The Magic Pocket: Selected Poems

In this companion volume to The Animals: Selected Poems, the Japanese and English versions of each of the 14 poems here appear on opposing pages, once again forming handsomely designed, unified spreads. However, the strengths of the earlier book--Mado's unexpected imagery, the spare restraint and elegance of the poems, the book's exquisite woodcuts--are lacking in this new volume. The subjects are playful and child-oriented, but many of the poems are written as if the poet were transcribing a toddler's conversation. In ""Let's Play Together,"" for example, the two stanzas repeat, using first an elephant and then a bear: ""Wouldn't it be nice/ If a baby elephant/ Came to my house,/ Saying, `Let's play together.'/ Wouldn't it be nice,/ Mommy?"" Another poem introduces day and night by saying ""Good morning, good morning!/ The day breaks./ Daddy's up,/ Mommy's up,/ Brother's up,/ Sister's up,/ Baby's up./ Everyone's up./ Good morning, Sun!"" then greets the night in reverse order, ending with ""Good night, Moon!"" A few poems deliver surprises by way of fresh metaphors or perspectives: a child is urged to climb to the top of the jungle gym and ""Touch with your cheeks/ The chilly sky above""; an umbrella is ""the world's/ Most chattering flower,/ Chattering now with hail,/ Chattering now with rain,"" accompanied by whimsical paper-collage images of inverted tulip parasols alongside the upright flowers. But despite Anno's softly transparent artwork and some perceptive moments in the poetry, this collection doesn't match the ingenuity of its predecessor. All ages. (Nov.)