A SUMMER NIGHT CONCERT

The small things rarely noticed, like the “tender hands” of spring and the “colorful rain” of summer, are captured here.

Though not laid out in a recognizable verse format, the lyrical passages in this book employ metaphor and personification to deliver image-rich experiences characteristic of poetry. Winter is briefly mentioned as the bees “fly out to shake their transparent wings in the golden sunshine,” but the book’s seven poems dwell on the three other seasons, inviting readers to explore them through the senses. Readers will hear the “pitter-patter” of the falling rain as “the farm crops take a cold shower,” see the sunshine “on the lotus leaves, the silver dewdrops…sparkling and bright,” and feel Mother Corn embrace “her children even though they have already grown whiskers.” Cheng’s soft and gentle illustrations extend Tong’s text, originally published in China and printed here in an uncredited translation. Whether it is the floating dandelion seeds flying with Granny Wind or Grandpa Owl protecting the beautiful summer’s concert, the illustrations are a pleasing representation of each poem. Rendered in soft colors and with varying perspectives, the world changes with each turn of the page and each emotion expressed. Some compositions are oddly blank, perhaps due to the shift from Chinese to English printing conventions. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A sweet collection of poems to celebrate the turn of the seasons.