by Jane Yolen
Illustrations by Cathrin Peterslund
Philomel
an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
2024
208 pages
ISBN: 9780593622513
From beloved author Jane Yolen comes In and Out the Window, a treasure of middle grade poetry sure to make readers want to share her poems and write ones of their own.
In "Hook in the Water," Yolen writes, "Each poem a hook/flouting in the tide./ An invitation/to open wide..." Poems featured in the book are about school, after school, hobbies, friendship, the seasons, sports, pets and all the things important to kids ages eight to thirteen. In "Crayons: A Rainbow Poem," the poet says, "This box contains the wash of blue sky/spikes of green spring,/ a circle of yellow sun,/triangle flames of orange and red," capturing all the crayon colors in the box.
"Winter Prayer" features this beautiful personification of, "Nature, in her grace, falls white/upon the rock's shoulder..." The book opens with "Why to Write a Poem" which is my personal favorite as a poet/reader/lover of poetry. Yolen says, "To sing up the sunshine/To bargain the moon,/ To follow the rainbow..." answering her own title's question.
Complete with an index that makes it easy for children to find their favorite poems easily, this book of poetry will be read again and again. A must-have for every poetry collection, libraries should multiple copies as it will be widely checked out.
The book would be a great introduction to any poetry unit regardless of grade levels. The poems are easy enough for ages eight to thirteen, yet also an asset for high school age students to learn the basics of poetry.
Highly, highly recommended for all poets.
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