Poetry for Young People: Wallace Stevens

Delightful harmony and boundless imagination: these characteristics make Wallace Stevens’ work very special, and perfect for children. Twenty-seven of his finest verses, evocatively illustrated, provide the perfect introduction to Stevens’ poetry. “From a Junk” reveals a boat at sea in the moonlight that “burns...and glistens, wide and wide, under the five-horned stars of night.” A little girl—“sweeter than the sound of the willow”—proudly dressed in her Sunday best accompanies the child-centered “Song.” From the farm landscape of “Ploughing on Sunday” to the three delicate dancing figures of “The Plot Against the Giant,” each picture and each poem will delight.

John N. Serio is Professor of Humanities at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. He has published essays and books on Wallace Stevens and has served as editor of The Wallace Stevens Journal for over twenty years.

Robert Gantt Steele has been an illustrator for 20 years. His commissions include several book covers, work for the Smithsonian magazine, and the poster image for the most recent Broadway revival of Showboat.