Friday, March 15, 2019

Friends and Foes: Poems About Us All by Douglas Florian

2018 Cybils Poetry Nominee

25 poems explore the art of being friends and/or enemies.

Thoughts: This collection is so evocative for me. It brings back memories of childhood friendships and rivalries. Of course I'm an adult, but if the poems can bring those memories to my mind then I believe this book will ring true for the children who read it. Interactions or experiences cannot be simply good or bad. They are a mixture. Florian shows that fact with his poems. My favorite poems are "What Friends Are For," "You Don't," "We Used to Be Friends," "Moved," "Jealous," and "Friendship Is a Flower." As always I like Florian's illustrations because they remind me of what a kid would draw and ergo make the book visually appealing to children.

(Beach Lane Books, 2018.)

No comments: