THE RAINBOW HAND

In an exquisite and moving collection of poetry, Wong (A Suitcase of Seaweed, 1996, etc.) explores the myriad emotions connected to the word and image of “mother.” Eighteen poems run the gamut of experience, from childhood adoration, to adolescent exasperation, to the wisdom and respect of adulthood. The poems sometimes reflect the child’s voice, as in the humorous mealtime lament, “Meat Loaf Again, Mother?”; other times it is the voice of the mother, asking, for example, for the strength, courage, and hope to guide her child through life: “I will need the softness of a deer,/to nudge my child down the right path.” Hewitson’s expressive illustrations resonate with the shimmying lines of scratchboard; extrapolating simple imagery from the poems, she creates a visual synopsis of their message. A contemplation and celebration of the complexities of motherhood, this is in some ways more of a gift book for children to read with adults than for undertaking on their own. (Poetry. 8-11)