Miller, Kate. Poems in Black and White. Kate Miller, Illustrator. Wordsong, 2007.

Annotation and Recommendations: Kate Miller’s collection of poems and drawings deal with a variety of topics that would interest children ages 9-12 including the love of parents for their children, behaving in school, comets, and animals, as they are relevant to their knowledge and life experiences. The vocabulary used is also suited for children of these ages as words such as haphazard, impish, onyx, and roguish appear. The poems are written in free verse and tell short stories, or share brief thoughts on a particular topic. What is most interesting is how Miller’s drawings, in black and white of course, complement the individual poems. This book could be used in class during a poetry unit, where a student could select a poem that they relate to and explain why. You may also ask a child to imitate Miller’s combination of poems and artwork as discussed below.

Art: The front and back covers of the book jacket present us with our first black and white illustrations, yet the endpapers are red, the only color to appear anywhere in the book. The artwork inside this book of poems is interesting and unique. For example, Miller creates double or single page monotypes for each poem by painting an image onto Plexiglas and adding texture with sticks, her hands, or even lace. She then presses white paper onto the class and peels away, revealing a unique image. The layout of the book is also interesting in terms of text and illustrations. For example, in the poem Comet, the text streams away on the background of a starry night sky, like a comet. The text for the poem Dandelion Dreams appears below the earth’s surface, like the roots of the plant. And the text of Bowling gradually widens to fit inside a bowling pin. It is clear that the text and illustrations need each other, and the final product is beautiful.