Think Again

Poetry for a younger audience can be very difficult to write. Certainly not many kids are interested in poetry, but if done right it can be very entertaining and poignant. The biggest trick is finding some way to connect to the young audience. Think Again is a book of poetry aimed at kids aged ten and up. This can be a very difficult group, as it’s a bit of a young range for kids to really be interested in poetry, but this book pulls off that connection nicely.

Most of the poems are very short, single quatrain poems. The language and imagery is relatively simple, but fairly appropriate for the age range. The book touches on many issues that adolescents and teens go through, like body image issues, love, family problems, and self-awareness. The title poem, “Think Again,” reads: “Eventually a thought will come / But no one can say when: / If you think thinking’s easy, / Think again.” This poem touches on the uncertainties felt at this point in life. The biggest downfall of this book is that “Think Again” is one of the more difficult poems, with some of the others being very direct and not inciting very much thought at all.

The illustrations by Julie Morstad accompany every poem in this collection and feature the same girl and boy, both only wearing underwear. The imagery created by these illustrations completely fits the tone of the collection by showing the vulnerability that most of the readership would be feeling at this point in their early development.

Think Again would make a nice gift to a budding adult, as the book is, at the very least, a beautiful collection of poetry that may help our youth through adolescence.