The Horn Book Guide

LITERATURE

Salting the Ocean: 100 Poems by Young Poets

112 pp. | Greenwillow | March, 2000 | Trade ISBN 0-688-16193-6 $$16.95

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Ashley Bryan. These poems are divided into four topics: The Self and the Inner World, Where We Live, Anybody's Family, and the Wide Imagination (decorative illustrations introduce each section). Some poems occasionally catch fire, but not for more than a line or two. The collection shows that children can think about and play with words to rich effect; what is seldom apparent is what readers are expected to gain from these less-than-revelatory efforts.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2000