A Pocketful of Stars: Poems About the Night - Hardcover

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Children's conflicting feelings about nighttime are explored in this anthology of 21 short poems. The selections are a comfortable mix of rhyme and free verse, nicely varied in tone and mood. The most literate entry is Walter de la Mare's "Silver," which delicately describes a landscape drenched in moonlight. Siv Widerberg's "Nightmare" skillfully suggests a small child's superstitious terror of the night without using upsetting imagery. Ogden Nash's "Sweet Dreams" is slyly funny as it questions the nature of sleep itself: "I wonder as into bed I creep/What it feels like to fall asleep./I've told myself stories, I've counted sheep/But I'm always asleep when I fall asleep-." Ann Bonner's "Dipa (A Song for Divali)" describes the Indian festival of lights, and Lucy Coats's "Cushlamochree" uses Gaelic and Welsh words in a soothing lullaby. All but one of the poems have been published before, either in the U.S. or in the U.K. The illustrations, rendered in watercolor and mixed media, expertly complement the poetry. All of the paintings include some light source, e.g., candlelight, moonlight, or street lamps, and those featuring families picture the adults either holding children or gazing at them lovingly. A satisfying bedtime read-aloud.
Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library
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