cover image Flicker Flash

Flicker Flash

Joan Bransfield Graham. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), $16 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-395-90501-2

Graham (Splish Splash) reflects on the meaning and many permutations of light in 23 concrete poems. There's one set in the form of a crescent moon (""New moon/ sliver thin/ nice to see/ the night grin""), another sprinkled across a spread like fireworks. Ben Franklin and Thomas Edison even make cameo appearances. Although few of the verses possess enough descriptive candlepower or aural energy to glow on their own, artist and graphic designer Davis's ingenious typographical treatments, punctuated with witty, icon-style illustrations, make each poem shimmer. Whether sculpting words into a glowing insect (""Firefly"") or conjuring an image of dancing flames between two toasting marshmallows (""Campfire""), Davis proves she is capable of visualizing the poetic spirit of language at play. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)