CONNECTING DOTS

Harrison relates some of his most memorable moments through poetry, both free verse and rhyming. Arranged chronologically and annotated with personal comments, the poems, although taken from Harrison’s own life, are meant to convey such common life experiences as moving and starting a new school, the loss of a friend, beginning interest in girls, marriage and fatherhood and they’re also intended to make children wonder how they will feel about these experiences in the future. Despite the poet’s simplicity and eager attempts at showing children what’s ahead, a lovely poem like “Night Songs,” about the slumber of a couple married for 43 years, will be lost on young readers. Unfortunately, other poems more suitable to the intended audience fall flat. Equally dull are the pencil sketches that appear throughout. For a stellar autobiography told through poetry, try Lee Bennett Hopkins’s Been to Yesterdays (1995). (Poetry. 10-13)