As a companion volume to her poetry collections about earth and about water, Marilyn Singer now examines the nature of fire, an overlooked subject in the realms of poetry. From forest fires and prairie fires to the fires on backyard grills; from chili peppers to birthday candles; to jack-o-lanterns, menorahs, Christmas lights, and holidays around the earth; to dragons who provide their own central heating—these lyrical poems present a fresh and insightful view of fire of all kinds. Meilo So combines strong linocut art with her signature brushwork in striking illustrations reproduced in fire-red.
Central Heating: Poems about Fire and Warmth FROM THE PUBLISHER As a companion volume to her poetry collections about earth and about water, Marilyn Singer now examines the nature of fire, an overlooked subject in the realms of poetry. From forest fires and prairie fires to the fires on backyard grills; from chili peppers to birthday candles; to jack-o-lanterns, menorahs, Christmas lights, and holidays around the earth; to dragons who provide their own central heating—these lyrical poems present a fresh and insightful view of fire of all kinds. Meilo So combines strong linocut art with her signature brushwork in striking illustrations reproduced in fire-red.
FROM THE CRITICS Publishers Weekly If Footprints on the Roof contemplated the earth and environment, this companion volume, Central Heating: Poems About Fire and Warmth by Marilyn Singer, illus. by Meilo So, explores all aspects of fire. From fire's very nature ("Fire has contradiction/ at its heart,/ from that wintry blue part/ to its jagged golden crown") to the legendary creatures that breathe it ("Who wouldn't care to be/ a dragon?/ To be master of fire/ and air?") to the fire fighters who squelch it. So's illustrations, appropriately rendered in red ink, set the scenes ablaze with energy and vitality. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews Continuing their series of poetic evocations of the natural world, Singer and So present 19 poems about fire, this time printing in a curving, delicate red font and choosing a powerful red for the illustrations. By combining linocut with wash, So manages both bold and wispy effects, much like fire itself. Singer, who has sung water and earth in the earlier collections, has a sure hand, although somehow these poems are slightly less of a treasure than the others. In "Fire-Bringers," she posits the power of the person chosen to carry the fire from Stone Age camp to camp; she muses on the "peculiar party" that happens when neighbors gather to watch an old house burn in "Landmark." Firefighters, fireflies, roasted marshmallows, even a chili pepper get their due. In "Holidays," she notes with keen insight the connection of holidays to fire: menorahs, luminarias, paper lanterns, fireworks. Its engaging design will surely entice readers to open and read, perhaps in front of their own candle, hearth, or stove. (Poetry. 7-11)
|
