From Daybreak to Good Night

Jennifer Falkner is an Ottawa-based freelance writer and bookseller.

The poems in this fine collection are presented in a way that takes the
reader through a spring day at the Sandburg farm in North Carolina,
during which a group of children are visiting the poet and his mother.
Most of the poems describe the natural world and Sandburg’s love for
it.

The day begins with his very famous poem, “Fog.” This is followed
by poems on subjects ranging from small insects to the various larger
animals found on a farm, such as cows and goats. There are also riddles
over breakfast and singing from the porch in the afternoon. Two poems
are included that do not belong to Sandburg—“Bee! I’m expecting
you!” by Emily Dickinson and “The Horse Named Bill” by Red
Lewis—but neither seems out of place in this collection.

This is an excellent introduction for children both to Sandburg’s
work and to poetry in general. The free verse is accessible and the
images, although spare, are direct. Lynn Smith-Ary’s accompanying
illustrations, which depict a colorful, rather two-dimensional world,
are fresh and fun. Recommended.