I’d Like to Be the Window for a Wise Old Dog

Beginning with assonant three-line phrases that start “I’d like to be...,” euphonious prose builds to experiential wishes. Varying between the strictly naturalistic (“Oh, I’d like to be/ the raindrop/ falling on a turtle shell”) and the seemingly fanciful (“I’d like to be/ the welcoming umbrella/ of an elephant”), the whimsical lines feature myriad creatures, including penguins, snails, a walrus, and a wren. The speaker frequently expresses chimerical wishes, using atypical descriptions of animal-centered sounds, homes, or movement (“Will I ever be/ the tumble of a honeybee?// Will I ever be/ the bumble...// ...of a whale?”), and that verbal playfulness extends visually to depictions throughout, including one of a walrus in a rainbow-colored winter cap. The eponymous sentiment that closes gestures toward a timeless and universal hope for being “joyful and free,” embodying the depth of the book’s expressive aesthetic. Ages 3–7. (Apr.)