Mirror Mirror by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Josee Masse

This is a book of reversible verse.  Poems that read both up and down.  Doing so tells both sides of a fairy tale.  Little Red Riding Hood’s poem becomes that of the wolf when reversed.  Sleeping Beauty and the Prince both envy the other.  Beauty and the Beast find true love from two different directions.  And many more. 

Singer’s verse reads effortlessly but she offers such incredible skill that it is awe inspiring.  After reading the first poem aloud to my son, we proceeded to read the book to my older son and my husband.  All of us were amazed by the ability to write a poem that reads forwards and backwards and demonstrates another side of the story.  I think that is the most vital piece of the poems, that they don’t just work forward and back but that they illuminate the other side as well.  They are truly reversible verses. 

She also injects a lot of humor in the poems, a wry attitude, a sly grin, making them a delight to read.  Masse’s art has a traditional feel, done on wood, that really suits the fairy tale subjects.  Her art too offers humor and deftly demonstrates both sides of the verse.

Use this with older students to get them trying their own reversible poems.  It will also be a welcome addition to any poetry unit, fairy tale reading, or just simple for fun.  An awesome display of skill and humor, this book is simply amazing.  Appropriate for ages 5-12.

Reviewed from copy received from Dutton.

Also reviewed by 7 Imp.

The Beatitudes: From Slavery to Civil Rights by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Tim Ladwig

Weatherford has taken Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and created a poem that follows African-American history from slavery through to the election of Barack Obama.  The poem affirms that God has been with people even in slavery, during the Civil War, during the civil rights movement, and continues to be with them now.  Readers will discover historical figures from various times in the book, including Rosa Parks, Emmett Till, Ruby Bridges and Martin Luther King, Jr.  There are a wealth of heroes here, all surrounded by the strength of faith.

Weatherford’s words are strong and ringing.  They both celebrate and mourn, moving ever onward to a brighter future.  The book shines with a beautiful combination of faith and history.  Ladwig’s illustrations add to that shine with strong people shown in moments of strength.  Many of his paintings have interesting perspectives that make the book even more lovely.

Highly recommended, this is a book that truly captures the strength of a people.  Appropriate for ages 6-10.

All Kinds of Families by Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Marc Boutavant

Bottle caps, gingersnaps, buttons, or rings

You can make families from all sorts of things!

Explore the idea of family as a broader thing.  People are families, animals are families, but also socks, marbles, thimbles and more!  The idea of family is embraced here, going far beyond our everyday concept of it and allowing children to find families everywhere.  In the book, the human families are also celebrated and children’s roles in them are highlighted.  This flowing poem even has you seeing families in fingers and toes.  A celebration indeed!

Hoberman’s rhyme here is great fun, offering lists of items that are families and inviting readers to add their own ideas.  The highlighted text above nicely finishes each verse of the poem.  Boutavant’s illustrations are retro 1970s and equally fun.  They feature grinning objects, lots of animals, and small details to enjoy. 

This is a jolly book that is a warm hug of inclusion for everyone and everything into the world of families.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

We Troubled the Waters by Ntozake Shange, illustrated by Rod Brown

It takes a very special picture book to leave you with tears standing in your eyes.  This is that book.

This book of poems takes readers from slavery through Jim Crow to the KKK and the battles of the Civil Rights Movement.  It is a visual and poetic trip through African-American history, a journey that evokes the emotions, the cruelty, the hate and the oppression.  It lifts only at the end speaking of modern life in America with a hopeful tone and a unity that sees beyond color.

Shange’s poems are powerful, unflinching looks at historical moments.  They celebrate victories while continuing to honor the slain and victimized of the past.  She writes with an honesty that elevates these poems beyond simple historical facts, creating emotional and honest portrayals of what people felt and experienced during those times. 

Brown’s art is equally powerful.  His portraits of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks speak to the people themselves and their message even more than their outward appearance.  They are beautifully rendered in deep colors, a tribute to the history and the people.

Highly recommended, this is a book that is ideal for February’s Black History Month but should be used all year long.  This is our history no matter our color.  It is a history we should all be aware of so that it never repeats itself.  Appropriate for ages 8-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by TheHappyNappyBookseller.

The Duck and the Kangaroo by Edward Lear, illustrated by Jane Wattenberg

Combine Lear’s classic poem with funky, modern collages and you get a winner of a picture book!  Duck is bored living in his pond.  He wishes that he could travel the world the way Kangaroo does so he asks Kangaroo to carry him on his back.  But Kangaroo has one major concern about the plan, Duck’s wet, cold feet would be awfully uncomfortable.  Duck has already solved this problem by getting knitted socks and a cape to keep himself warm.  So off they hop, the two friends around the world three times.

Lear’s poem would make a great pairing with his other more famous The Owl and the Pussycat.  This poem is silly, wild and rather surreal, which matches well with Wattenberg’s illustrations.  Her collages incorporate Lear’s own art and that of others, creating a cohesive and fascinating blend of old and new, all in vibrant color.  Duck’s wide-eyed view of the world enhances the humor of the poem, as do other small touches like the rainbow of knitted socks perfect for webbed feet.

