Emily Dickinson's Letters to the World

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Summary: A Brief Introduction to Emily Dickinson.....
Review: "My sister Emily was buried today..." So begins Jeanette Winter's very brief biography of poet, Emily Dickinson. Narrated by her sister, Lavinia, as she cleans out Emily's room, we learn just a few small facts about the elusive poet. She was a recluse who lived in the smallest upstairs room of the family's house. She loved words, studied the dictionary, and spent all her time writing on scraps of paper. She wore only white dresses, and most townfolk thought her strange. After her death, Lavinia finds drawers full of those scraps of paper, Emily's "letters to the world," and Ms Winter fills the rest of this small volume with a selection of 21 poems, some famous...There Is No Frigate Like A Book, I'm Nobody! Who Are You?, and If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking, and others less recognizable to complete her story. Her vibrant illustrations, done in an engaging folk art sytle, complement the text and enhances each poem beautifully. Though a bit light on biographical material, Emily Dickinson's Letters To The World is a simple and intriguing introduction to a remarkable poet that should open interesting discussions and whet the appetite of youngsters 7 and older, and send them out looking for more.

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Summary: problems
Review: It was a wonderful idea, but I was disappointed by the book. In my view the illustrations are stylized, sterile, and off-putting - you can see if you agree with me by enlarging the cover and taking a look at it - , the graphic design and color patterns produced visual clutter, and the poems are in not-easy-to-read stylized italics. But what prompted me to comment was the alteration of language of at least one, and I suspect more than one, of the poems. The eight-line poem I checked begins: "I'm nobody. Who are you?" In Ms. Winter's book line four of this poem substitutes "advertise" for "banish us," line six substitutes "frog" for "fog," and line seven substitutes "June" for "day." As you can see for yourself, these changes degrade the poem. I suppose this is considered legitimate bowdlerization, given the audience. I don't agree. In any event the author and editors were remiss in failing to include a notice that at least one of the poems was altered.

Rating:
Summary: For whom is this intended and what is it's purpose?
Review: While it is a nice premise - Emily's sister Lavinia discovers her sister's poems - the book falls a bit flat. The tone feels a bit condescending and dramatic in its attempt to engage young readers, and the narrative stops abruptly, launching into the poems with no commentary. The letters to the world theme is hammered into the reader's head, mentioned no less than five times if one includes the subtitle.
The poems are printed in a spidery script to distinguish them from the narrative. The font may be difficult for the beginning readers the book seems to be intended for. The selections are a diverse mix of her familiar and lessen known poems, including "I'm Nobody! Who are you?" and "There is no frigate like a book."
The illustrations are lovely, with a smooth solid folk art look to them. Emily appears in each drawing, making it clear that we are seeing the world through her eyes. Although each poem (and therefore illustration) is quite different, a common motif of scattered flowers, leaves and stars and graceful undulating arcs repeat in the forms of branches, waves and earth, tying the volume together. A short note at the end divulges additional biographical information. Sources are cited.
The small size, simple language and bright pictures make this a nice choice for young readers, but it is not as well done as The Mouse of Amherst by Elizabeth Spires (Francis Foster, 1999) or Emily Dickinson: Poetry for Young People by Emily Dickinson (Sterling, 1994).