Steady Hands: Poems About Work by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, Megan Halsey and Sean Addy

Review of Steady Hands: Poems About Work by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, Megan Halsey and Sean Addy From Publishers Weekly

Inventive, complicated collages and well-crafted poems focus on the activities of working people in this eye-catching book. With an observant eye, Zimmer (Sketches from a Spy Tree) captures different individuals performing work with steady hands. She details the flap/ roll/ flap of the baker kneading dough or the way a clerk performs a ballet/ of hands as she sorts, scans and bags groceries. Sometimes she gives the worker a backstory or views him after hours—a former lawyer prefers the predictable company of dogs and becomes a dog walker, while the exterminator doesn't mind the guys at the bowling alley calling him Roach. Halsey and Addy's (Amelia to Zora) hip collages combine individual cut-outs of people along with drawings, photos, textured backgrounds and designs. The aspiring filmmaker pops out of a box of movie popcorn while the tow-truck driver fishes in the city, literally reeling in cars. The sophisticated look should generate plenty of interest from the target audience. Ages 9–12. (Feb.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.

2 poems from this book appealed to me the most. The first was "Personal Administrator" talking about interviewing people for jobs and knowing right away if they ave it based on visual cues and the tone of voice. It struck me as I am preparing to be in a library. The second was "Librarian", touching on so many of the digital things a librarian does now from blogs and podcasts, to introducing graphic novels and starting guys book clubs. I think the way these two struck me speaks loudly for having a book full of jobs that will strike the right nerve in others. This is most definitely a book I would include in the elementary and middle school libraries and suggest for career exploration units.