Questions: Poems (I Can Read, Level 3)

A collection of poems that ask questions, by such authors as Aileen Fisher, Lee Bennett Hopkins, Eve Merriam, and Margaret Wise Brown

Grade 1-3 --Felice Holman, Margaret Wise Brown, Eve Merriam, Karla Kuskin, Judith Viorst, Aileen Fisher, and Hopkins himself are among the poets represented in this collection. There are a few familiar poems such as Christina Rossetti's "Who Has Seen the Wind?" but many are less well known, and most will be new to young children. It is slightly disconcerting to find that while one poem is attributed to anonymous, two others are attributed to Mother Goose although they are not part of that mythical lady's traditional oeuvre. The simple words are appropriate for first and second graders, with the occasional stretch, and the subjects are perfectly within their range of understanding. There are moments of delight, exploration, insight, and humor. The illustrations employ gentle pencil lines softened with shading and filled with luminous color. They are bold and uncluttered, and decorate almost every page in various ways, sometimes surrounding the text to create an overall pleasing design. These pictures complement the moods of the poems, show multicultural characters with expressive faces, and are alive with movement. This collection is much more varied in rhythm and mood than the pleasing, yet repetitious, selections in Prelutsky's read-aloud poetry books. It's a fitting volume to sit beside Hopkins's Surprises (1984) and More Surprises (1987, both HarperCollins). --Annette Curtis Klause, Montgomery County Dept . of Public Libraries, MD
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