Marshmallow Clouds: Two Poets at Play Among Figures of Speech

by Ted Kooser, Connie Wanek, Richard Jones (Illustrator)

Celebrated poets Ted Kooser along with Connie Wanek, and illustrator Richard Jones, explore figures of speech in a spirited and magical way—and invite our imaginations out to play.

A freewheeling romp through the world of imagery and metaphor, this quietly startling collection of thirty poems, framed by the four elements, is about art and reality, fact and fancy. Look around: what do you see? A clown balancing a pie in a tree, or an empty nest perched on a leafless branch? As poet Connie Wanek alludes to in her afterword—a lively dialogue with former US Poet Laureate Ted Kooser—sometimes the simplest sights and sounds “summon our imaginations” and cry out to be clothed in the alchemical language of poetry. This compendium of the fleeting and unexpected turns the everyday—turtles, trees, and tadpoles; cow pies, lazy afternoons, and pillowy white marshmallows—into poetic gold. A brilliant and timeless collaboration that evokes both the mystery and grandeur of the natural world and the cozy, mundane moments of daily life, this exquisitely illustrated collection is the go-to gift book of the season for poetry fans of all ages.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens, Nature, Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Juvenile

72 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2021

About the author

Ted Kooser lives in rural Nebraska with his wife, Kathleen, and three dogs. He is one of America's most noted poets, having served two terms as U. S. Poet Laureate and, during the second term, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his collection, Delights & Shadows. He is a retired life insurance executive who now teaches part-time at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. The school board in Lincoln, Nebraska, recently opened Ted Kooser Elementary School, which Ted says is his greatest honor, among many awards and distinctions. He has published twelve collections of poetry and three nonfiction books. Two of the latter are books on writing, The Poetry Home Repair Manual and Writing Brave and Free, and a memoir, Lights on a Ground of Darkness (all from University of Nebraska Press. Bag in the Wind from Candlewick is his first children's book, with which he is delighted. "It's wonderful," Ted said, "to be writing for young people. I am reinventing myself at age 70."

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marshmallow Clouds: Two Poets at Play among Figures of Speech was written by a favorite poet who has also written a few picture books, Ted Kooser, and his friend Connie Wanek, illustrated by Richard Jones. The illustration work is lovely, but I also liked most of the poetry, co-written by the authors, and though they have both written a lot of books, they don’t take themselves too seriously. They highlight the concept of play, in other words.

Aside from the fact that I wasn’t sure of the age group--I now think of it as for older children or even maybe an all-ages book--and the title, which is the weakest cliche in the whole book, I liked it a lot. The idea they say is to model looking at ordinary stuff and play with metaphors and similes to describe the stuff. It’s organized into loose categories, Earth, Air, Fire, Water.

The opening poem, “A Disappointment,” features a speaker who thinks he sees a winter tree clowning around, up on one leg and juggling a pie, but it was really a tree with a squirrel’s nest.

The second poem has it that nine meteors crossing the sky look like cat scratches.

The last leaves of fall are red and the last to fall: lit candles not yet blown out.

In a poem called, “Thunderstorm,” the thunder is compared to a person who has “gotten up in the night/and, not wanting to wake us,/stumbles around, bumping the walls/of the long empty hallway leading away,/now and then lighting a match/and then, just as quickly, blowing it out.”

The idea is to take the model and “copy-change” it in terms of your own object and comparisons. I liked it a lot.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I experienced a sense of quiet joy as I read these poems. They stirred my emotions, especially lines such as, "A marshmallow feels soft and lightly powdered like a grandmother's cheek." Then, there was the insightful 'Sleep' that acknowledged that some of us look forward to sleep while, others "are afraid to climb on this silent raft of moonlight."

I loved the whimsical 'Tadpole' full of textures, and 'Fireplace' which is fed "mostly leftovers from the woods, and fire is a good eater, tasting everything." Simple illustrations in an array of colors adorn each page and are visually interesting. Overall, a very satisfying read that engaged my senses.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look at the word around us in a different way with this eclectic collection of poems.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review for the Minneapolis Star Tribune: https://www.startribune.com/review-ma...

Of his approach over his half-a-century-and-counting career, former U.S. Poet Laureate and former "American Life in Poetry" columnist Ted Kooser has said, "I write for other people with the hope that I can help them to see the wonderful things within their everyday experiences. In short, I want to show people how interesting the ordinary world can be if you pay attention."

In their new book, "Marshmallow Clouds: Two Poets at Play Among Figures of Speech," Kooser and acclaimed fellow poet Connie Wanek offer 30 poems to inspire readers ages 10 and up to relish this magic in the seemingly quotidian. Organized by the elements of Fire, Water, Air and Earth, these poems encourage the notion that, "as if it were a favorite cat or dog, playing with your imagination can keep it healthy and happy," as Kooser writes in their afterword.

Wanek adds that, "Sometimes trees or clouds or horses or other people — or even a certain car or the fuel that runs it — seem to summon our imaginations."

Wanek, who lives in Duluth, is the author of four collections of poetry for adults, including most recently 2016's "Rival Gardens: New and Selected Poems," published by University of Nebraska Press as the second in their Contemporary Poetry Series, edited by Kooser. The shared affinity for a simple and direct style and an alertness to quiet yet moving moments displayed in each of their solo work for adults blends harmoniously here in their work for kids.

A figure of speech, of course, is a word or phrase used in a non-literal sense for rhetorical or vivid effect, and this book revels in showing young people how they work and why they are so much fun. In a poem called, "Thunderstorm," for instance, the titular phenomenon comes alive as a person who has "gotten up in the night / and, not wanting to wake us, / stumbles around, bumping the walls / of the long empty hallway leading away, / now and then lighting a match / and then, just as quickly, blowing it out."

In one called, "July," the joy of words leaps off the page: "One summer day I was boiled and salted / like a peanut. I was the meat / in a heat sandwich, the dog in a hot." The book feels attuned to the fanciful way so many children are naturally inclined to view the world, and to guide them to an even deeper immersion into seeing a tadpole as "a huge comma, / soft and black" or a harpist as having "taken a great golden moth / into her arms."

Spare and wholesome yet richly evocative, Richard Jones' illustrations — of meteor showers, snowy moonlit fields, horses amid papery white birch trees and more — enhance and deepen the charm of each poem.

Wanek points out that "it's fun to listen for voices from unexpected places." In "Marshmallow Clouds," she and Kooser enchantingly embolden readers of all ages to open their ears, not to mention their minds and hearts.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poets . . . Why'd It Have to be Poets?

I'm not a fan of poetry on the best of days,
and this is not the best of days,
and these are not the best of poems.
They couldn't even afford to buy a rhyme,
the poor fucks.

(Poetry lesson: Write your review like normal, capitalize the first line, then hit return every couple of inches or whenever you come to punctuation (capitalizing the first letter of the next line is optional), and -- ta-da! -- you've written poetry. Now post it online and ruin other people's day the same way yours has been ruined.)

(Another project! I'm trying to read all the picture books and graphic novels on the kids section of NPR's Books We Love 2022.)

[Vera Godley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poetry has changed greatly since I was a child in school. Rarely these days do we see iambic pentameter or words that rhyme in poetry. No longer do we see the movement and flow of words as they magically roll off our tongues.

Instead, we have prose that doesn't rhyme and stanzas that seem to have paragraph breaks and formatting that fails to use "word wrap" creating an appearance of traditional poetry.

That is not to say there is no redemption in today's "poetry" such as is in Marshmallow Clouds. I was delighted with the word pictures poets Kooser and Wanek drew throughout the book. I was also disappointed that yet another book of poems lacked the treasure of poetry of bygone days.

I enjoyed "Gas" with its vision of what gas is and how it powers our cars and also how it pictures "the big oaks and imagine them after another million years, filling someone's gas tank with acorns." Or... "pine pitch, the golden blood of the tree."

Lovely word pictures.

The book is divided into four sections: Fire, Water, Air, Earth. Each section a collection. Interesting. Lovely. Thoughtful. While this is a picture book, I think the span of reader's appropriate age reaches to the upper grades as well as adults who wish to delve into a rich assortment of lovely words.

I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book of poetry is divided into sections for Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. The poems range into various topics about thunderstorms, nightmares, animals, trees, stars, technology, and a flyswatter.

My favorite poem was "Harpist", about a harpist playing her instrument like it is a giant golden butterfly. She strokes the strings like the veins of a butterfly wing.

None of the poems are in rhyme, and there is no meter. There are some lines with clever similes that I really enjoyed, and other similes that just sounded dumb to me or didn't make sense. But that is poetry. It speaks to people in different ways.

Each poem is beautifully illustrated in soft colors. The artwork is fuzzy and misty and imaginative.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Often, poetry is meant to invoke the ineffable. A feeling. The way a certain slant of light snags a memory. Like music or art, poetry is capable of creating its own mood. Yet when we look at children’s poetry as a whole, quietude is easily buried beneath a whole host of louder, flashier, zippier concepts. Want a blackout poetry book where newspaper articles have words carefully removed? How ‘bout spine poetry instead, where you stack books on top of one another and read their titles? Care for some Shel Silverstein? Some Jack Prelutsky? Want an entire book of robot poems, or a book of haikus, or sonnets, or quadrilles, or or or . . . the list goes on. Quieter of books of poetry for kids have a lot to compete against. Now I’ll admit right here and now that there is little from the outside to catch your eye when you look at Marshmallow Clouds. If you know a bit about poetry then you might recognize Ted Kooser’s name on the cover (he being a Pulitzer Prize winning former US Poet Laureate and all). But if I’ve learned nothing else over the years, just because you do well in the adult sphere, that doesn’t guarantee any success when reorienting yourself towards a younger audience. That said, Marshmallow Clouds is one of those books that works so effectively for young readers that it feels as though the co-authors (co-poets?) had been honing their talents for kids, specifically, for years. One of those books that will subtly coil its way around your heart, even as you obliviously flip page after page after page.

Twenty-eight poems (or are there thirty?) appear in this dreamy collection of collected observations. In July we read, “One summer day I was boiled and salted / like a peanut. I was the meat / in a heat sandwich, the dog in a hot.” Vibrant red seeps out on the page as the cool of night on the other douses the flames. In the poem “Boat” we see an upside-down aluminum boat and a shadow beneath it. “It’s been waiting / all summer, and maybe for thousands of years / peering out at the meddlesome world.” Each poem in this book falls into one of four categories: Fire, Air, Earth, and Water. Yet even as they’re gathered together, each one also stands entirely alone on its page. They are waiting to be read aloud, not once, not twice, but repeatedly. They will not have to wait long.

I find it interesting that I cannot figure out how this book came to be. The book itself offers no clues. Two poets are listed, but the poems inside are never attributed to one or the other or both. The poems simply are. It’s no good to try to figure out if one sounds more like one poet and one sounds more like another. I took the liberty of reading some of Kooser and Wanek’s poetry for the grown and discovered that it would not be difficult for their voices to meld, as they seemingly have here. Wanek’s book of poetry Rival Gardens: New and Selected Poems is the second book in the Ted Kooser Contemporary Poetry Series, but beyond that the nature of their working relationship remains undefined. The good news is that you hardly care a jot once you’ve started. Now I’ve encountered Ted Kooser’s picture books before and of the lot the one that probably sticks with me the most is The Bell in the Bridge. I find it interesting that he routinely returns to the picture book form. Even so, little wonder that the moment he let himself write poetry for children his book eclipsed all the others. As for Ms. Wanek, this is the debut most authors ache to achieve: a complete and rousing success story.

Drilling down into what it is that makes one book of children’s poetry better than any other is just so freakin’ subjective. Then again, I read a lot of juvenile poetry in a given year and most of it just flits through my little gray cells without leaving much of a mark. In the case of Marshmallow Clouds I was hooked from poem #1. It’s called “A Disappointment”, which is a ballsy way to begin a poetry book for kids, I gotta say. Most books would kick off with some upbeat claptrap, or outright silliness. Instead, in this poem Kooser and Wanek discuss how those images you glimpse out of the corner of your eye play with your perceptions. The last two lines simply read, “and the nest was old and cold, / and even the squirrel was gone.” I just sat there for a little bit, digesting this, and then I flipped to the subtitle of this book again. “Two Poets at Play among Figures of Speech.” Huh. The next poem is “Meteor Shower” talks about how those heavenly bodies are “scratching the heavens, just little scratches, the kind a cat might make…” And I slowly began to understand that these are poems that use metaphors magnificently. A teacher with a class of kids, could make this book practical, using it to teach the very concept of what a metaphor is. They could, but I hope they also just read these aloud, one by one, to their classes.

