POEMS FOR MOTHERS

In time for Mother's Day, eleven new poems plus nine that have appeared before but have not been widely anthologized, from new voices as well as familiar favorites like Worth, Clifton, Holman, and Bodecker. More ""about"" than ""for,"" these vignettes center on warm encounters and sensory remembrances--""my natural mama/is gingerbread,/brown and spicy sweet""; a mother who stays up late reading poetry; getting used to a stepparent: ""we both get mad/and have to settle things/with Dad."" Sources and tone are well varied; the verse is accessible and of good quality. Ray's softly tinted drawings capture the loving bond with just the right touch of humor.