  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 09/01/2015 The boisterous sea, faraway lands, and exotic creatures are the stuff of children’s dreams. In Sail Away, storyteller and artist Bryan uses his talents to select and illustrate a collection of Hughes’ sea poems, sure to capture hearts and imaginations. Who can resist Big Boy, who comes “carrying a mermaid / on his shoulders”? Hughes’ simple words paint the picture, but Bryan’s kinetic, colorful hand-cut paper collages make it pop. The text for “Long Trip” (“We dip and dive / Rise and roll”) is placed in the barrel of a cresting wave, while boats swirl around and day and night appear almost merged. “Water-Front Streets” captures the longing of lads who “put out to sea” in a spread that vibrates with tropical color and contains figures with arms uplifted. There are 16 inspirational poems in all, and, as if to remind readers that roots are important, too, Bryan begins and closes the book with endpapers featuring pictures of his mother’s scissors—the ones he used to create his art. An inviting presentation of Hughes’ poetry. - Copyright 2015 Booklist. School Library Journal - 11/01/2015 Gr 1–5—For this stunning volume, Bryan has selected and illustrated a collection of Hughes's sea-themed poems. Over his 46-year career, the famed poet chronicled his life traveling the world as a seaman. Bryan has created brightly colored cut-paper collage spreads to celebrate Hughes's mermaids, sailors, ocean waves, and experiences of living and working near the water. In "Moonlight Night: Carmel," the beautifully evocative text ("Tonight the waves march/In long ranks/Cutting the darkness/With their silver shanks") is perfectly matched by a glorious explosion of color and movement as sharp-edged waves meet the moon and sky. The final poem is "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," Hughes's famous chronicle of the black experience through the ages, which pays tribute to all who have gone before and the legacy that they leave behind. Bryan matches this acknowledgement to legacy by including a photograph of his mother's scissors on the endpapers. He notes that she used them for sewing and embroidery but that he has used them for cutting the colored papers for all the collage compositions in the book. VERDICT An impressive picture book of poetry to be read, reread, and cherished for generations to come.—Carole Phillips, Greenacres Elementary School, Scarsdale, NY - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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