Updike, John. A Child’s Calendar. Illustrated by Trina Shart Hyman. Holiday House, 1999. ISBN 0-8234-1445-0. $16.95. Not paginated. A K-1 PT PB Reviewed by Nancy Alder In August “ The trees are bored with being green Some people leave the local scene And go to seaside bungalows And take off nearly All their clothes” So begins entry number eight in this collection of a dozen poems that move the reader through a child’s life month by month. The poems deal with comfortably familiar aspects of daily experience and with highlights of each season. The attending paintings are typical Hyman: homey, engaging, and beautifully executed. The reader recognizes these people and places! Unlike many children’s poetry collections, this offers poems that really say something about the theme, not cutesy or lightweight little ditties. This is a good choice for home and school collections.
