I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.

Gregory Bryan is a member of the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

Sami Suomalainen’s modern, whimsical interpretation of William Wordsorth’s classic poem, “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” is highly imaginative. The book may work well as a means of introducing children to a classic poem. The poem is Wordsworth’s lovely 1807 tribute to daffodils.

The book features vibrantly coloured paintings, including an interesting juxtaposition of warm and cool colours. Although I appreciate the artist’s talent, I find the interpretation rather odd. Suomalainen’s illustrations feature robots and oddly formed, but merry, daffodils. It is an unusual interpretation, but certainly an interesting one. Suomalainen’s use of curved lines and rounded shapes soften the appearance of the robots, however, Wordsworth’s words seem to me to be at odds with depictions of robots and bizarre flowers and I am not convinced Suomalainen’s illustrations are compatible with the feel of the text. That said, I do not doubt that some children will find the artwork entertaining and extremely engaging. As such, for some children, this book may prove an interesting portal into the world of Classical poetry. Recommended with reservations.