In this collection of 36 poems (plus a new author's note at the end of the book), award-winning poet Janet Wong covers familiar territory: everything from parents as air bags ("in your face") to car shows to cop stops, hitchhiking to unlucky license plates, parking manners, crashing, insurance, and learning to drive. This book will remind drivers of all ages of their own funny and poignant driving stories and inspire you to write some of your own; a great gift for new drivers. Award notes: Behind the Wheel was an ABA "Pick of the Lists" and an ALA/YALSA "Quick Pick for Reluctant YA Readers."

Acclaimed poet Janet Wong is known for her eclectic range of topics, and this collection is no exception. Twenty poems explore liberty, kids' rights, free speech, political debates, unusual presidential candidates, the two-party system, voting, the electoral college, and more. "A Voter's Journal" appears at the end of the book, featuring a dozen writing prompts and a discussion guide with space for journal entries. These poems are simple enough for a second grader to understand, yet complex enough to start interesting discussions among people of all ages. An author's note urges readers to "look around, read the news, talk about what's going on in the world, vote (or encourage people to vote)-and take the initiative to contribute, in your own best way." This is a perfect gift for a new voter or for a classroom teacher to use during the election season. Readers of all ages are encouraged to post their thoughts about voting and politics at TheDeclarationofInterdependenceBlog.blogspot.com. Here is the poem "Liberty" Liberty I pledge acceptance of the views, so different, that make us America To listen, to look, to think, and to learn One people sharing the earth responsible for liberty and justice for all.

The poems in this award-winning collection celebrate the relationship between mothers and their children, with a wide variety of subjects and emotions--from a child walking in her mother's comforting, protective shadow to a ten-year-old girl wondering if her mother was a clean freak when she was young. Here is "Mother's Heart" "My mother's heart / is a bottle / I want to fill with warm milk / to soothe her hurts / with honey to trap her bitterness / with a squirt of Tabasco--Shake her up " Inspired by her memories of her mother and her own role as a mother of a young son, these poems by Wong, skillfully illustrated in full color by Jennifer Hewitson, create an honest portrait of timeless human connections. Sometimes funny, always sensitive, this collection will find a ready audience among young people, especially children and teens who are interested in writing their own poems. THE RAINBOW HAND was a Penn State / Lee Bennett Hopkins Award Honor Book and an ABA Pick of the Lists. Praise from Reviewers: "In an exquisite and moving collection of poetry, Wong explores the myriad emotions connected to the word and image of 'mother' . . . a gift book for children to read with adults." - Kirkus "Like the presence of a mother's hand, Wong's thoughtful and reflective volume is comforting and easily accessible. The poems are solid and steady reminders of the connections between mothers and children . . . Universal love, discipline, strength, and emotion are all in evidence here." - School Library Journal "All of the poems] hold a kernel of truth that readers of all ages will recognize . . . Children will find their own tangled feelings here." - Booklist