I found "This Place I Know: Poems of Comfort" to be a book that provides both hope and consolation. I appreciate the fact that the poetry addresses so many of the confused emotions that we all have experienced since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Anyone who thinks, "It happened awhile ago, and it doesn't affect my kids anymore," should think again. Recently, I had two experiences that illustrated this. In July, 2002, my six-year old grandson and his family flew to Florida for a vacation. Just before they left on the trip, Hayden began to get apprehensive. He asked his mother, "Will you keep me safe on the plane? Will you keep the bad men from flying into a building?"

Within days of those comments, my husband and I heard the following exchange at the ice cream store by a brother and sister, the boy about four years old, the girl about eight.
Girl to parents: "When will the war be over?" (The parents looked startled but didn't respond.)
Boy to sister: "What war?"
Girl: "Maybe when I get married [long pause] or when I'm in sixth grade."
Boy: "Maybe in a hundred years." (The parents again said nothing, and the kids began to talk about something else.)

"This Place I Know: Poems of Comfort" was recently published by Candlewick Press. The poems were selected by author and teacher Georgia Heard, who said, "I tried to choose poems that touch upon our feelings of fear and loss, remind us that we are not alone in despair, and assure us that dreams can be born even from tragedy." Heard first began gathering poems after September 11, when asked to do so by the superintendent of district 2 in Manhatten. The superintendent wanted Heard to find "poems of comfort" that could be read to the New York City schoolchildren who had experienced the tragedy.

The book features double page spreads, with a single poem on one page and an accompanying illustration on the facing page. The selection of poetry was done with great sensitivity and includes poems by Wendell Berry, Gwendolyn Brooks, Emily Dickinson, Lillian Morrison, among others. Eighteen different illustrators of children's books provided the artwork, including Kevin Hawkes, Elisa Kleven, Jill McElmurry, Peter Sis, William Steig, Chris Raschka and Melissa Sweet. The artwork, for the most part, complements the written words, and in many cases, brings added depth to the poetry.

Children from 9 to 12, as well as adults and entire families, will benefit from this book. The poetry invites us to express our sorrow, to find peace and comfort in nature and other people, to look ahead with hope as well as joy, to "strengthen the things that remain," and to remember that everyone the world over, whether they are someone we know or not, has value.

"This Place I Know: Poems of Comfort" is a good sized (10¼" x10½") hardbound book about 40 pages long, with cover art by Peter Sis. A portion of the retail price of each book will be contributed to Save the Children. The book retails in the United States for $16.99. I highly recommend it. (Candlewick Press, 2002. ISBN: 0763619248)

Note: When you read this book, let me know how you and your family feel about it by posting a message on our bulletin board, the About Children's Books Forum.