CM Magazine: All the World a Poem.

________________ CM . . . . Volume XXIII Number 4. . . .September 30, 2016

cover
All the World a Poem.

Gilles Tibo. Illustrated by Manon Gauthier. Translated by Erin Woods.
Toronto, ON: Pajama Press, 2016.
32 pp., hardcover, $18.95.
ISBN 978-1-77278-009-3.

Grades 1-3 / Ages 6-8.

Review by Inderjit Deogun.

**** /4

Reviewed from f&gs.

internal art When it comes to reading material, poetry is often passed over because it’s considered not only difficult to explain but also difficult to understand. The number of genres, terms and types reinforces this notion making it hard for readers to decipher where to begin. However, Gilles Tibo, author of All the World a Poem, addresses this obstacle by providing poems in their simplest, and purest, form.

Poetry lives in books, yes,
but also in the stars,
on the moon,
in tree-branch tangles.

Anything the world can be
in nighttime hush or daytime glee
is poetry

internal art All the World a Poem is a collection of 15 poems specifically written for the youngest of readers. These micropoems, ranging from rhymed to irregular, make the concept of poetry accessible by exploring the world through the eyes of a child. While every spread offers a distinct poem, a seamless flow is maintained throughout by using the same innocent voice bursting with curiosity.

Poetry is:
Tossing a ball as high as the sun,
going fishing
under a rainbow sky,
a bicycle race
in summer’s embrace,
chasing ladybugs and wishing
on one,
seeing the sea in each glass of water you pour
And loosening the sky to watch it soar …

internal art The greatest feat of this tribute to poetry is that Tibo has managed to illustrate that poetry is, essentially, everywhere. Equally impressive is his ability to place the profound next to the humourous on this journey of discovery.

Poems tall or short or wide—
All are infinite inside
And live to tell the world
about itself.

Day or night, with friend or foe,
I love poems even though
I haven’t found a rhyme for “chocolate".

The accompanying paper collages created by graphic artist Manon Gauthier capture the wonder of the poems beautifully. Though large, they aren’t overpowering but welcoming. And their sense of whimsy will bring a smile to the reader’s face.

By bringing poetry to the level of children, All the World a Poem has succeeded in doing the impossible and in the process will certainly spark the imagination of future poets who are destined to write the “verses yet to come.”

Highly Recommended.

Inderjit Deogun is a communications professional in Toronto, ON.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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ISSN 1201-9364 Hosted by the University of Manitoba.