[racy review] Dinos That Drive by Suzy Levinson and Dustin Harbin

November 7, 2025November 6, 2025 ~ jama ~ 25 Comments

Attention Auto Aficionados, Jurassic Junkies and Diehard Dinomaniacs!

Buckle Up and Start Your Engines! Vroom! Zoom! We’re off on a ~~prehysteri~~c prehistoric poetry adventure sure to get your motors humming.

If you relish turbo-charged humor, well-oiled rhymes, fun facts and genius cartoons, steer your way right into Dinos That Drive by Suzy Levinson and Dustin Harbin (Tundra, 2025). This well-versed vehicle consisting of 21 poems is packed with fossilized fun from brontos to buses and triceratops to tractors, with friendly herbivores and one terrifying carnivore throwing a wacky wrench in the works (say that fast five times). Look, here they come now, roarin’ down the highway . . .

DINOS . . . GOING?

You've never seen a dinosaur
that's into driving cars?
You've never seen a dinosaur
that flies a jumbo jet?
You've never seen a dinosaur
that rockets to the stars?
Then buckle up! Let's take a ride . . .
YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET!

The concept of putting dinosaurs behind the wheel is brilliant: Dinos + Things That Go = Kid Heaven. Dustin Harbin’s imaginative, immersive Scarry-esque cartoons expand upon the captivating humor of Levinson’s rollicking poems via zany details and cool sight gags.

Continue reading →

[magical review] Little Witch’s To-Do List by Helen Kemp Zax and Kiersten Eve Eagan

October 31, 2025October 30, 2025 ~ jama ~ 25 Comments

Happy Halloween!

It’s time for ghosts, goblins, spiders and skeletons, black cats, bats, witches and warlocks. Have you ever wondered what our spooky friends are up to before they venture out at night?

In Little Witch’s To-Do List by Helen Kemp Zax and Kiersten Eve Eagan (Abrams Appleseed, 2025), a young witch manages her busy day by methodically tackling a variety of tasks one item at a time. It’s a good thing she’s made a list because there are so many things to finish before bedtime!

Cast a spell for sunshine
Fluff my cobweb bed
Feed my baby phoenix
Turn my black robe red

Once she’s donned her robe and pointy hat, she looks in the mirror, tries to grow a wart hair and practices her scowling. She’s quite determined to master her technique. 🙂

The fun continues with owl training, working on her magic-wand skills, brewing a bee-wing potion, then baking a toadstool cake. With a poof of her magic-wand, she even turns herself into a dragon!

Continue reading →

two poems by Freya Manfred

October 24, 2025October 23, 2025 ~ jama ~ 32 Comments

I consider it a rare gift to discover a new-to-me poet, one whose work immediately resonates and whets my appetite for more.

Reading Freya Manfred’s poems for the first time was like taking a rejuvenating breath of fresh air, or drinking a tall glass of cool water on a warm day. She often writes about nature and human relationships; her plain-spoken words, generous spirit and clear-sighted wisdom shifted my perspective. Here are two poems I found especially moving.

*“Breakfast” by Amy Werntz (oil on panel).*

IMAGINE THIS 
by Freya Manfred

When you’re young, and in good health,
you can imagine living in New York City,
or Nepal, or in a tree beyond the moon,
and who knows who you’ll marry: a millionaire,
a monkey, a sea captain, a clown.

But the best imaginers are the old and wounded,
who swim through ever narrowing choices,
dedicating their hearts to peace, a stray cat,
a bowl of homemade vegetable soup,
or red Mountain Ash berries in the snow.

Imagine this: only one leg and lucky to have it,
a jig-jagged jaunt with a cane along the shore,
leaning on a walker to get from grocery to car,
smoothing down the sidewalk on a magic moving chair,
teaching every child you meet the true story

of this sad, sweet, tragic, Fourth of July world.

~ from Speak, Mother (Red Dragonfly Press, 2015).

Continue reading →

[mindful review+ giveaway] The Gift of the Broken Teacup by Allan Wolf and Jade Orlando

October 17, 2025October 16, 2025 ~ jama ~ 24 Comments

Imagine standing beneath a tall tree in a quiet snow-laden forest, your soul abloom with heightened awareness. Or perhaps you’re lying on your bed, eyes closed, envisioning a butterfly fluttering just above you, its wings stirring up the gentle air before it softly lands on your fingers, nose and eyelids.

Whether immersing yourself in nature or traveling within, moments of calm introspection can help offset the stresses of daily life, rejuvenate the spirit and restore balance. In The Gift of the Broken Teacup: Poems of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Me (Candlewick, 2025), poet Allan Wolf and illustrator Jade Orlando invite young readers to open their minds, think deeper, and enjoy the benefits of being fully present in their daily lives.

This insightful collection explores the essence of mindfulness by offering strategies for self actualization and emotional literacy. With an emphasis on positive values like empathy, kindness, gratitude and respect, this child-friendly primer for being in the world truly inspires and empowers.

Thirty poems are presented in three sections — Mindfulness, Meditation, and Me — with the opening poem introducing the book’s overarching themes of acceptance, openness, and intention.

THE GIFT OF THE BROKEN TEACUP

I drink my tea 
from a broken cup.
The handle is gone,
so I pick the cup up
with both hands cupped
as if to pray.
I've learned my tea
tastes better this way.

I like the speaker’s non judgmental attitude and willingness to embrace the broken cup for what it is, ultimately discovering an unexpected gift. Good lesson: always remain open to possibilities, trust yourself.

Continue reading →