LITERATURE
Latham, Irene

Nine: A Book of Nonet Poems

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Huntington. A nonet, as the first poem explains, is a "Grand / poem / with nine lines / one-syllable / first line builds toward / nine-syllable ninth line / (or the reverse). A staircase / for poets and readers alike! / (Any subject, rhyming optional.)" Latham's nonets focus on a wide range of subjects, each related to the number nine--Apollo 9, the Little Rock Nine, being "dressed to the nines"--while loose-lined illustrations in watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil show a diverse cast of kids engaging with each topic. Detail-oriented readers should find fun in counting syllables, and the language is well-chosen for read-alouds (in a poem about nighttime baseball: "Nine players like dancers / on a stage lit by starshine"), though there's a forced line here and there. A closing note gives more information about the poem topics, the word nonet, and, of course, the number nine.

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