I spend a lot of time looking for quality literature about historical events that is appropriate for the younger reader. Mrs. Livingston is a celebrated poet who has really found her niche. Her style of poetry is just right for this subject.

An anthology of 43 poems written in Livingston's UCLA course by well known adult writers of children's books such as Alice Schertle, Janet S. Wong, Tony Johnston and April Halprin Wayland. The offerings are the result of a word game in which each person was given one word, "rabbit," that had to be included in a poem. The game progressed to three words: "ring," "drum" and "blankent". It culminated in six words: "hole," "friend," "candle," "ocean," "snake" and either "bucket" or "scarecrow." The poems that resulted are widely divergent in subjects, tones and themes. Although the poetry is solid, this is not for a casual reader, but is more rewarding as a "find the key words" exercise. Useful for teachers of creative writing, budding poets and those who love word play.