It was with resignation that I discovered that illustrator Richard Jones is inconveniently English. I say “inconveniently” because when it comes to American literary awards for children, most times American are the only ones eligible. I rather adore his style here yet, and this is kind of funny, I take issue with the cover and title of this book. Marshmallow Clouds is a tame, middle-of-the-road title. The image of a child relaxing with their dog under a blue sky is perfectly decent and perfectly forgettable. Me? I would have taken the exploding quilt-like patterned stars of the poem “A Secret” and made them the cover of this book. Something as sharp and bright as those stars is bound to lure in more young readers. And isn’t that the business we’re all in, after all? Luring kids to books, by hook or by crook? Mr. Jones seems to specialize in poetry books for children, having worked previously on titles like The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog and Other How-to Poems. I almost feel that his style complements this slight, 72-page book better, though. Kooser and Wanek give the man space to play. The poem “A Bad Dream”, for example, displays a single house in the distance, stars fading at the top of the page, the dawn’s light creeping in. Somehow, what could feel like an image from “In Cold Blood” takes on a gentle, comforting cant that is in perfect tandem with the tone of the accompanying poem. It’s as if Jones truly pondered the myriad directions this art could go, and found a way to heighten and never distract from the true star of the show: the wordplay. It’s uniquely modest and unassuming. You have to respect him (to say nothing of the Art Director) for going that route.

My favorite poem in this whole, big, wide, beautiful book is “The World Without Me”. Long after I finished the rest of the book, I kept thinking about it. One night, I read it aloud to my kids. My husband just happened to also be listening and when I finished, he simply said, “That’s a good poem.” It is a good poem. Maybe the best in the book, though you’re allowed to have your own favorites. Personally, I keep flip flopping between different verses at different moments. What doesn’t change is how I feel about this book as a whole. May I simply say that this is one of the best collections of original children’s poetry I’ve ever read? Maybe poetry is far more than just touching on the ineffable. Maybe it’s about touching on the universal through the specific. If you read the poems in this book and do not feel at least the slightest tiny ache in your chest afterwards then try again. No glitter on its cover. No gold or gilt or glam. This is a beautiful book that could have the power to make your boisterous children introspective, if only for a moment. And a moment, depending on how it is spent, can last a lifetime if done correctly.

[Brenda Kahn]

I will be the first to admit that I avoid poetry. First off, I tend to read quickly and poetry demands slow and careful attention. Then, there's that cover. Nice enough, but it doesn't scream, "pick me up." I read through the poems a few weeks ago and thought, pleasant. I put the book aside, then just revisited it with a better frame of mind. I still don't love the cover, but the poems resonate. I especially enjoyed the imagery in "Remote," Barred Owl," "The World without Me," and "Why Pets Don't Write."

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ted Kooser and Connie Wanek bring their creativity and imagination in fabulous poems arranged in four categories: fire, water, air, earth. But they are not always what you readers might imagine. The poems are not signed so one cannot know who wrote which one, but they write about keeping a fire in a playpen, a barred owl "pulling his old gray overcoat around him", a television remote saying "Your wish is my command!" and a poem titled "Book": "Oh, sandwich delicious, my book!" with a leaf of romaine as a 'crisp bookmark'. Richard Jones' illustrations punctuate these poetry gifts with an added imaginative flair. It's a wonderful book, to enjoy and to share with a child or a class or a friend!

Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy!

[Mary Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two of my favorite poets for adults work magic for children. The illustrations (you might remember Richard Jones from THE PROPER WAY TO MEET A HEDGEHOG) add so much...so subtly. There is a lead poem that sets the reader up for using their imagination, then four sections -- fire, water, air, and earth. Be prepared to be surprised!

[Carolyn Whitzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been reading these children’s poems in between other books. Wonderful illustrations by Richard Jones punctuate a collaboration by Ted Kooser and Connie Wanek. Both love nature and the rhythm of the seasons. A very pleasurable book!

[Kiera Beddes · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting picture book that could be used as a mentor text for talking about imagination and introduction to poetry.

[Danielle Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this one, and sharing it with my mom. I’m waiting for them to come out with a paperback version that is less expensive, then I could add it to my collection.

[Kaitlyn Stemmet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marshmallow clouds is a poetry picture book broken down into sections. Fire, Water, Air and Earth, each poem in the sections follow the theme and each tells an engaging tale. My favorite poem was either marshmallows, or the world without me. This is an engaging picture book told through poems. It won a NCTE Award in 2023. This book could be used in any classroom but I feel it is targeted to younger students.

[Holly Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such interesting poems and beautiful illustrations!

[Andrea Espinoza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copyright: 2022
Award:2023 Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award (CLiPPA)
Star rating: 4/5
Genre: Picture books, fiction, poetry
Summary: The book "Marshmallow Clouds" is organized by the most common elements of
Water, Air, Earth, and Fire. There are words of imagery and many metaphors set up like a poem. A young boy and his dog use their imagination in the blue sky to find shapes.
Classroom Use: This book is definitely first-grade to fourth-grade. Children get to expose metaphors and use their imagination. There are plenty of activities you can like creating your own story, creating a lesson plan based on metaphors, and even bringing marshmallows (if allowed) to the classroom.

[Dest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally, I found this sort of quiet and dull overall. I read it immediately after reading Emile and the Field and I think it suffered in comparison. Whereas Emile has a musicality and seems to speak directly to children, I thought the poems in Mashmallow Clouds were clunky to read aloud, and most didn't feel like they'd have much child appeal.

There are a few poems in this collection that I appreciated. I liked "Remote" and "Cow Pie" which are among the few funny poems in the book. I also liked "Trees" ("Growing up for a tree / is mostly reaching out and out to touch another, / and that's enough of a life.") because it reminded me of a scene in the movie C'mon C'mon where this little boy is so excited to talk about how trees communicate with each other.

The subtitle (Two Poets at Play among Figures of Speech) made me think these poems would be exploring well-known figures of speech in a playful way, but that's not what's going on here. It would be more accurate to say this is Two Poets Making Observations Using Figurative Language.

[Natalie Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't be deterred by its slightly unmemorable cover art—this book of poetry is excellent. Thirty poems, cowritten by two-time U.S. Poet Laurete Ted Kooser and Library of Congress Poetry Fellow Connie Wanek, are deliciously descriptive and stay with you long after you've finished the final page.

Just take a listen to a few quotes and you'll see what I mean: A tadpole is "a huge comma, soft and black." An owl is an elderly fellow "pulling his old gray overcoat around him." A marshmallow is "soft and lightly powdered like a grandmother's cheek."

Sometimes philosophical, sometimes silly, and always imaginative, these poems are a delight for readers both young and old.

[Anne Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some pretty delightful poems, divided into four categories: fire, water, air, earth. Those categories very loosely related to the poems within them. My favorite poem is titled Flyswatter, it is very funny. The illustrations/art was my favorite part of the experience. I could spend hours looking at it.

Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out the target audience. If it is aimed at middle grade students then I question why it is marketed within the covers of a very childish size and shape.

Honestly, I think it will be adults who end up liking these poems best.

[Juli Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book of children's poetry I've seen produced in years. These poems are meaty and imaginative and never dumbed down for their audience. They never fall prey to the trap of corny jokes and bad sound devices that one so often sees in this genre. The illustrations gorgeous and spare, truly illuminating the book. What a standout!

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

This collection of over 25 poems is grouped into elements; fire, water, air, and earth. Each poem has an illustrations accompanying it. As the title indicates, the poems feature a lot of figurative language, which made me want to look into this; our seventh graders often have a poetry study unit that has them looking at poetry collections for different poetic features like metaphors, similes, personification, and (my favorite!) synecdoche! While the poems are rich with these different features, I was a tiny bit disappointed that some of the language wasn't labeled, and there weren't any explanations of how such language is used. This is purely a personal disappointment, but given the title of the book, I had great hopes.

