A Dozen Million Spills

William Blackburn teaches children’s literature at the University of
Calgary.

Given the average child’s genius for mischief and misfortune, it is
well that children are born resilient rather than merely smart. The
author’s tight and lively verse is a consistent celebration of that
happy gift. Be the subject what it will—measles, nightmare, toothache,
or a broken leg (“it was great”)—the verse joyously affirms the
child’s capacity for triumphing over adversity. John Fraser,
ohuigin’s collaborator on two previous works (Scary Poems for Rotten
Kids and He Mumbled), once again supplies a colorful and whimsical
complement to the text. In an age in which the child’s status as
victim is all too often exploited (while the exploiters affect to
deplore this status), A Dozen Million Spills is a welcome work indeed.
Recommended.