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Monday, April 20, 2015

Should You Be A River: a poem about love, by Ed Young. Little, Brown & Company, Hachette. 2015. $20.00 ages 5 and up

"Should you be
a great forest,
I'll caress your
branches and make
you sway.

Should you be
a breeze,
I'll be ripples
dancing to
your tunes."

When Ed Young's wife died in 2007, his two daughters were young. In his role as single parent, he was tasked with loving them and learning to let them fly on their own. In this poetic reminder of the power that love has for each of us, he conveys a sense of his protective nature and his ability to let his girls take responsibility for finding themselves as the days and years passed.

The striking collages that accompany his poetic calligraphic text are made from torn paper and placed alongside photographs of trees, water and the sky. Every image is as powerful as the words they are designed to match. It is an engaging and lasting tribute to his wife and to their family, built be penning couplets that evoke the power of nature as it compares to the true power of love. They come from the heart, showing the pain of losing a loved one and honoring her memory.

It  is a brilliant journey, and a treasure to be kept in your own personal library.
                                                                         

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