The poems are well crafted; there's a fireplace that is always hungry, a field being planted that is compared to "black waves", and a lovely poem about an afternoon sky where the clouds are compared to cobwebs. These are all in blank, free verse, which is largely unmetered as well. My favorite is probably "Book", where the book is compared to a sandwich, with a "crisp bookmark... a leaf of romaine!".
Good Points
The illustrations have a transparent, almost sponge painted texture to them that plays up the "marshmallow cloud" theme. They also have a rather spare feeling to them, and use dark and light values in interesting ways. Jones' treatment of skies is particularly effective, and these backgrounds appear in "The Village Tennis Court", "Spring", and "June Afternoon". There are also some lovely trees, especially accompanying "Winter Ponies".

The other requirement that the poetry project at my school featured was the memorization of a poem that has at least 40 words in it, and most of these would be eligible. I would probably chose to memorize the ode to a "Remote", which is quirky but really paints a great picture of the philosophical concept of a remote control.

This reminded me a bit of Schaub's Fresh-picked Poetry : a Day at the Farmers' Market, Siebert's
Tour America : a Journey through Poems and Art, or Yolen's Color Me A Rhyme. It's a great choice for readers who like their poems arranged somewhat thematically and want quality illustrations to accompany them.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection is a 3.5 for me. I'd have rated in even higher if there had been some discussion about how the poems or this partnership came to be or even whether all the poems were written collaboratively or individually. Organized around the elements of fire, water, air, and earth, these 30 poems, including the book in the back matter, allow two talented poets to play with words and imagery through similes and metaphors in a sort of philosophical musing on nature, imagination, and living creatures. Different poems will speak to different readers/listeners, but my favorites included in the oh, so relatable "A Disappointment," which hints at seeing what others fail to see or imagine, the precursor to the four sections of poems, as well as "July" {"...I was boiled and salted / like a peanut. I was the meat / in a heat sandwich, the dog in a hot. / I was the crimson crayon in a sunny car..."(unpaged)}, "In November," which describes how the leaves "cling / to summer as the first cold winds / begin to pinch at them like / someone's fingers trying to put out /the flames of a thousand candles..." (unpaged), "The World Without Me," in which the narrator reflects on the difference he/she/they made in the life of a worm {"In the world without me, the worm died. / But in this world, I saved a worm.//" (unpaged)} as well as "Book" and "Trees." Perhaps the mark of good poetry is how it makes readers/listeners think. If so, this one has succeeded since I'm still thinking about the impact of one kind act, even though it was accomplished with squeamish reluctance in the case of that worm in "The World Without Me." The handsome, evocative illustrations, painted and digitally edited, are rather dreamy, inviting contemplation and imagination.

[Brandi Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting concept, this book of poetry is by two poets. The poems are grouped into sections of fir, water, earth and air. The poems use figures of speech and metaphor. These are not the silly or funny poems that are often found in children's poetry books but seem to be more reflective and tranquil. Most of these poems just didn’t do it for me. I did enjoy the first poem “A Disappointment” and its illustrations. It reminded me of how our childhood imagination is often shot down and discouraged until we lose it. I also thought “Book” was cute in its comparison of a book to a sandwich. I think my favorite would have to be “Fireplace” it has a slightly dark ominous feel. “It has no stomach. though. So fire/ is never full, never satisfied. / That’s why, no matter how it begs, / we must never set it free. //
This book was not for me, and I’m not sure what age group it would be best suited for. I don’t think its elementary kids level; maybe it’s a good fit for middle schoolers. There isn't really much information in the book on if the poems were collaborative or if some were written by Koosner and others by Wanek.
I think at the middle school level this collection could be good for a lesson on figures of speech archabbey enjoyed as parts of read aloud to show the versatility of poetry. I did find myself having trouble finding the rhythm and some of the poems though. I'll admit this poetry book is not what I was expecting. I'll have to give it another read through a different lens and see if I enjoy it more the second time around.

That being said, I really enjoyed the illustrations by Richard Jones which are done in paint and edited digitally. They’re done in a fun abstract style that feeds your imagination.

