Sullivan Poetry Reviews

The Seventh Raven, written by David Elliott and illustrated by Rovina Cai, is a young adult novel in verse. Elliott crafted a retelling of a lesser-known Brothers Grimm fairytale, The Seven Ravens. This modern retelling explores April’s journey to save her brothers from a foul fate as their father, in a fit of rage, cursed them to live out their lives as ravens. As the sole poet of this work, Elliott uses a wide variety of poetic forms to create the narrative. The book includes valuable back matter, featuring an author's note with information on the poetic forms assigned to each character as well as how and why Elliott chose them. The tone of the novel is somber and existential. There is no set rhyme scheme or meter throughout the novel in verse, as the style of the poetry changes with the point of view of the characters. For example, poems from Robyn's perspective are written in two forms: the rondeau, a French form of fifteen lines in which the opening phrase of the first li...

If Not for the Cat written by Jack Prelutsky and paintings by Ted Rand is a book of seventeen haikus. Each haiku centers on a different animal and has a coinciding painting paired with it. There is an index of animals listed in the back of the book that includes the subject of the haikus: a mouse, butterflies, a skunk, an anteater, an otter, an elephant, a moth, a crow, a kangaroo, a hummingbird, a rattlesnake, a bald eagle, ants, a parrot, a sloth, jellyfish, and a beaver. The tone of the book is quiet, deep, and thoughtful as it follows the traditional 5-7-5 syllable structure of the haiku. All of the poems are written in haiku, which naturally has a dreamy quality as they exist like snapshots of a moment in reality, highlighting the fleeting aspects of life. These thoughtful haikus are presented as questions and riddles that spark discussion with the reader, further adding to the mystical feeling of the poems. The animals are personified and mirror an emotion or state of being. The...

The Doubtful Guest written and illustrated by Edward Gorey is a darkly humorous poem about a strange visitor who arrives in the home of an elegant Edwardian family. The guest in question is a curious figure who appears to be a penguin-like creature in white canvas shoes that proceeds to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting family. Much of the humor comes from the family’s response to their strange new inhabitant and the formal tone that heavily contrasts with the silliness of the subject matter. This narrative poem was originally published as a book in 1957 and famously contains crosshatched illustrations in Gorey's signature gothic style. The Doubtful Guest is written in rhyming couplets using an AABB rhyme scheme with four-line stanzas containing two distinct pairs of rhymes. The majority of the rhymes used in the poem are ‘perfect’ rhymes (night/sight, hall/wall), which adds to the surrealism of the absurd situations described. Gorey’s darkly humorous style is further highlighted by...

Mountain Dog is a middle-grade novel in verse by Margarita Engle, the 6th Young People's Poet Laureate, and illustrated by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov. The story is told through alternating points of view from Tony, a Cuban American boy, and Gabe, a search and rescue dog. Tony is at a crossroads in his life. His mother has been sent to prison for dog fighting, and he is now a ward of the state. His uncle Tio, a forest ranger, takes him in and moves him from Los Angeles to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Tony struggles with what appears to be post-traumatic stress stemming from his rough childhood, including his forced involvement in his mother's crimes. He also deals with feelings of alienation due to his lack of cultural identity, as his mother did not teach him about his Cuban heritage. Despite heavy emotional themes, Mountain Dog is a hopeful story of redemption and the power of choices. Written in free verse, the novel has no strict rhyme scheme or meter, yet a quiet musicality r...

Sunrise Nights is a YA romance novel written in verse by Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro. A 2024 Cybil's Award Finalist for Novels in Verse, the novel tells the story of two teens: Jude, an anxious boy struggling with his parents' divorce, and Florence, a dancer who is gradually losing her eyesight. The story unfolds over three separate nights across three consecutive years, as the teens make a pact to only speak again on the final night of summer camp each year. These “sunrise nights,” allow the teens to explore Harbor City and develop a budding romance until morning before they head back to their normal lives.  Sunrise Nights is written in alternating POVs as well as alternating form, from poetry to dialogue. A variety of poetic forms are also used, including free verse and short lyrical poems. There is no strict meter or rhyme throughout the novel, with line breaks used to add to the airy, natural tone. The shifts from dialogue to poem flow naturally, like thoughts unf...

Where the Heart Should Be by Carnegie Medal winning author Sarah Crossan, is an historical fiction novel written in verse. Set in 1840s Ireland during the events of the Irish Potato Famine, the novel follows Nell, a teenaged girl who works as a scullery maid to help support her impoverished family. Despite her poverty, Nell is intelligent and loves to read poetry. When Johnny, the nephew of the evil English lord, arrives as heir apparent at the ‘Big House,’ he and Nell fall in love despite the cultural and class divisions that separate them. The novel includes romance between Nell and Johnny, elements of Irish folklore such as magpies and banshees, historical realities such as the fraught relationship between the Irish and the English, and thriller elements as Nell and her father attempt to save themselves and others from starvation.  The tone of the novel is tense and introspective as we follow stoic Nell during the Irish Potato Famine. The plot begins slowly, introducing the his...