Soft Hay Will Catch You

Publishers Weekly

Poetry in Motion Writers of all ages wax poetic in these collections. Children in grades two to 12 express their inner musings, discoveries and observations in Soft Hay Will Catch You: Poems by Young People, compiled by Sandford Lyne, illus. by Julie Monks. A companion to Ten-Second Rainshowers, the collection contains the poetic works of over 100 children, in loose thematic groups dealing with solitude, family and discoveries, among others. Monks contributes airy oil paintings that focus on nature and capture the mood of the pieces. ( Mar.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Sanford Lyne shares with readers the poetry written by kids from across the country, but primarily from rural areas. He spent years as a poet-in-the-schools running workshops for students in grades three through twelve. (Sandford is not limited to workshops for children, but also has successfully run workshops for educators.) The stage is set if you read the acknowledgements, introduction and flap copy, but the amazing part of this book is reading what these young poets have written. Their poems are divided into six major categories. The first section is entitled "The Inward Fire" which is a collection of poems about "the search for self." Most of these poems are written by kids in the fifth to seventh grades, but particularly in the sixth. It is a real turning point in life moving from a being a child to a teenager with all the hormonal changes and time spent thinking about oneself. The poem entitled "Innocence" is a good example of the need to go on, or grow up, and the tug of not wanting to move ahead just yet. The second section entitled "My Fire Casts Shadows" encompasses poems that relate to solitude and loneliness—it is almost heartbreaking to read about kids in third, fourth and fifth grade who feel so alone in the world. And yet the compassion shown in the poem of a third grader named Matthew Schnall is truly heartwarming. He writes of a new kid in the area and how he should go and play with him "to start the kindness of another day." As you read through the book you cannot help but be impressed with the deep feelings and thoughts of these young students. It is a book that would be terrific in any poetry unit, and one that teachers should get into the hands of theirstudents. The art has a folk flavor and that is really in keeping with the origins of most of the poets featured in the book. 2004, Simon & Schuster, Ages 8 up.
—Marilyn Courtot

School Library Journal

Gr 4-10-Lyne has organized the poems written by students who participated in his writing workshops into categories of interest to other kids: the search for self, loneliness, home and family, the soul's journey, discoveries, and connections to place. The young poets use strong images: "Shadows lurk all/around me, scaring/me- /-but they won't/hold me back, for I'm/much more powerful/than they." In "Integrity," a seventh grader writes, "Keep going, I tell myself, alone in my rowboat." The final section is compelling; these youngsters clearly know and love the locations they describe. For example, in "In the Final Hours of Sunlight," an eighth grader paints this image: "I lean back against the warping stable door,/fingering clumps of hay,/pressing the heel of my boot into the wet sawdust." Monks's full-page, oil paintings have a primitive, folk style that complements the direct tone of the compositions. Young people will enjoy reading these poems, and may well be inspired to write their own.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.