New Year's Poems

This diverse and engaging colleciton of poems for the New Year is a companion to Livingston's other holiday collections. A wide range of poetry with a variety of rhythms and tones comprehensively includes ""Ring Out, Wild Bells'' by Tennyson, as well as a space age tribute to time travel, ``The New Year's Journey'' by John Ridland. New Year's traditions and customs from India, Cornwall and China are mingled with poems with a distinct native flavor, such as Julia Field's ``The Bell Hill'' and Livingston's own tribute to New Year's Eve in Opelousas, La. Some of the poems are annotated with explanations of regional customs such as the Cornish belief that placing silver on the doorstep overnight will bring riches. Tomes' three-color illustrations are as spare and elegant as winter itself. An assortment of characters with wind-nipped noses tread under dark December skies while others, warmed by the glow of fire and company, frolic in holiday revelry. The occasional spirit or specter, the passing year or Father Time, will entice young people into joining the poetic festivities. Ages 5-8. (October)