Avis Harley, photographed by Deborah Noyes
African Acrostics: A Word in Edgewise
Candlewick Press, 2009.

Ages 7-10

Animal lovers, poetry appreciators, and puzzle fiends will all find something to appreciate in this collection of poems about birds and animals of the African savannah. Most of Avis Harley’s clever descriptive poems are traditional acrostics, in which the first word of each line spells out a word relating to the poem’s subject. But some are more devious—there are double acrostics, which feature words spelled from both the beginning and end letters in each line, multiple acrostics—one poem has five imbedded vertical words—and other variations on the acrostic form. Accompanying each poem is full-page photograph of the animal subject. Photographer Deborah Noyes took most of the photos in Namibia and includes a note about that experience. Brief additional notes about each of the animals, and a more lengthy explanation of the acrostic form, round out this unusual volume.

Megan Schliesman
November 2009