From Langston Hughes' classic "Fairies" ("Out of the dust of dreams / Fairies weave their garments") to a Mother Goose rhyme and Alden Nowlan's "I, Icarus," imaginative play is the theme that will grab young children in this anthology, which features 13 poems that celebrate leaping beyond familiar, daily life. Goembel's clear, spacious double-page spreads in colored-ink lines with acrylic wash include a scene of a child singing in a big choir reaching "a breathless height / I can never reach alone." Most of the scenarios are of a solitary child surrounded by space and quiet, dreaming of exciting connections in the wider world and empowered with wings that let her fly. A great read-aloud for young kids, who will recognize the magic that can happen when they have space to dream.

Hopkins's collection of lighthearted poetry includes verse by W. H. Auden, Langston Hughes, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, and Prince Redcloud. In some of the poems, flying is a metaphor, but most are more concrete, imagining what it might be like to have wings. The fanciful pen-and-ink and acrylic illustrations work well for the subject matter.

A nicely grounded selection of 13 brief poems addresses the idea of winged flight as well as levitation through dreams, memory, longing and music, and in its range of voices and styles it offers a number of possibilities for eluding gravity. Poets included range from Prince Redcloud, Auden and Hughes—and Mother Goose—to well-known contemporary children's poets. The picture-book format invites reading aloud and one-on-one conversation about the poems—does the narrator really fly in this one? how could this other one take flight? Solid-looking children sprout ethereal wings or float above the ground; a housecat swings on a flying trapeze as the mice look on encouragingly; a man on a winged bicycle pedals the air over vast empty hills, a city skyline far distant. Goembel captures a sense of the abstract in each double-page ink-and-acrylic scene—in some flight is implied, while in others it looks quite literal. There's plenty to come back to in each opening, with each seemingly simple poem expanded by the art. (Picture book/poetry. 4-7)

In this series of poems about wings and flight, with offerings from Langston Hughes, W.H. Auden, April Halprin Wayland, and others, readers can embark on a journey through the skies. The verses connect humans' fascination with flight with the power of dreams (""Out of the dust of dreams/ fairies weave their garments,"" writes Hughes), music (says Leslie Danford Perkins, ""A hundred voices sing/ wings grow stronger""), and imagination. Paired with Goembel's depictions of often-winged children borne aloft, sometimes tentatively, sometimes with confidence and exuberance, the poems create a contemplative tribute to flight. Ages 4%E2%80%938. (Aug.)

K-Gr 3 Thirteen poems explore multiple ways to flymentally, physically, musically, and more. Drawings done in colored ink line with acrylic wash quietly illustrate each poem on a spread and a few soar off the page. Back matter includes small biographical paragraphs about each of the featured poets. The copyright page has information about original sources for the poetry. The noteworthy aspect of this volume is that it features an array of styles and approaches by a diverse group of poets. Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA