Reviews
A Kirkus Best Book of the Year An Arnold Adoff Poetry Award Winner An NCTE Notable Poetry Book A Kansas NEA Master List Selection "16 poems celebrate precious, small, and meaningful moments between fathers and their children. . . Tender and honest, these poems pack a big emotional punch. "-- Publishers Weekly , starred review "The line breaks and rhyme schemes make the poems accessible . . .the bulk of the emotion has to come from body positioning, posture, and the relations between figures on a page; Smith has mastered this, conveying so much with tilting heads and embracing arms. A masterful salute to fatherhood ."-- Kirkus Reviews , starred review "The poems are accessible and a true celebration of fatherhood. . . A lovely addition to poetry collections that may just inspire kids to write verse of their own. "-- School Library Journal , starred review " A heartwarming, lyrical collection . . . A first-rate pick for Father's Day that celebrates dads and, as Smith notes in her dedication, "those who stand in the gap offering guidance, love, and support to children in need."-- Booklist, A Kirkus Best Book of the Year An Arnold Adoff Poetry Award Winner An NCTE Notable Poetry Book "16 poems celebrate precious, small, and meaningful moments between fathers and their children. . . Tender and honest, these poems pack a big emotional punch. "-- Publishers Weekly , starred review "The line breaks and rhyme schemes make the poems accessible . . .the bulk of the emotion has to come from body positioning, posture, and the relations between figures on a page; Smith has mastered this, conveying so much with tilting heads and embracing arms. A masterful salute to fatherhood ."-- Kirkus Reviews , starred review "The poems are accessible and a true celebration of fatherhood. . . A lovely addition to poetry collections that may just inspire kids to write verse of their own. "-- School Library Journal , starred review " A heartwarming, lyrical collection . . . A first-rate pick for Father's Day that celebrates dads and, as Smith notes in her dedication, "those who stand in the gap offering guidance, love, and support to children in need."-- Booklist, Mother Poems :Smith's deeply personal collection of poems, accompanied by free-form collages, forms a distinct narrative arc, with early poems striking an easy tone...But after the mother's death, the poems draw on complex emotions and memories that lead, eventually, to rejuvenation. - Publishers Weekly The collection has a depth in character growth that lingers and brings readers back to savor moments again and again. - School Library Journal The Way a Door Closes : The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award A CCBC Choice A Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age An IRA Notable Children's Book The Claudia Lewis Award for Poetry given by the Bank Street College of Education The Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Distinguished Work of Poetry The Judy Lopez Memorial Award given by the Women's National Book Association A Lee Bennett Hopkins Award Honor Book A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year Keeping the Night Watch : This hopeful book celebrates the power of families to heal and overcome hard times. It will speak to the hearts of many readers. - School Library Journal, starred review The words are simple and the beautiful watercolor pictures of the African American family have the same quiet intensity. - Booklist, starred review Here is a lovely melding of accessible beauty, hard truth, and aesthetic inspiration for young readers and budding writers. - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review, "The line breaks and rhyme schemes make the poems accessible . . .the bulk of the emotion has to come from body positioning, posture, and the relations between figures on a page; Smith has mastered this, conveying so much with tiltingheads and embracing arms. A masterful salute to fatherhood ."-- Kirkus Reviews , starred review "The poems are accessible and a true celebration of fatherhood. . . A lovely addition to poetry collections that may just inspire kids towrite verse of their own. "-- School Library Journal , starred review " A heartwarming, lyrical collection . . . A first-rate pick for Father's Day that celebrates dads and, as Smith notes inher dedication, "those who stand in the gap offering guidance, love, and support to children in need." _-- Booklist, "16 poems celebrate precious, small, and meaningful moments between fathers and their children. . . Tender and honest, these poems pack a big emotional punch. "-- Publishers Weekly , starred review "The line breaks and rhyme schemes make the poems accessible . . .the bulk of the emotion has to come from body positioning, posture, and the relations between figures on a page; Smith has mastered this, conveying so much with tilting heads and embracing arms. A masterful salute to fatherhood ."-- Kirkus Reviews , starred review "The poems are accessible and a true celebration of fatherhood. . . A lovely addition to poetry collections that may just inspire kids to write verse of their own. "-- School Library Journal , starred review " A heartwarming, lyrical collection . . . A first-rate pick for Father's Day that celebrates dads and, as Smith notes in her dedication, "those who stand in the gap offering guidance, love, and support to children in need."-- Booklist, "16 poems celebrate precious, small, and meaningful moments between fathers and their children. . . Tender and honest, these poems pack a big emotional punch. "-- Publishers Weekly , starred review "The line breaks and rhyme schemes make the poems accessible . . .the bulk of the emotion has to come from body positioning, posture, and the relations between figures on a page; Smith has mastered this, conveying so much with tiltingheads and embracing arms. A masterful salute to fatherhood ."-- Kirkus Reviews , starred review "The poems are accessible and a true celebration of fatherhood. . . A lovely addition to poetry collections that may just inspire kids towrite verse of their own. "-- School Library Journal , starred review " A heartwarming, lyrical collection . . . A first-rate pick for Father's Day that celebrates dads and, as Smith notes inher dedication, "those who stand in the gap offering guidance, love, and support to children in need."-- Booklist, A Kirkus Best Book of the Year An NCTE Notable Poetry Book "16 poems celebrate precious, small, and meaningful moments between fathers and their children. . . Tender and honest, these poems pack a big emotional punch. "-- Publishers Weekly , starred review "The line breaks and rhyme schemes make the poems accessible . . .the bulk of the emotion has to come from body positioning, posture, and the relations between figures on a page; Smith has mastered this, conveying so much with tilting heads and embracing arms. A masterful salute to fatherhood ."-- Kirkus Reviews , starred review "The poems are accessible and a true celebration of fatherhood. . . A lovely addition to poetry collections that may just inspire kids to write verse of their own. "-- School Library Journal , starred review " A heartwarming, lyrical collection . . . A first-rate pick for Father's Day that celebrates dads and, as Smith notes in her dedication, "those who stand in the gap offering guidance, love, and support to children in need."-- Booklist, "The line breaks and rhyme schemes make the poems accessible . . .the bulk of the emotion has to come from body positioning, posture, and the relations between figures on a page; Smith has mastered this, conveying so much with tiltingheads and embracing arms. A masterful salute to fatherhood ."-- Kirkus Reviews , starred review "The poems are accessible and a true celebration of fatherhood. . . A lovely addition to poetry collections that may just inspire kids towrite verse of their own. "-- School Library Journal , starred review " A heartwarming, lyrical collection . . . A first-rate pick for Father's Day that celebrates dads and, as Smith notes inher dedication, "those who stand in the gap offering guidance, love, and support to children in need."-- Booklist
