NEW YEAR'S POEMS

by Myra Cohn--Ed. Livingston ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 15, 1987

A worthy addition to Livingston's holiday anthology series, with elegantly expressive illustrations. The titles show the diversity of subjects: ""First January Walk,"" ""Oh Calendar!"" ""Midnight,"" ""Watching the New Year's Eve Party Through the Staircase,"" ""Promises"" and ""Chinese New Year."" And the poems, most commissioned especially for this volume, show its classiness: by David McCord, Jane Yolen, a deft performance by Valerie Worth, as well as Tennyson (""Ring Out, Wild Bells""). X.J. Kennedy's ""New Year's Advice From My Cornish Grandmother"" is lovely: ""On New Year's Eve, at your front door/Set out a silver pin/To fetch inside on New Year's morn/That riches may flow in."" So is Livingston's contribution, ""New Year's Eve: Opelousas, Louisiana"": ""Every one on Franklin Street/be up late,/popping popcorn on the stove,/sitting round to wait. . ."" Though several of the poems are less than first-rate, the illustrations are of unfailingly high quality in browns, blues, blacks, umbers and grays (though why not have a child instead of a pubescent girl kissing the chimney sweep for good luck?); they show a New Year that is as somber as it joyful. Fine for holiday, poetry, and picture-book collections.

Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Holiday House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1987

Categories: POETRY