Birches

On the title page of this work is a rough silhouette of a farm; with this minute touch, Young expresses his affinity, and perhaps affection, for the poet's work and observations. Frost himself makes a dabbled appearance in watercolor in these pages, a white-haired man out strolling with his dog: ``So was I once myself a swinger of birches. / And so I dream of going back to be.'' Done in an impressionistic style, these paintingswith shadows darting like children among the birchesrepresent the recalled images of memory rather than concrete images of nature. This, too, seems a close representation of the poem's meaning. A final bittersweet spread reveals that the walker in the woods has gone on, leaving only tracks through the snow and his dog looking after him. Emotionally sound and visually arresting, Young's interpretation of Frost's work is one of unqualified beauty. Ages 6-10. (August)