In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Reviewed by:
  • Aftershocks
  • Elizabeth Bush
Lavender, William Aftershocks. Harcourt, 2006 [352p] ISBN 0-15-205882-6$17.00 Reviewed from galleys M Gr. 5-8

This picture-book collection of fourteen poems examines a series of animals in terms of their colors, some realistic ("Green Frog," "Brown Mouse") and some fanciful ("Yellow Elephant," "Purple Puppy"). Each poem is brief, rarely more than a dozen lines, evincing a Valerie Worth-like taste for close, vivid focus and neat, melodic construction that employs sound echoes while still remaining largely free verse. Paschkis' flat, stylized gouache illustrations are sometimes more decoratively attractive than illustratively effective, but they suggest mosaic or friezework in their stylish intricacy and reliance on pattern, which gives them a touch of sophistication. Layout is elegant, with a column of correspondingly colored design bordering the centered text on the verso and facing the tightly framed illustration. Despite the book's drawbacks, the blend of sophistication and simplicity allows the poems to work as a readaloud as well as a readalone, and its playful treatment of the color spectrum could prompt some creative write-alike language arts assignments.

...

pdf

Share