*Marshmallow Clouds by Ted Kooser and Connie Wanek

In Marshmallow Clouds, two poets look at the world, both the sublime and the mundane, through expressive wordplay.

*Marshmallow Clouds: Two Poets at Play among Figures of Speech by Ted Kooser and Connie Wanek, illustrated by Richard Jones. Candlewick, 2022, 72 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10

Recommended for: ages 6-up

Enjoying an Endlessly Interesting World

God gives us a beautiful natural world, but he also gives the facilities to enjoy it—not only with our senses, but also with our imagination. The two poets who wrote this collection are indeed “at play,” letting their thoughts run free over stars and rain puddles and long summer days and fly swatters. Though many of their subjects are mundane (not just fly swatters, but TV remotes, marshmallows and abandoned tennis courts), there is something sublime about the “ordinary” human ability to make wild comparisons and follow fanciful metaphors.

The poems, all in free-verse style, are grouped according to the four traditional elements: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Metaphor takes a starring role among figures of speech, but its close cousin personification offers strong support. An aluminum boat turned upside-down hides a shadow “peering out at the meddlesome world.” Thunder gets up in the middle of the night “and, not wanting to wake us,/ stumbles around, bumping the walls/ . . . now and then lighting a match/ and then, just as quickly, blowing it out.” A book is “oh, sandwich delicious!” with layers of delight and a leaf of romaine for a bookmark.

Marshmallow Clouds isn’t necessarily the kind of book a kid will pick up voluntarily, but once inside the covers it’s hard to imagine anyone who won’t be intrigued by the imagery. It would be fun to read three or four at a time and then look around for everyday objects to personify or metaphorize. In his Afterword Ted Kooser likens imagination to a dog or cat: “playing with your imagination can keep it happy and healthy.” That’s what these poems are about, and with the slightest encouragement, they inspire further play.

Overall Rating: 4.5

Worldview/moral value: 3.5Artistic/literary value: 5

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Also at Redeemed Reader:

Review: Ted Kooser is the author of House Held up by Trees, reviewed here. Also check out one of our favorite poetry books, I’m Just No Good at Rhyming.Resource: See our interview with David Harrison, one of our favorite poetry writers for kids.

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