Give Yourself to the Rain: Poems for the Very Young

The author of Goodnight Moon wrote scores of poems for children in her short lifetime, many of which were left unpublished until now. In this collection of 24 poems, Margaret Wise Brown's virtuosity shines through with verses about simple childhood pleasures and sorrows. Days later, readers young and old will find themselves muttering: "Hark to the sound / Of the sea-slung gong / Ding Dong Dong / Ding Dong Dong" or "Jig Big / jig little / jig little / Jig Big / Jig like a big PIG / dancing a jig." Some poems are clearly more refined than others; if Brown were alive, she undoubtedly would have smoothed the rougher edges in "Pussycat and the Pumpkin," for example. Teri L. Weidner's watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations in "Spring Madness" and "Colors" are sweet and natural, although "The Monkey Man" and "Christmas Song" are less appealing. When all is said and done, though, fans of the legendary Margaret Wise Brown will be pleased at another glimpse into her talented, imaginative world. (Ages 4 and older) --Emilie Coulter