Marshmallow clouds: two poets at play among figures of speech

Featuring poems ranging from whimsical to reflective, this illustrated collection by poets Kooser--former U.S. Poet Laureate--and Wanek spans an array of topics drawn from the natural and human worlds, which here sometimes intersect in unexpected ways. Grouped into sections by elements--Fire, Water, Air, Earth--the free-verse poems showcase sundry activities, objects, wildlife, and more. "Fire," for example, includes meteor showers and summer heat ("I was the crimson crayon / melting in a sunny car, / the color of firecrackers and flags / and Mars"); "Water" spotlights boats, tadpoles, and reflective puddles. Others incorporate droll wordplay, like "Flyswatter" ("Fly's an active verb, present tense, / always present, always tense"), or humorously celebrate books as sandwiches ("Oh, sandwich delicious . . . / The folded pita of your covers, / a layer of mayo your table of contents"). Lovely, richly hued and textured paintings, a blend of evocative abstract and figural images, complement and reflect the poems' multifaceted sensibilities. Whether more esoteric or concretely imagistic, train-of-thought musings or deeper introspections, the poems exploring varied subjects and in an array of tones convey that, with imagination, inspiration can be found anywhere, a sentiment echoed in the authors' afterword, which also encourages readers to write their own poems. An overall intriguing, often thought-provoking addition to collections, one poetry aficionados will likely revisit to discover and appreciate new meanings and connections in the verses--and in the world around them.

Former poet laureate Kooser and poet Wanek give life to inanimate objects in this collection of poems structured around expressions and the elements. In sections organized by Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, an overturned boat appears to be "peering out at the meddlesome world," while a harp is "a great golden moth." Some metaphors are lighthearted ("Oh, sandwich delicious, my book!"); others acknowledge trauma ("the place in your chest/ where it clawed you like a badger"). Jones echoes the authorial duo's restraint, and the speaker's rural familiarity with owls, meteors, plows, and more; contrasting hues provide drama, as in scenes of a bleached moon in a dark winter sky, or a red shirt against a blue sofa. The poems evoke interior perception, reveal life through the poetic gaze, and give voice to "the soft singing that goes on and on." Ages 10--up. (Mar.)

Gr 4 Up--Ordinary moments sparkle with imagery, beauty, and wit in this illustrated collaboration between former U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser and noted poet Connie Wanek. The introductory poem, "A Disappointment," defines the rest of this collection, which is organized according to the four elements: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Jones opens the scene with a fox zooming off page, a snowy hill and bare trees behind it. The poem is on the right of this spread, and the speaker states seeing a winter tree "clowning around" on one leg. Jones's art, paint that is rendered digitally, is muted and whimsical, delicately nuanced to illustrate a dancing tree for those who want to see. Although the speaker's friend replies it is "all in my imagination," it's clear the disappointment is for those who wish to no longer imagine. The 27 poems that follow invite readers to examine the every day in another way: Meteor showers are cat's claws scraping the sky, tadpoles are lively punctuation marks, and harps are golden moths bursting with song. Each poem has a full spread with fanciful illustrations matching the capricious tone of the work. An afterword, with an extra poem by each author and an invitation to imagine, is included. An enjoyable choice for introducing poetry and literary devices for all ages. VERDICT A must purchase for all libraries.--Rachel Zuffa

