A Cup of Starshine - Softcover

``I'd like a cup of starshine please/mixed with milk and honey./And when it comes to soup/can I please/have some that's sunny?'' Tucked away near the end, this previously unpublished poem by Romesh Gunesekera sets the whimsically thoughtful tone for a collection put together by the 1990 Farjeon medalist. Farjeon herself appears three times; Bennett has an ear for her brand of light touch, deftly shaped verse, and delicate humor. The subjects progress informally from morning through a school day, making extended detours for animals, nonsense, and some lyrical verse from a childlike point of view before arriving at sundown and bedtime. The familiar is mixed with the unfamiliar, including three variations on ``Little Miss Muffet'' that seem to be by children and some South African entries. Percy's understated color-pencil illustrations are nicely in harmony with the poetry's tone of gentle amusement; unlike more pretentious art, his modest colors and quiet activity don't overwhelm the words. Unusually fresh and appealing. Index. (Poetry. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Fuzzy-edged pastel illustrations overpower the poems in this eclectic collection. Anthropomorphic elephants, mice and camels as well as animated mittens, chairs and shower curtains call to mind Maurice Sendak on one hand and the sweetness and light of Edwardian fairy tales on the other. Since children frequently learn to read by looking at the printed words as they are being read to, they may have difficulty here: the poems are in relatively small print and fight for attention with Percy's art. Where pages are so busy, imaginations are not given free rein. And although the collection indicates no specific theme, Bennett's mix--from a Venda counting song to a Papago Indian poem about a corn cricket to Eve Merriam's "A City Ditty" with its surprise discovery of a silver lining--seems random and unfocused. Ages 2-6.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.