School Library Journal
Gr 2-6-Yolen wrote these spare, free-verse poems to accompany Stemple's photographs. The selections are generally metaphoric descriptions, as in "Sunset Horizons": "When the ball of fire/Touches earth,/The mountains will flame./Nothing but night/Can put it all out,/That perfect fire fighter,/Who comes every time/Without being called." Some evoke the speaker's emotional state, though it's one that young people may have a hard time connecting to, as in "Horizon with Deer": "Let me remember then this curve of earth,/The deer strung along the horizon,/To set my gyroscopic heart/Back to the place where love can start." Though these poems may show a young audience a new way to look at horizons, few will truly impress themselves on readers. Many of the full-color photographs are spectacular and may draw readers in, but all are not equally fantastic. Two of them employ sequential exposures, but only one of them is explained-readers are left to guess at how Stemple got five moons in the other. Adults may find this book useful for examples in a poetry-writing exercise with children, but it is only for large collections with a base of fans for Yolen's work.-Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.