A Meal of the Stars: Poems Up and Down

Theme mirrors structure in Jensen’s book of verse, composed of poems printed vertically, one word per line, that read from top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top. Children peer down from Ferris wheel cars (“as/ the/ Ferris/ wheel/ stops/ at/ its/ highest/ point/ we/ gaze/ down/ upon/ the/ moving/ sounds/ and/ colors/ of/ this/ carnival/ world”), and in another scene, in which the poem starts at the bottom, a child holds tightly to the tail of a kite. “if/ wind/ is/ right/ and/ string/ is tight/ a/ paper/ kite/ in/ spring/ will/ soar/ above/ leafing/ trees/ to/ loop/ and/ dance/ with/ birds/ and/ clouds/ in/ blue/ skies/ far/ away.” Words and pictures pull readers along in a visceral reading experience. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)