Poetry Review: Terrapin is a lovely collection of farmer/poet Wendell Berry's work, that illustrator Tom Pohrt thought that children might appreciate. The book contains 21 of Berry's simpler and shorter poems, but they have their own mysteries and can be well appreciated by adults, as well. Personally, I loved this book for its charming simplicity, and even by an adult it can be read over and over again for both the subtleties and the warm messages of the poems. No, this is not slam poetry, it's not edgy or dark, not hipster cool or ironic. The poems are un-ironic and sincere, a sincerity that you can read and love in the privacy of your own bedroom. Go ahead, be daring, read as a child, with a child's eyes, and heart, as you did when you were a child. Be that better you from long ago. Here is one:
The first man who whistled
thought he had a wren in his mouth.
He went around all day
with his lips puckered,
afraid to swallow.
The poems are heavy on nature, animals, and life on Berry's farm. There are poems about horses, snakes, squirrels, a calf, and finches; poems about planting trees, the seasons, and sleep. And then there is the title poem, which I think (surprise!) is the most wonderful of all the poems in Terrapin. Childlike, not childish, and any child would love it. The illustrations are all well worth examining for their own sake. The pictures are warm, sweet, adorable, and maybe one or two are even a little cheesy, in a good way, like a good friend who tells bad jokes. It's hard to tell if the paintings illustrate the poems or the poems capture the pictures. This book would be a perfect gift (hardback or paperback) for any occasion. Perfect for a young child who likes to be read to, or an older child who has started to read. Or, as with me, an adult of any age. I don't know if children will understand all the poems in Terrapin, or even all the words, but it will be wonderful for them to try. [4★]
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