Emily Dickinson uses a great combination of imagery and rhyme combined with beautiful illustrations keep readers interested and engaged. ( )

Beautiful and simple, I loved seeing all of these quaint warm drawings put side by side, across time, with the long lasting loveliness of Dickenson's poems. ( )

I love Emily Dickinson. Although some of her work can be jarring, the poems selected for this compilation are beautiful and appropriate for children. There explanations of the poems are provided at the end since the poems have not been rewritten from Dickinson's original style. Those explanations can be helpful for either teaching students or children reading independently. The illustrations are captivating like visual poetry. ( )

Interesting poems by Emily D. ( )

Emily Dickinson, born in 1830, left behind nearly 1800 poems, not published until after her death in 1886. They have been favorites of all ages ever since.

The author, who is herself a poet, and who has written a novel about Emily Dickinson and also served as a guide at the Emily Dickinson Museum, selected thirty-five of Dickinson’s poems to introduce the poet to young readers. They are organized according to seasons of the year. Each poem is accompanying by gorgeous watercolors by Christine Davenier and also includes definitions of some of the longer words, or those with which children may not be familiar.

Many of the selected poems are about nature, and will teach as well as delight children. Some poems they may even recognize, such as “I’m nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”

Also included is Dickinson's famous poem, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul….” And one many religious readers know well:

“I never saw a moor.
I never saw the sea;
Yet know I how the heather looks,
And what a wave must be.

I never spoke wth God,
Nor visited in heaven;
Yet certain am I of the spot
As if the chart were given.”

Working with an excellent selection of poems, the award-winning French illustrator adds lightness and whimsy to the book, using a colorful palette and the ability to show variations of light and movement with impressive economy of strokes.

Evaluation: This collection features delightful poems that are easy to understand, and the pictures are lovely. ( )