings of Caribbean poems to these free-verse and rhyming poems about the immigrant experience. They are told from the point of view of a young girl, who, after arriving in a large city, pronounces, “I’m one more unknown face.” Referencing New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., she finds that neon lights, hustle and bustle and strangers replace moonlight, a slow pace and a friendly greeting. Her loneliness and fear turn to wonder when she experiences her first symphony, cathedral, library, circus, museum and snowfall. Complemented by colorful chalk-and-oil pastels, the poems speak to anyone new to this country, or, as in “Alone at Night,” in which the girl must stay home alone while her mother goes to school at night, to children who have ever felt afraid or helpless. They also offer hope and show that change is okay and even welcomed. An attractive, thoughtful addition to poetry collections. (Poetry. 8-12)