An award-winning picture book poetry collection for children

Lee Bennett Hopkins (The Five Owls, January/February 1989 (Vol. 3, No. 3))
"Paintings by Mr. Ferguson were the inspiration for Eloise Greenfield's verses. Born in Exuma, the Bahamas, Mr. Ferguson moved to Nassau and became a furniture polisher to support his family. Although he sketched and drew from the time he was a young boy, he did not attempt painting until adulthood. His first one-man show was held at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1985; it then traveled across the United States for two years. A half-hour documentary produced by Connecticut Public Television about his life and work received an Emmy nomination. Greenfield is no stranger to the world of children's books. She is the author of fiction, biography, and poetry, including the acclaimed Honey I Love and Other Poems, illustrated by Leo and Dianne Dillon (Crowell, 1978). Under the Sunday Tree presents twenty poems on twenty double-page spreads. Except for the first, the left side of each spread contains one verse; the right side one of the illustrator's vibrant, full-color paintings. Both the poetry and paintings reflect life in the Bahamas--people, animals, birds, flowers, and special events. The poems are tightly constructed in either rhyme or free verse, capturing the essence and nuances of the artwork. A lovely example of the working marriage is the spread "Wedding Day." The verse reads: The sun shone too hot the veil wouldn't stay the pianist never came to play but love is what made it a perfect day. The artwork depicts a bride and groom with their attendants decked out in wedding finery, framed under a bright yellow arch upon which rests two birds. Share this volume with children by reading aloud the lilting rhymes, sharing the lovely pictures, and giving them an unusual glimpse of the island's culture." 1988, Harper & Row, $12.95. Ages all. ( )