A Meal of the Stars: Poems Up and Down by Dana Jensen -- OPTIONAL

Jensen, Dana. A Meal of the Stars: Poems Up and Down, illustrated by Tricia Tusa. Houghton Mifflin, 2012. $16.99.  POETRY.  Each poem either starts at the top of the page or the bottom of the page with no clear indication for the reader.  Author Dana Jensen wrote, “Hmm—which is which?  That’s up to you to find out.  Have fun!”   As a reader I found it more frustrating than fun figuring out where the poem began and where it ended.  It is usually obvious once you read it because one way (up or down) doesn’t make any sense.  My favorite poem in this format began at the bottom of the page and was about a zipper: “zip/ all/ the/ way/ up/ to/ my/chin…”  The poems are short and simple, but the language is beautiful (once you figure out the format).   Illustrator Tricia Tusa’s pictures are what truly steal the show.  The watercolor and ink illustrations are charmingly whimsical and are in a style entirely her own.  EL-OPTIONAL.  Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.