I think it highly unlikely that I would ever have come across this title, despite my interest in children's literature, were it not for my 2006 "children’s-lit" project - to read all of Zilpha Keatley Snyder's work. This sixth book by the prolific children's author offers a collection of twenty-four poems, each devoted to some aspect of play or free time. The poems are accompanied by black and white photographs of children at play.

Although a great admirer of Ms. Snyder's fiction, I must confess that I was distinctly unimpressed by this collection. To be fair, children's poetry is not an area in which I do a lot of reading, and this may be the sort of thing more suitable for young people to read - perhaps aloud?

That said, there were one or two lines that struck my fancy. In particular: the statement that The world is everywhere and near in the poem, The Living World; and the notion that If you opened you eyes/ In a special way,/ You could see the things/ He didn't quite say from Frog. Sentimental or not, I also liked the poem This Friend, which celebrates the unconditional love that a dog offers. ( )