Review by Booklist Review
Soft-edged artwork in watercolors and colored pencil pull this collection of poetry together. The book, which is divided into three sections ("Home," "Street," and "Town,") features 34 poems from over 30 different poets (a handful appear twice). The first section, "Home," roughly sketches out the course of a single day from many perspectives. Both people and the elements are on display in the second section, which celebrates the fun of a block party (Nikki Grimes), a walk through snow (Charles Waters), and the shoes that carry us (Francisco X. Alarcón). The people who make up a town bring the third section to life as it dips into schools and grocery stores and laments the quiet in the wintertime. Generally, the poems here are previously published pieces that, when read all together, confer a nostalgic, laid-back tone on both the illustrations and text. The arrangement of the poems and Yum's slightly naive art come together nicely for a cohesive, teachable collection about different kinds of communities.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Sorted into three parts and featuring lines by poets and children's book creators alike, 34 short, winning poems selected by the late Janeczko contemplate the meaning of home and belonging via a strong sense of place. In the book's first section, "Home," Reuben Jackson's "Sunday Brunch" and Gary Soto's "Ode to a Sprinkler" each revel in summers spent locally--on a porch and on neighbors' lawns, respectively. Section two, "Street," features Naomi Shihab Nye's "Spruce Street, Berkeley"; Patricia Hubbell's "Sidewalk Cracks"; and Nikki Grimes's "Block Party," which all consider pavement-related locales. And in the final section, "Town," Lois Lenski's "People" and Nikki Giovanni's "Knoxville, Tennessee" sensorially convey neighborhood encounters. Throughout, Yum's colored pencil and watercolor art portrays racially diverse figures in metropolitan, rural, and suburban landscapes both bustling and quiet. It's a sights-and-sounds anthology that invites readers to observe the appreciable beauty of, as phrased by X.J. Kennedy, "wherever you sit down." Ages 7--10. (Mar.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--3--This posthumous compilation selected by distinguished anthologist Janeczko beautifully captures the essence of home; Yum's art enhances this, centering each poem firmly into diverse communities. Thirty-four poems are divided into three sections: Home, Street, and Town. The section titles seem arbitrary at first, although the delightful variance in styles and rhythms is exciting. For example, "Crickets," a concrete poem by Myra Cohn Livingston, appears in Home, as the crickets' hypnotic chirps through the night interrupt or sing one to sleep. "Ode to My Shoes" by Francisco X. Alarcón has shoes "fall asleep/ and dream/ of walking," in Street, relaxing so they're fresh for the new day. Langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni, Linda Sue Park, Gary Soto, and Naomi Shihab Nye are a few of the authors included, each of their poems dazzling with literary devices, figurative language, and exquisite word choices. Yum's trademark colored pencil and watercolor illustrations are full spread. Graphic placement is well done, allowing Yum's art to cradle each piece. People and places are diverse in artistic expression, allowing readers to recognize themselves in different poems and increasing understanding for different situations. Janeczko selected poems about nature, safe spaces, siblings, shopping, pets, ice cream, transportation, and being the new kid: all the mundane, yet essential, things that remind people of what home is. VERDICT A first purchase for all libraries serving young children, this is an outstanding poetry compilation about the meaning of home.--Rachel Zuffa
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Review by Horn Book Review
This collection of variously contemplative and playful poems offers an intimate picture of daily life from a childâe(tm)s point of view. Thirty-four poems about âeoeHome,âe âeoeStreet,âe and âeoeTownâe explore the ever-widening circle of a childâe(tm)s awareness of community. Various poets capture the rhythm of life inside and out, on the weekend and at bedtime, and through the seasons beginning with X. J. Kennedyâe(tm)s âeoeAny old place / thatâe(tm)s your home base / is where you want to be.âe The collection then heads out into the world with pets, parks, and parties and around town with school, stores, laundromats, and car washes. With its mix of classic works by such poets as Eleanor Farjeon, Myra Cohn Livingston, and Valerie Worth and more contemporary voices including Irene Latham, Janet Wong, and Naomi Shihab Nye, the collection offers a mix of poetic styles -- all very accessible to the reader and listener and all unified by Yumâe(tm)s engaging illustrations in colored pencil and watercolor. Scenes ranging from urban apartment life to small-town backyards and front porches are full of a pleasing diversity of children and adults. Sylvia VardellMarch/April 2023 p.88 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A posthumous gathering of short poems on themes of home and neighborhood. All but four of the 34 poems Janeczko selected before his death in 2019 have appeared elsewhere; most were published after 2000. The roster of contributors will be largely familiar to readers of his many anthologies: X.J. Kennedy leads off with an affirmation that "Home" is "Wherever you sit down / to eat your supper, pet your cat, / do homework, watch TV," Walter de la Mare describes peeking through window blinds to watch passersby, and Gary Soto offers a suburban "Ode to a Sprinkler." In more reflective tones, Linda Sue Park writes evocatively of a wind in "October" playing tag with a plastic bag and Naomi Shihab Nye, of people like "leaves drifting / downhill in morning fog" on "Spruce Street, Berkeley." Nikki Grimes and Nikki Giovanni chime in with summertime celebrations of, respectively, a "Block Party" and "Knoxville, Tennessee," and Langston Hughes rounds things off with metaphorical images of a "City" that "Spreads its wings" in the morning and "In the evening… / Goes to bed / Hanging lights / About its head." Yum echoes the pervasive air of peaceful serenity with colored pencil and watercolor scenes in which city, country, and suburban settings share presence with racially diverse groups and individuals, mostly children. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A luminous sendoff, rich in happy memories and sweet nostalgia. (Picture-book poetry. 6-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