A wild and funny book that will find a niche of eager readers looking for something joyous and surreal.  Just hop along with the story and you will find a real treasure of a friendship by the end.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers, illustrated by Christopher Myers

This father and son partnership has created a picture book that will work with a broad span of ages.   Walter Dean Myers’ poem explores everything that a person can be, all the various aspects of a person.  He focuses on what a person loves to do, relationships with others, and who that person really is.  It is an empowering message of both individuality and connections to others. 

The poetry in the book dances from one idea to the next with a jazzy rhythm and urban vibe.  Christopher Myers’ art is joyous, loose and loud.  The two work together to offer a book filled with rhythm and movement. 

This book is accessible enough to be used with children in elementary school, but may speak loudest to older children and teens who are asking themselves about their identity.  It begs to be used with students and reacted to in a personal way.  Appropriate for ages 7-14.

Reviewed from library copy.

African Acrostics: A Word in Edgeways by Avis Harley, photographs by Deborah Noyes

Acrostic poems are very popular, especially for children to write on their own.  But you haven’t seen anything like the acrostics in this book.  Harley creates acrostics that have words not only in their first letters but both the first and last letters.  She has one poem with five hidden words and others that use letters in patterns rather than the first letter.  But her real achievement is in making acrostics that are such good poetry that one forgets they are reading acrostics at all and just enjoys the flow and
rhythm of the poems. 

So many acrostics are stodgy and dull due to the constraints of the form.  Harley seemed to take that as a challenge to overcome.  She certainly did just that.  The book is very welcoming and children will relate immediately to the form of the poems.  Noyes photographs are clear and crisp, working well with the poems.  She took them primarily in Namibia and offers her perspective in a note at the end of the book.  The book also has information on acrostics, showing readers the more complicated forms that were used in the book.  There are also nature notes with more information on the animals in the book.

Pair children, animals and good poetry and you have a real winning book.  This book elevates a poetic form to new heights.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by The Miss Rumphius Effect and Becky’s Book Reviews.

Pumpkin Butterfly: Poems from the Other Side of Nature by Heidi Mordhorst, illustrated by Jenny Reynish

Celebrate the seasons with this collection of poems that capture the small moments of each time of year.  Applaud squirrels, feed a maple tree from your old lunchbox, create snow angels, sleep in a bed heaped with snowy blankets, listen for the whisper of falling petals, and groove to the jazz of a flower. 

Mordhorst captures the essence of each season and within each season she finds small details to linger over and enjoy.  Her poetry is clean and crisp, simple and friendly.  Reynish’s illustrations serve as a frame around the verses, setting them off to great effect.  They enhance and support the poems nicely with their simple lines.

A wonderful collection to read straight or to select poems to use in classrooms or with story times.  Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee

Scanlon’s evocative but simple poetry draws the world together, creating a universal place for us all to celebrate, live and enjoy.  The poem takes us to the beach, up into the branches of a tree, to dinner, to the silence of evening, and then to the bosom of our families.  Frazee’s illustrations are large spanning views of the ocean, expanses of silent evening, and the grandeur of a large tree on a hill.  But they are also small, detailed, glimpses of real life.  They show drooping swimsuits, spilled buckets, sandcastles, and red tomatoes. 

This play between the minutiae of life and the larger connections of us all makes this book work so well.  Both author and illustrator gracefully create a web of the world this book.  The text reads aloud, dancing on the tongue, with subtle rhymes and gentle rhythm.  The tone is gentle, simple and expansive.  It is nicely echoed in the illustrations which work so well with the words that one cannot imagine it being done with different art.

A wonderful collaboration between author and illustrator, this book is a triumph.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by GregLSBlog, Jama Rattigan, Through the Looking Glass, The Picnic Basket, Reading Rumpus, and Jumping the Candle.

The Longest Night by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by Ted Lewin

The longest night of the year is very cold, very still.  One of the creatures must bring back the sun.  The wind knows which creature that is.  Crow offers to fly up and bring back the sun.  Moose offers his strength to bring it back. Fox offers to sniff and search it out.  Chickadee though is the one who must bring back the sun.  But what in the world can Chickadee do?  She cannot fly high enough.  She is not strong.  She is not cunning.  But she can do what she does best.

A poem woven into a picture book, this book is exquisite.  Bauer’s poetry has a rhythm that is almost primal.  She plays with sounds, repeats refrains, and celebrates imagery.  Her poem is deep, thrumming with the energy of the forest.  It is quiet and powerful.  But most of all it is for children but without any pretense.

Lewin’s illustrations match Bauer’s poem so well.  His illustrations explore the dark, the deep, the mysterious.  They linger in blues, blacks and moonlight.  Somehow he has captured that majestic blue of a moonlit night that is so deep and so unlike day.  When the sun returns at the end of the book, one almost shields their eyes from the brightness.  His illustrations are just as evocative as the poem, just as shining, just as powerful.

Highly recommended, this book belongs in every library.  It will work for many units from poetry to winter to moon or sun.  Share this.  It is a pleasure to read aloud such wonderful writing.  Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from library copy.