Walt Whitman

In this tribute to the great American poet, a segmented biography framed by sepia-toned reproductions of period photos and engravings alternates with selections from Whitman's writing. Manipulated photos of leaves and plenty of white space, for example, surround verse from Leaves of Grass , most quite brief, and several prose passages. The selections roughly parallel the biography: ``There Was a Child Went Forth,'' for example, follows the paragraph on his childhood. Other oft-quoted pieces, such as ``When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer,'' also appear. But any reader familiar with Whitman will find much omitted. Length may be only one reason. As the author says, Whitman's ``frank celebration of sensuality shocked many of his contemporaries,'' and she does not include any of his more earthy passages, perhaps not wanting to shock her own readers. The book's sophisticated appearance is not matched by its content. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)