COUNTDOWN TO SUMMER
A Poem for Every Day of the School Year
by Patrick J. Lewis and illustrated by Ethan Long
As the subtitle indicates, 180 poems are here gathered to be enjoyed on a vitamin-like one-a-day basis. Aside from a vague nod to the turning of the seasons—it begins with a glum sixth grader contemplating his endless homework, and poems on Eid, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, MLK Day, Passover and the other usual suspects appear at strategically spaced intervals—there is no real attempt at formal, thematic or tonal unity. Some verses are long, some short, some thought-provoking, some laugh-provoking. Long’s penciled spot art provides an agreeable visual accompaniment, but this book’s best application is as a read-aloud. As a no-pressure, just-for-poetry’s-sake tool to start the day in the classroom, it could be a teacher’s best friend. (Poetry. 8-14)