October 14, 2013
"Robert Frost never saw New England as clearly as when he was living in old England, and out of these recollections came some of his best-loved poems," writes Bober in an author's note that concludes this account of the poet and his family. In that same spirit of recollection, the book unfolds through the perspective of his 15-year-old eldest daughter, Lesley, who shares her memories of growing up on her family's New Hampshire farm and, later, the family's time in England. Lesley describes bucolic days and nights spent reading, picnicking, writing, and memorizing poems (and constellations), while always emphasizing the importance her father placed on books and language ("He decided to milk his cow at midnight so he could stay awake and read Shakespeare and write poems in the hush of a sleeping household"). Working in mixed media, Gibbon (Celebritrees) contributes pale, folksy scenes of familiar togetherness (it's a rare spread that doesn't feature at least one Frost with his or her nose in a book). Frost's poems are smoothly interspersed throughout the story, as well as collected at the end of this contemplative tribute. Ages 4â8. Illustrator's agent: Riley Illustration.