Yolen, Jane. Thunder Underground.

Yolen, Jane.  Thunder Underground. Boyd's Mills/Word Song     2017  30p $17.95  Hardback  ISBN 978-159078-936-0  pre K-elem      Poetry      E-BN

This collection of poems by Jane Yolen is beautifully combined with colorful illustrations by José Masse that will help the reader grasp a better understanding of each poem. As readers progress through the book they will learn about subway travel, tree roots, seeds, lava, moles and my favorites, underground rivers and spelunking. The final poem in the book ties all of the poems together for the reader and provides a satisfactory ending.
   

This is a beautiful poetry book that can be used at all levels of instruction. The poems are so lyrical and crisp that enjoyment is a certainty.  The book can be used in many ways in different libraries. It would be an excellent addition.

Summary: A collection of insightful poems by Jane Yolen that will inform young readers about what they can find underground. José Masse illustrates the pages with colorful supporting graphics.    

Nature, Poetry                                              --Linda McNeil

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Jumping Off Library Shelves: A Book of Poems.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett.  Jumping Off Library Shelves: A Book of Poems.  Boyd's Mills/Word Song  2015  30p  $16.95  ISBN 978-1-59078-924-7 pre K-elem  Poetry      VG   

This beautifully illustrated book contains fifteen poems about the joys of reading and libraries through the eyes of a child. “My Card” by Cynthia S. Cotten explores the power of the simple looking library card. In “Enchantment” by Jane Yolen the subject is excited about picking out books “all by myself”. In “Librarian”, Joan Bransfield Graham wonders how the librarian is so skilled at matching readers to books. Other poems cover the wonder of poetry, reading with a favorite pet, and the library after hours. A lovely addition to a poetry collection.

**The intended readership for this book is too young to be included on the TriState Review Books of Note list.

Summary: Poems about the joys of reading and libraries.    

Poetry, Libraries-Poems                         --Stephanie Pennucci

Newman, Leslea. Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed.

Newman, Leslea.  Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed.  Candlewick Press  2015  np  $16.99  ISBN 978-0-7636-6555-5  pre K-elem  Picture book  E

      Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed is based on the true story of Moshe Cotel’s pet cat.  Cotel, a composer, jotted down the notes his cat “played” on a piano and submitted the results to a music contest for short compositions.  The composition won, but Cotel was  not surprised.  He claimed that everything he heard, from bird song to construction work, created music in his ears.  The brief story is as charming as the picture book’s very expressive artwork.  Illustrator Amy June Bates created pictures that are the perfect complement to the story, demonstrating a gift for capturing the expressions of both man and feline.  Young listeners will demand to hear this tale repeated many times.

Summary: Share the story of Ketzel, a cat who composed a prize-winning musical composition.
           

Cats-Fiction, Musical composition-Fiction             --Hilary Welliver