Poems in the Attic

May 11, 2015
During a visit to her grandmother's house, a seven-year-old African-American girl discovers poems her mother wrote in her youth, giving the daughter a window into her mother's peripatetic upbringing as an Air Force brat. Grimes (Chasing Freedom) alternates between the daughter's free-verse poems and her mother's five-line tanka poetry. In one scene, the girl's grandmother shows her how to make paper luminarias, just as she did with her daughter while they were living in New Mexico ("After we were done,/ our brown bag candleholders/ bloomed bright, lighting up the night"); a Japanese dinner between girl and grandmother ties into a trip to Japan. (In author's notes, Grimes highlights the poetic forms she uses, as well as the Air Force bases that correspond to locations in the book). Fully in step with Grimes's empathic writing, Zunon's (One Plastic Bag) warmly painted collages carry readers from the waterways of Virginia to a German castle atop a hill, highlighting the powerful emotional ties between the girl and her elders, as well as her mother's adventurous spirit. Ages 6â11. Author's agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown. Illustrator's agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words.

Sisi Aisha Johnson is marvelous as a nameless 7-year-old girl who discovers a cedar box brimming with her mother's poetry. Her mom was a "military brat" who traveled around the world with her parents. Johnson zestfully recites the poems, which record magical places and exciting events. Standout recitations are gorgeous descriptions of cherry blossoms in Japan and luminarias in New Mexico. She particularly shines when the child decides to write her own free verse poems to accompany her mother's TANKA (Japanese five-line poetry). Johnson's warmly confident tone becomes sad when the family must move yet again. The audiobook closes with helpful descriptions of how to write poetry and encourages young listeners to "have fun and hear the words sing." S.G.B. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine