More Spice Than Sugar: Poems about Feisty Females

New poetry collections address femininity, family, pets and more. More Spice Than Sugar: Poems About Feisty Females, ed. by Lillian Morrison, illus. by Ann Boyajian, begins with Nikki Giovanni's life-affirming ""the drum"" and closes with William Collins's ""Captain Molly,"" who saved the day at the battle of Monmouth during the American Revolution. In between are tales of past heroines (Eloise Greenfield's ""Harriet Tubman""; Sojourner Truth's ""Ain't I a Woman?"") and words of inspiration (Marianne Moore's ""I May, I Might, I Must""; Alice Walker's ""Women""). Boyajian's drawings capture the strength and pioneering spirit of this stalwart cast. ( Feb.)