Fold Me A Poem    by Kristine O'Connell George & Lauren Stringer Order:  USA  Can Harcourt, 2005 (2005) Hardcover Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by J. A. Kaszuba Locke Poet Kristine O'Connell got the idea for Fold Me A Poem while observing a youngster create origami animals out of colorful paper. O'Connell saw similarities between origami and poetry - 'how a few spare words, carefully chosen ... a few small folds, artfully made, can bring a sheet of paper to life.' In thirty-two poems, O'Connell portrays a boy cutting and folding paper to create origami animal friends. The oversized-book lapel says 'The sun is up. / It's a crisp new day - / a day for folding ... and creating ... and imagining. / An origami day!' Illustrator Lauren Stringer's vivid colors capture the joyous expressions on the boy's face(and his black cat too) as he folds his animal world including a buffalo, camel, rabbit, monkey, kangaroo, and dragon. The poet's titles and words define scenes, such as the 'Robin's Invitation' to 'Fold a set of wings / for yourself / I'll show you / sky.' The 'Cheetah and Lion' tell the boy 'Thank you / for our swift running legs! / When we return / we will let you know / who won the race.' As the boy looks at different designs of paper, he ponders 'Possibilities' for 'Forty bright sheets / of colored paper, / a world of animals. / Who will be next?' He also creates a 'Pond' for a frog, tulips in 'Spring', and an elephant from a 'Recycled' paper bag. Finally, it is bedtime, time to close the day and sleep, while a 'Mystery' develops: 'Before I sleep, / I hear rustling - / soft / papery / whisper-thumps. / Is someone dancing?' In A Note from the Illustrator, Stringer tells how she went to the library and began her own origami adventure, and a list of books is provided for readers interested in discovering the art form. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews