She'll be the sky Poems by women and girls

Gr 4 Up--Noting that poems by women and girls are traditionally underrepresented, Risbridger offers an appealing collection of over 100 short poems by women, girls, and one nonbinary poet. Three poems, including "The Female Highwayman," are anonymous; historically, women wrote as "Anonymous" when they were unable to get poems published under their own names. The well-chosen poems in this collection include familiar ones by Emily Dickinson, Christina Rossetti, and others, along with new favorites by Ruth Awolola and Ada Limón, the first Latina U.S. Poet Laureate. There's a welcome diversity of voices; some famous, such as Maya Angelou and Amanda Gorman, and others not as recognized, like Jamaican Jean "Binta" Breeze and Misuzu Kaneko from Japan. There are selections by Indigenous poets, including Joy Harjo and Pamela Mordecai, and by immigrants and refugees, such as 13-year-old Amineh Abou Kerech. British-born Ghanaian poet Victoria Adukwei Bulley memorializes Lucille Clifton, "patron saint of black girls anywhere," in "Auntie Lucille." Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and Malala are also subjects of rousing tributes. Colorful spreads with pen-and-ink illustrations complement the poems. The infectious joy of Eloise Greenfield's "Honey, I Love" and Liz Lochhead's "Nina's Song" begs to be shared aloud. Many poems encourage and inspire, including these by Elisabeth Hewer: "Here are Girls like Lions" and "Sometimes, Change is One Girl." VERDICT This endearing and empowering collection should find a wide audience among all readers, as well as a place in school and public libraries.--Marilyn Taniguchi

Verse on everyday topics. Featuring work by long-celebrated poets and new voices, this collection begins with an introduction in which Risbridger discusses the inequities that women and those outside the gender binary have long faced. "This book," she writes, "is my best shot at making sure that whenever someone picks up a poetry book, they'll find plenty of poems by girls." The volume covers sometimes overlapping topics such as family, daily rituals, nature, animals, identity, activism, and poetry itself. Risbridger's careful editorial arrangement is complemented by Shepeta's dynamic illustrations, each page building to an immersive experience. As a whole, the book is an inspired celebration of life and meaning, with vivid imagery, complex themes, distilled life lessons, and bold windows into a rich array of experiences, from Janet S. Wong's ode to her grandmother to Jan Dean's tribute to Rosa Parks. Shepeta's bright tones and rich, full-page illustrations convey whimsy while retaining a realism that effectively grounds each poem. This accessible work will appeal to reluctant readers, those seeking read-alouds, and aspiring writers keen to play with words. The compilation reflects diversity throughout in authorship, content, and art, and the finely crafted whole conveys the value of poetry both as a vehicle of expression and as a tool for reflection and meaning-making. Mindful poems and art worth pausing for. (afterword, indexes by poem, poets, and first lines) (Poetry. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.