Twenty-five very short poems (many are just a few lines long) offer James Stevenson’s droll observations about everyday life, focusing our attention on subjects such as peanut butter, cell phones, city trees, children’s backpacks, and a locksmith’s shop window. Some of the poems will appeal more to adult sensibilities, but others will have a great deal of child appeal, such as those dealing with animals in the zoo, a runaway snack cart, and children playing in the park. Stevenson’s wry pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations add to the overall charm and humor. (Ages 6–11)

My best friend, Preacher, is being just that. His sermon today is on fathers and I am his congregation.
“Dads are light. They have no roots.
One strong wind, and they’re gone.
Out of here. History.”

With a click, a bang, a whisper—or no noise at all. There are so many ways that a door can close, but it’s not just the closing; it’s the knowing. And thirteen-year-old CJ knows too much—about losing his father, about his family’s pain, and especially about what it means to hold things together when times are the toughest.

In this beautifully written and powerfully moving novel in poems, Hope Anita Smith tells the story of a young man’s struggle to accept a father who has walked out on his family. Here, in CJ’s words, is a portrait of hurt and healing, and finding the strength to open the door again. The Way a Door Closes is the winner of the 2004 Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe New Talent Award and the 2004 Bank Street - Claudia Lewis Award and is a 2004 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.