Learning to Live in the World: Earth Poems by William Stafford
Grade 6 Up-Fifty short observations of interrelationships in the natural world from the published work of a National Book Award-winning poet. Stafford uses simple, formal, passionate language; less-practiced readers will have to wrestle with some of his imagery ("Coyotes are circling around our truth"; "We bow, and/the voice that falls through the rapids/calls all the rocks by their secret names"), but most ideas and feelings are insightful and expressed clearly ("The world looks/tame, but it might go wild, any time"). Though the poet writes with almost unbearable poignancy about death, his ultimate message is a celebratory one: "...you're not alone./The whole wide world pours down." A worthy addition to collections serving large populations of poetry readers, or to those supporting strong Earth-studies programs.John Peters, New York Public LibraryCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.