In free-verse poems in sections named for the four elements, former U.S. Poet Laureate Kooser and fellow poet Wanek use realities in their speakers' surroundings as springboards to creative observations, from imagined personalities (a fire "is never full, never satisfied") and histories (a boat has "been waiting / all summer, and maybe for thousands of years") to simple appreciation ("People who live in cities / never get to accidentally step / in a cow pie"). The language is both evocative and playful: a speaker on a hot day is "boiled and salted / like a peanut...the meat / in a heat sandwich, the dog in a hot." Jones's full-bleed illustrations, rendered in paint and edited digitally, are striking even in their muted colors. In an afterword, Kooser and Wanek encourage readers to pay attention to their imaginations -- making this a perfect mentor text for students writing their own poems. Shoshana Flax March/April 2022 p.(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Free-verse meditations, mostly on rural and country subjects, with atmospheric illustrations. Mingling their unsigned entries, Kooser and Wanek use similar language and cadences to write of marshmallows on a blue plate ("They're partly cloudy!"), a harpist on a stage playing "a great golden moth," tadpoles as punctuation marks, a book as a sandwich with "a few words of mustard introducing / the chewy salami of history," and like transformations of familiar, or at least recognizable, sights. The tone is generally solemn, though glints of humor shine through--"One summer day I was boiled and salted / like a peanut. I was the meat / in a heat sandwich, the dog in a hot"--and the sensibility is so attuned to outdoors and country experiences that the one real miss here is a wry remark about city people never getting to step in a cow pie. (No, in cities it'll come from a dog.) In the accompanying paintings, Jones incorporates images from each poem into subdued landscapes or domestic settings…often to lovely effect, as in one scene of brown ponies amid birches on a snowy hillside and another of sinuous, nearly bare trees with intimately interwoven branches. A child on the cover has brown skin; the rest of the rare human figures either appear light-skinned or face away from the viewer. Imagination stretchers, likely to appeal most to introspective readers fond of finding unexpected pairings and connections. (dual afterwords) (Illustrated poetry. 10-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

*Starred Review* Featuring poems ranging from whimsical to reflective, this illustrated collection by poets Kooser—former U.S. Poet Laureate—and Wanek spans an array of topics drawn from the natural and human worlds, which here sometimes intersect in unexpected ways. Grouped into sections by elements—Fire, Water, Air, Earth—the free-verse poems showcase sundry activities, objects, wildlife, and more. "Fire," for example, includes meteor showers and summer heat ("I was the crimson crayon / melting in a sunny car, / the color of firecrackers and flags / and Mars"); "Water" spotlights boats, tadpoles, and reflective puddles. Others incorporate droll wordplay, like "Flyswatter" ("Fly's an active verb, present tense, / always present, always tense"), or humorously celebrate books as sandwiches ("Oh, sandwich delicious . . . / The folded pita of your covers, / a layer of mayo your table of contents"). Lovely, richly hued and textured paintings, a blend of evocative abstract and figural images, complement and reflect the poems' multifaceted sensibilities. Whether more esoteric or concretely imagistic, train-of-thought musings or deeper introspections, the poems exploring varied subjects and in an array of tones convey that, with imagination, inspiration can be found anywhere, a sentiment echoed in the authors' afterword, which also encourages readers to write their own poems. An overall intriguing, often thought-provoking addition to collections, one poetry aficionados will likely revisit to discover and appreciate new meanings and connections in the verses—and in the world around them. Grades 5-9. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.

Former poet laureate Kooser and poet Wanek give life to inanimate objects in this collection of poems structured around expressions and the elements. In sections organized by Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, an overturned boat appears to be "peering out at the meddlesome world," while a harp is "a great golden moth." Some metaphors are lighthearted ("Oh, sandwich delicious, my book!"); others acknowledge trauma ("the place in your chest/ where it clawed you like a badger"). Jones echoes the authorial duo's restraint, and the speaker's rural familiarity with owls, meteors, plows, and more; contrasting hues provide drama, as in scenes of a bleached moon in a dark winter sky, or a red shirt against a blue sofa. The poems evoke interior perception, reveal life through the poetic gaze, and give voice to "the soft singing that goes on and on." Ages 10–up. (Mar.)

Gr 4 Up—Ordinary moments sparkle with imagery, beauty, and wit in this illustrated collaboration between former U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser and noted poet Connie Wanek. The introductory poem, "A Disappointment," defines the rest of this collection, which is organized according to the four elements: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Jones opens the scene with a fox zooming off page, a snowy hill and bare trees behind it. The poem is on the right of this spread, and the speaker states seeing a winter tree "clowning around" on one leg. Jones's art, paint that is rendered digitally, is muted and whimsical, delicately nuanced to illustrate a dancing tree for those who want to see. Although the speaker's friend replies it is "all in my imagination," it's clear the disappointment is for those who wish to no longer imagine. The 27 poems that follow invite readers to examine the every day in another way: Meteor showers are cat's claws scraping the sky, tadpoles are lively punctuation marks, and harps are golden moths bursting with song. Each poem has a full spread with fanciful illustrations matching the capricious tone of the work. An afterword, with an extra poem by each author and an invitation to imagine, is included. An enjoyable choice for introducing poetry and literary devices for all ages. VERDICT A must purchase for all libraries.—Rachel Zuffa