Grandmother's Song

From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 3-Bauer's poetic meditation, really more of a free-verse poem than a story, celebrates the joys of motherhood and grandmotherhood. The evocative and image-rich language ("fish flashed, silver quick, in the water") may mystify logically minded children ("Long ago, when rain was wet, and the moon waxed and waned-"). The pastel illustrations will be more successful at grabbing youngsters' attention, as they evoke the dreamy, magical feel of the words through their mix of bright and dark colors. Using the repeated images of a cat, birds, and butterflies to show a sort of communion with nature, Rossi's windswept pictures brim with light and perfectly capture a feeling of expectant joy. Text and art combine beautifully here, but the sentiments expressed are more likely to appeal to adults than to children.