In the Middle of the Night: Poems from a Wide-Awake House

Toys and inanimate objects throughout a house come to life as a child slumbers. An overdue library book sneaks from hiding place to hiding place: “I’m not in your backpack./ Or under your bed./ And you HAVE to find me—/ Ms. Teabottom said!” In the kitchen, a basketball cools off in the sink: “I/ pounded/ floor/ My/ head/ is/ sore/ I sleep in ice/ Ahhhhh/ This... feels... nice.” Outside the house, the garden hose reshapes itself in the grass: “I’m a hoop. I’m a loop. I unwind and flow./ I’m a serpent skulking in shadowy glow,” Matteson fills her scenes with a sense of whooshing movement and rambunctious energy, making for a fun nighttime outing. Ages 4–8.[em] (Mar.) [/em]