Arco iris de poesía: Poemas de las Américas y España. (Rainbow of Poetry: Poems from the Americas and Spain)

By staff -- Críticas, 11/15/2007

PreS-Gr 2–A representative collection of poetry from Latin America and Spain, this volume fills a void in children’s literature. The poems are short and deal with elements that children can relate to, like nature, animals, and daily life. Some are sweet, such as “Sonnet for Baby,” from Nicaragua; others are nonsensical, such as “The Dancing Top,” from Puerto Rico. Most countries are represented with two selections each, and a number of well-known poets are included. In a nice addition, the United States is represented with one poem from Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends. Except for this last one, which is illustrated in black-and-white, all the poems are accompanied by colorful cartoon artwork. Concise biographical information on the individual poets is listed alphabetically by country at the end of the book. There is no table of contents, but an index in the last page lists the poems’ titles. An enjoyable collection well suited for the intended audience, this is recommended for all libraries.—Roxanne Landin, The Fremont Area District Library, Fremont MI