Rings of Heartwood: Poems on Growing

“Height isn’t everything.../ while my twigs stretch upward/ here beneath this rough bark/ hums the quiet work of growing,” begins the first verse of Griffin’s latest, a nature-themed collection of 12 contemplative free-verse poems centered on the excitement and challenges presented by change. Each short poem is accompanied by scientific facts; the opener, “Heartwood,” for example, includes an explanation of how trees grow and introduces words including cambium and sapwood. Other subjects include the life cycle of frogs (“Nobody asked me/ if I’d like to swap/ my plant-tearing teeth/ for a bug-snapping tongue”) and the camouflage of young fawns (“My spotted fur is my invisibility cloak”). McGehee’s full-bleed scratchboard and watercolor illustrations add context to each page, resulting in a work that proves both rhythmically and visually soothing and educational. Human characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Includes creators’ notes. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)