The Arrow Finds Its Mark

Gr 3–6—The intent of this collection is to awaken readers to the poetry that "exists all around us." A host of children's poets accepted the challenge to find inspiration anywhere-a Facebook page, a hardware store, the Burpee catalog—and reassemble the words without much embellishment in pursuit of poetry. Minimally illustrated with plain black-and-white drawings, the poems rely largely on the poet's inventiveness. There is no table of contents or index of poets; however a heading for each selection gives the author and the original source. Juanita Havill, Lee Bennett Hopkins, J. Patrick Lewis, George Ella Lyon, Naomi Shihab Nye, Joyce Sidman, Jane Yolen, and Bob Raczka are among the contributors. Laura Purdie Salas creates an amusing context for words found on a road sign in Northern England, "red squirrels/drive slowly" by adding the title: "They Don't Want Speeding Tickets, So…." A sign on a hardware store is made rhythmically interesting. This unassuming book may help young writers notice words and see how poems can be made. Pair it with other books that spark an imaginative flame, such as Paul B. Janeczko's A Kick in the Head (Candlewick, 2005).—Tess Pfeifer, Springfield Renaissance School, Springfield, MA