Poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) of Amherst, Mass., is the star of this inviting, lovely Poetry for Kids series debut, illustrated with freewheeling sketches of the natural world by Paris-born artist Christine Davenier (The Very Fairy Princess series; The First Thing My Mama Told Me).
Dickinson had a "quiet and busy" life: gardening, baking and writing nearly 10,000 letters and 1,800 poems that were, according to the introduction, "full of word-play, startling images, puzzles, and surprises." Her poetry is also full of birds ("Hope is the thing with feathers"), bees, beetles and other creatures that scuttled and flew about her family's property. Here, a stellar selection of 35 of her poems is divided into seasonal sections: Summer ("I'm nobody! Who are you?"); Autumn ("Because I could not stop for Death"); Winter ("There's a certain slant of light"); and Spring ("There is no frigate like a book"). Words that might not be immediately grasped (plashless, gentian, obviate) are defined at the end of each poem, and an illuminating section called "What Emily Was Thinking" elegantly distills the essence of each poem. For example, the encapsulation of "I never saw a moor" is "Although she doesn't know the world far from home, the poet has an imagination. She can shut her eyes and be wherever she wishes to go."
Thick, creamy paper and a clean but vivacious design, combined with Davenier's friendly, thoroughly charming ink and watercolor illustrations make this fine collection of Dickinson's poetry an appealing gift for children or adults. --Karin Snelson, children's & YA editor, Shelf Awareness