Save the World For Me

Jean Free, a library consultant, is a retired public-school teacher and
librarian in Whitby, Ontario.

Save the World for Me is Tynes’s first poetry book for children,
although she has written two for adults, earning the Milton Acorn Award
for one. Her themes are divided into “Your World”; “School
World”; “Big World”; and “Epilogue: Maxine’s World.” Themes
of ecology and interests of junior-grade children (pizza, skateboards,
shopping) are subjects for her poetry. “Save the World for Me” would
appeal to youngsters learning about pollution and conservation. “The
People’s Rainbow” is about the variety of cultures in Canada. Her
best writing is probably in the epilogue, where she writes about her
Black heritage.

Small line drawings by the author add little to the book’s format,
and many of the rhymes are contrived and obvious, while awkward rhythms
abound. Tynes is a Nova Scotia poet and high-school teacher.