Shadow Dance

This varied collection of poems for children of all ages are about the night. Contributors include R.L.Stevenson and Walter de la Mare, and modern poets such as Charles Causley, Mike Harding, Ted Hughes and Jack Prelutsky. Rumble has also published "Is a Caterpillar Ticklish ?".

Grade 3 Up Serious, funny, dreamy, and spooky poems86 of themwhich detail different aspects and experiences of the night. Many familiar poets (Farjeon, de la Mare, Roethke, and Jarrell) are represented, as are lesser-known poets. While some of the poems have been anthologized, many were originally published in England and will be unfamiliar to American readers. Two poems, apparently by relatives of the selector, might be forgiven their lack of skill if the poet's ages were included. The editor's own poem which introduces the collection is less than inspiring and, while many of the poems are universal, of the first five poems, three have very British references and words which might serve to alienate children on this side of the Atlantic. One offensive poem presents American Indians as a form of bogeymen. While the book is well organized thematically, the collection is thrown off balance by a disproportionate emphasis on the horrors of the night, which is a topic well represented elsewhere. The book does not duplicate the offerings of Hill's Dusk to Dawn (Crowell, 1981; o.p.) and Larrick's When the Dark Comes Dancing (Philomel, 1983), and it hits an age level between the two. These others are, however, consistently better in mood and quality. The pen-and-ink illustrations reflect a variety of moods and styles, but the overall quality is not outstanding. The flaws tend to overshadow the good points. Annette Curtis Klause, Montgomery County Department of Public Libraries, Md.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.