Poetry Comics

Poetry verses about self-reflection and scientific curiosity adorn vivid illustrations in this gently introspective collection by Snider (One Boy Watching). The book begins in spring and flows through the seasons as the creator explores a different facet of the poetry-writing process and chronicles the friendship of a brown-skinned child with a dramatic black ponytail and a pale child with short black hair. Repetitive wordplay and clever alliterations paired with sometimes rhyming stanzas and occasional blank verse add variety to the assemblage’s entries, making each selection a delight to read aloud. Recurrent themes involve school day travails and the potential of imagination, while contemplations of nature channel Mary Oliver: “In the not-quite dark/ first night of summer/ one light blinks/ on/ then another./ Tiny lanterns/ glow and rise/ a festival of fireflies.” Snider’s pen and ink illustrations, colored and edited in Photoshop, rely on a limited palette of bright hues, and characters are depicted bounding through sprinklers, recycling a cardboard box in myriad ways, and finding kinship with other living beings such as trees and bees with boneless grace. The fluid illustrations and equally viscous verse culminates in a poetry-filled graphic novel that is powerful in its simplicity. Ages 8–12. Agent: Judy Hansen, Hansen Literary. (Mar.)