In this picture-book collection from veteran anthologist Hopkins, 13 well-known children's poets celebrate how books can take readers on wild adventures (I storm / toward shackled screams / of a kidnapped damsel), as well as how plain words can reveal the surprising drama in ordinary things, even the rhyming sounds of a clock: tick-tock / ding-dong / bing-bong. Karla Kuskin speaks about the wonders of wandering / wonderful pages and the nonsense and knowledge that come tumbling out. And in another selection, Kristine O'Connell George writes, riding home from the library, / don't need a window seat. / Got a great new book to read, / eleven more beneath my feet. The whimsical, light-toned acrylic artwork extends the metaphors with witty, fantastical transformations of books: in one scene, a dark-blue book cover becomes an ocean, where you can dive in the sea of words and swim. Fun for sharing with preschoolers, this will also spark discussion in grade-school writing and art classes. Notes about each poet are appended.

In a whole that definitely doesn't measure up to the sum of its parts, this sadly uneven collection opens with six inventive celebrations in which books and water are interwoven themes. It closes with five landlocked tributes to bookishness and shoehorns in between one off-topic contribution by Hopkins and another by Jane Yolen. Eight of the 13 poems are new, and all (of the relevant ones) share a sense of excitement at, as Karla Kuskin puts it, "all wonders of wandering / wonderful pages," from Beverly McLoughland's soothing "ebb and flow of tidal words / Easy under me," to the soaring promise in Tom Robert Shield's title poem: "I'll plant in you / a spring-seedling / with bursting life / while you are reading. / I am the book / You are needing." Yayo gamely tries to provide at least an impression of unity with a typically lighthearted series of sea- and beachscapes with books taking on such roles as a whale's tail and an entire ocean, but several of the poems just don't lend themselves to that sort of setting. A poor successor to Hopkins' Good Books, Good Times (1990), flawed by a lack of cohesive vision and particularly by Yolen's sour "Words that take / a thought, / a wish, / a sentiment, / a prayer, / and then suck out / all the air." (Picture book/poetry. 8-10)

Lest we forget the magic of the printed page, this collection of poems by contemporary writers celebrates the joys of reading. "Early in the morning/ dog, book and me/ spend quiet moments/ just we three," writes Karen Winnick. In "Pirates," Jill Corcoran conveys a book-inspired imaginative journey:

Gr 3-6 A whimsical collection of 13 short poems, all celebrating books and reading. Many are by well-known authors like Naomi Shihab Nye and Jane Yolen, while others are by less-familiar poets. Overall, the quality of the selections is good. Karla Kuskin's "Wonder Through the Pages" is particularly strong; it ends, "the wisdom of wizards/The songs of the ages/All wonders of wandering/Wonderful pages." The accompanying picture shows a Venetian-style watery landscape, with a book for a gondola, a unicorn floating nearby, and a seawall of books in the background. The attractive and fanciful acrylic paintings feature exaggerated shapes and perspectives that go nicely with the flights of imagination depicted in the poems. Literature-loving adults will want to share this book with the young people in their lives. Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL

From the title page, where we see someone looking into the window of a book-shaped house, we know we're in for a celebration of books. Each posterlike spread is a richly illustrated visual metaphor for that poem (a book that is a raft, one that's a treasure chest, etc.). Those celebrating Poetry Month will find much to enjoy in this up-with-reading collection.