Photographs from the Great Depression paired with poems by Cynthia Rylant . . . loved the idea, but was a bit disappointed in the outcome. The copyright is 1994, so maybe no one is even interested in a review at this point, but here it is. I liked the variety of topics, but felt that, overall, the poems and photos could have given a more distinctive view of that time. "Shoes" was perhaps my favorite poem along with "Utensils" and its accompanying photograph. "Minstrels," however, implied that African Americans wholeheartedly enjoyed their part in a show that stereotyped them and undermined their intelligence. I wonder, in this terrible age of mass murder by guns, if Rylant might rethink her "Gunshop" poem now. I'm also confused as to how newspaper on the wall frustrates mosquitoes. ( )

I'm accustomed to Cynthia Rylant's childrens books, so her poetry here was a fascinating departure to me. Loved the choice of Depression era photographs by Walker Evans, and Rylant's companion poems were quite interesting. Hard to pick a favorite here. ( )