My Song Is Beautiful

The 14 works in this outstanding multicultural anthology will introduce young readers to a generous range of artistic and literary styles. James Houston's transcription of an Eskimo chant, for example, is accompanied by Dale DeArmond's starkly effective black-and-white wood engraving of a child whose hands flutter and wave ``like the wings of a bird''; Mary Austin's translation of a Chippewa song is paired with Bernie Fuchs's batik-like oil painting of a child who dreams of being like the heroes ``of great deeds, of ancient days.'' What unifies this remarkable collection is Hoberman's ( A House Is a House for Me ) perceptive selection of works that focus on the ways in which all children possess traits that are distinctive to them as individuals and common to them as human beings. From the brilliant color of Ashley Bryan's abstract painting to the cheeky humor of Susan Meddaugh's cartoons, from the simplicity of Felice Holman's ``Who Am I?'' to Toni de Gerez's lyrical rendering of a Toltec poem that offers a song ``born in the house of butterflies,'' this eclectic and joyful volume underscores Hoberman's conviction that `` every you everywhere in the world is an I; / Every I in the world is a you! '' Ages 4-8. (May)