Book Reviews
The Undefeatedby Kwame Alexander; illus. by Kadir NelsonPrimary, Intermediate, Middle School Versify/Houghton 40 pp. g4/19 978-1-328-78096-6 $17.99e-book ed. 978-0-358-05761-1 $12.99Alexander and Nelson honor the achievements, courage, and perseverance of ordinary black people as well as prominent black artists, athletes, and activists. The free-verse poem begins: “This is for the unforgettable. /...
Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arcby David ElliottHigh School Houghton 191 pp. g3/19 978-1-328-98759-4 $17.99e-book ed. 978-0-358-04915-9 $9.99In this verse novel, “voices” refers to Joan of Arc’s messages from the saints; to the various people who testified for and against her; to Joan herself; and to the objects...
April is National Poetry Month. These illustrated collections for primary and intermediate readers show the variety of forms poetry can take (hello, riddle-ku!) and topics it can cover — from melting snowmen to creativity-unlocking pencils and more. For more on poetry from The Horn Book, see the tags National Poetry...
Snowman − Cold = Puddle: Spring Equationsby Laura Purdie Salas; illus. by Micha ArcherPrimary Charlesbridge 32 pp.2/19 978-1-58089-798-3 $16.99e-book ed. 978-1-63289-643-8 $9.99This whimsical celebration of spring-time features a playful equation poem on every page. Take the titular “snowman – cold = puddle.” It’s a subtraction sentence — minus the usual...
Bulion, Leslie Leaf Litter CrittersGr. 4–6 56 pp. PeachtreeIllustrated by Robert Meganck. Nineteen poems (in various forms) accompanied by bright digital illustrations provide information both whimsical and scientific about inhabitants of the brown food web — the layer of leaves and soil where organic matter breaks down and plants grow....
The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog: And Other How-To Poemsselected by Paul B. Janeczko; illus. by Richard JonesPrimary Candlewick 48 pp. g3/19 978-0-7636-8168-5 $17.99The thirty-three poems in this “how-to” collection range from the whimsical, such as Monica Shannon’s “How to Tell Goblins from Elves,” to the very practical, such...
No More Poems!: A Book in Verse That Just Gets Worseby Rhett Miller; illus. by Dan SantatPrimary, Intermediate Tingley/Little, Brown 48 pp.3/19 978-0-316-41652-8 $17.99e-book ed. 978-0-316-41649-8 $9.99Miller, lead singer/songwriter of the alt-country band Old 97’s, knows how to grab an audience’s attention. This collection of twenty-three kid-pleasing poems opens with...
They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid’s Poemsby David BowlesMiddle School Cinco Puntos 109 pp. g9/18 978-1-947627-06-2 $18.95Paper ed. 978-1-947627-07-9 $12.95The dynamic complexity of the Rio Grande borderlands pulses in the poetry of twelve-year-old Güero — a nickname commonly given to light-skinned, freckled Mexican and Chicano boys. Inspired by the...
The Ghostly Carousel: Delightfully Frightful Poemsby Calef Brown; illus. by the authorPrimary Carolrhoda 32 pp.8/18 978-1-5124-2661-8 $17.99e-book ed. 978-1-5415-2468-2 $17.99Brown (Soup for Breakfast, rev. 3/09; Hypnotize a Tiger, rev. 3/15) gives his quirky, funny verse and art a spooky twist here with seventeen poems celebrating ghosts, witches, demons, and even...
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