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collaboration between distinguished poets Ted Kooser and Connie Wanek is definitely a book to be read and reread! These are gentle poems that have a calming effect. While these poems are short and use simple words, they also contain numerous similes and metaphors for readers to consider and enjoy. A harp is “a great golden moth.” A book’s a sandwich, a barn “combs its roof straight down the middle.”

The subjects of the poems are mostly natural, and are all things that we see or interact with daily: clouds, leaves, stars, worms, butterflies. Yet these are described by the poets in surprising ways. A flyswatter “made in China for Chinese flies” and a sky “all covered with cobwebs” that no-one is trying to brush away are just two examples of the observant language found in these poems. I recommend reading this collection cover to cover!

Elizabeth L. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually don't like modern poems, since they rarely rhyme or have a sense of meter, but these appealed to me anyway because of their vivid sensory details. The poets use creative figures of speech that are unique without being self-consciously literary, and although some of the poems' thematic content might go over a child's head, the majority of the poems will connect with children's experiences with and understanding of the world around them, and the ones that might be too much for them at the moment are still enjoyable and invite curiosity.

The illustrations are gorgeous and atmospheric, supporting the poems in a powerful way. I enjoyed poring over the details, and the use of light was a stand-out element in many of them. I especially loved the illustrations of the fire in the fireplace, the old barn, the tadpoles, and the nighttime scene for the poem about dreams. I would recommend this book to the intended audience of children, and to teens and adults.

[Lizbeth Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copyright year: 2022
Award: NCTE
Genre: Poetry, Non- fiction, Children's lit.
Summary: "Marshmallow Clouds" by Connie Wanek is a collection of poetry that captures the beauty in a lot of everyday moments in life that are related to nature. Through these poems, it encourages readers to pay attention to the small details and appreciate the beauty and simplicity of the world around us.
Classroom use: This book could definitely be used as a way to show off metaphors, similes, or elements of poetry. There is especially a lot of personification with the comparison between inanimate objects and living things.
My thoughts: I liked that the book included poems that can be read by themselves. You could pick and choose your favorites and they would make sense to others without having to read the entire book. Reading the book some of the poems also gave me a comforting feeling that I really enjoyed.

[Adriana Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marshmallow Clouds, 2021
NCTE Excellence in Poetry Award
Genre: Poetry, Picture Book, Nature
This is a wonderful picture book about poetry. The poems consist of nature, materials, animals, and elements (Fire, Air, Water, Earth). I loved the Marshmallow poem. It consisted of explaining how marshmallows are, how they feel soft and like a “grandmother’s cheek”. One poem that I was captivated by was The World Without Me. It talks about someone walking in the rain and then seeing a worm alive in a puddle. The person then moves it to low grass and “In a world without them, the worm died. But in this world, I saved a worm”. This book is full of fun poetry! I would use this in class with my 3rd graders to show students how to use different types of poetry. I would also encourage students to write poetry and gather some ideas from this book.

[Melissa Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of poems by two poets is whimsical and fun. I enjoyed how the authors describe everyday objects with a sense of wonder and appreciation. I almost wish that the book was unillustrated so that the pictures painted by the words would be unfettered by illustrations, but the artwork is simple, beautiful, and thoughtful.

For Dr. Day's reading challenge:
Copyright: 2022
Genre: poetry
Awards: NCTE Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels
How I would use this book:
Because this book includes poems on so many random, everyday things, it would be useful for pulling poems to include in lessons on many subjects. It might be nice to have students select a poem from this book (and other poetry books) to read before a lesson as a transition activity, or read one out loud at the beginning of class.

[The Silvan Reverie | Sarah Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely and thoughtful poetry book for children ages 10-13. The book is divided up by four themes of elements: Fire, Water, Air, Earth. There are about 50 poems in all. While these poems do not have a rhyme or meter I do think they are thoughtful and nice celebrations of nature and life. In fact, this book celebrates a new way of seeing and feeling in the midst of the everyday. I think aiming this book at older elementary kids is wise, since younger children do better with some rhyme. I really think this book is beautiful. It celebrates the imagination and is a good way to expose children to deeper poetic devices like metaphor.

***Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Candlewick Press. Opinions are my own.