Gr 5-7–These books provide clear, concise introductions to “accessible poetry.” They open with histories of their genres–for example, Concrete Poetry explains that the form began with ancient Greek poets. The representative poems are not child-friendly; one is by the 17th-century poet George Herbert and some are in other languages and not translated. The books also discuss composition mechanics and reader reactions and provide numerous examples. In Haiku, Bodden notes that the poetry evokes a sensory experience and offers this well-chosen quote: “Snow-silenced trees/shake heavy limbs–/a wet plop.” Each book has an attractive design, with plenty of white space and lovely, though unidentified, illustrations. A few black-and-white (or color tinted) photographs are scattered throughout the series; they are less successfully matched to the text. One glaring misfire in Haiku depicts people sorting through packets of mail; it accompanies a text that describes haiku’s growing popularity in Europe and America, but the connection between text and photo remains unclear. Each book includes a few simple activities. These simple introductions can be paired with collections of poetry and nursery rhymes.
