Poetry and Wishes- Paired in Perfect Personification!

 Some holiday wishes come true. Even so, very few folks have every wish granted. Most of us have no idea about the wishes that OTHERS have for us. That's why today, the day after Christmas, 2020, in our Coronavirus pandemic year, this feels like an ideal picture book to feature. Hope and trust are as much hallmarks of this endless-feeling year as are doubt and distrust. I can think of no better time than now to imagine the wishes on our behalf that have wrapped us in love and brought us this far.

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2020

NIGHT WISHES is an anthology of poetry, curated by gifted poet and editor Lee Bennett Hopkins. Sadly, Lee is no longer with us, but his brilliant work is still accessible (click his name) and his trademark quotation graces every page of this new release:

“Give children poetry. 

It is one of the best gifts 

you can give them… 

a gift to last a lifetime.”

Hopkins, gifted poet that he was, excelled at showcasing the talents of others and presenting their works within thematic and story frameworks that elevate the collection of selected poems to a result always greater than the sum of the parts. 

In this case, the collection of poems flips the familiar "Good Night Moon" from the child/parent perspective to the voices of those many bedtime elements that could surround human children as they sleep.

 
Sadly, our country, and most in the world, permit too many children to sleep without such security. The featured items, though, are not luxuries. These are elements that every child should be able to realistically have, or remember, appreciate, or hope for in the near-times and ever after. In a year in which we are all expanding our appreciation of everyday life, these poems can help children do the same.

Each poem/poet addresses a brown-skinned, dark-haired child of nonspecific identity, from bedtime to sunrise. Through voices of comfort, delight, charm, and adventure, their care for the child is evident and reassuring. Based on hair and clothing, this is likely a girl. Nevertheless, The universality of Child portrays someone exuberant and mindful, curious and committed to a big life.

Each poet speaks as BED, or PILLOW, BLANKET, CAT, DOG, CLOCK, ROCKING HORSE, BOOK, TEDDY BEAR, ANGEL, STARS, MOON, or NIGHT-LIGHT, before returning to BED just  as night ends and Child is rising. Each personifies the role and voice and insights of the focus object.

None (other than, perhaps, the rocking horse) imply luxury or privilege, so most children and families will be able to identify with the sleeper's experience. Using a variety of figurative language, poetic forms, word play, and tone, each poem in the collection provides mentor writing opportunities for kids with established literacy. 

No offense meant to the incredible Margaret Wise Brown, but I would happily endorse this as an alternative to GOOD NIGHT MOON. The art of Jen Corace is both ethereal and anchored in the details of each poem, from endpapers to the totality of the "story" that frames this anthology. 

Give it a close look and read, won't you? And keep in mind that Lee Bennett Hopkins quote, above. This would make a fantastic gift for a child in your life.