Ballad of Harp-Weaver

In Millay's disturbing poem, an unseen, adult narrator tells of his harsh childhood and how his widowed mother tried to stay cheerful for her son's sake. The two live in a bare room in the midst of a busy town, and the mother bemoans the fact that the boy has no suitable clothing. But as time passes, they suffer through a severe winter--and slowly starve. Their last possession is a ``harp with a woman's head / Nobody would take, / For song or pity's sake.'' On Christmas Eve, the boy sees his mother weaving magnificent, child-size clothing in the harp strings. But in the morning light he finds her, ``A smile about her lips, / And a light about her head, / And her hands in the harp strings / Frozen dead.'' The poem is an odd choice as the basis of a children's book, ending as it does with every child's worst fear. (A note by the poet's executor presents the verse as Millay's tribute to her own mother.) Peck's ( The Silver Whistle ) oil paintings present a pretty picture of poverty: the faun-like child has roses in his cheeks and a neat haircut throughout (though his mother lacks shears). It's difficult to imagine where this book will find an audience. Ages 5-up. (Oct.)