Reviews: (by author)

Merriam, Eve
(two reviews)

Merriam, Eve and Smith, Lane. Spooky ABC. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002. $16.95. ISBN 0-689-85356-4

This book is a revised edition of Halloween ABC, published in 1987. Each spooky letter is accompanied by an equally creepy poem. Merriam, an Obie Award-winning playwright, creates text that is fascinatingly frightening. Caldecott Honor artist Lane Smith paints a chilling image for each letter.
The book begins with the traditional "a is for apple," but the related poem is anything but conventional. The alphabet gets creepier from there with "f is for fiend" and "n is for nightmare." The end of the book gives readers insight into its making and the collaboration of author and illustrator. A great read for a dark and stormy night!

Marissa Friedman, October 2003

 

Merriam, Eve. The Inner City Mother Goose. Illus. David Diaz. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996. $16.95. ISBN 0-689-80677-9

Merriam combines the wonderful rhythms of traditional Mother Goose nursery rhymes with the grim realities, social injustices, and blatant blind-eye-turning of bureaucrats that occur in any inner city in the nation. She gives a voice to the disenfranchised and focuses on problems that the haves would much rather over look when having to deal with the have-nots.

In her introduction to the 1996 copy, Merriam has included her introduction to the 1982 version in which she explores the outrage that her original, 1969 copy created. "What I didn't expect was that such verses would cause the book to be banned, and that over a period of years, it would become just about most banned book in the country." She goes on to give various accounts of how her book stirred up various factions in the nation, including the Knights of Columbus, who claimed the book was "obscene and degrading," and would cause elementary school children to "become cynical and frustrate the workings of a Christian community." It is interesting that she would choose a quote from a discriminatory social group named after a man who brought many European diseases to this country which caused the decimation of the indigenous people who already occupied this land. Good for her!

She effectively highlights various social problems that plague the inner cities of our nation such as poor housing conditions, the availability of drugs on school playgrounds, child prostitution, street violence and a sundry of other crimes, both social and legal, that make the inner city a roiling jungle of desperation The book is wonderfully illustrated by David Diaz. His unique style includes boldly outlined characters, vividly colors, and heavy shading. The bold outlines and colors help the reader get a sense of the strength and diversity of people found in the inner city. The shading offers commentary on good versus evil, light versus dark-- found in any inner city. The illustrations offer a visual interpretation of Merriam's poems. In one a young school boy holds a pass he's gotten to get out of class and he's depicted standing against a fence (presumably the school playground) and smoking a joint. Others include a bag lady, a graffiti artist, and an off duty cop who has killed a young man. The images Diaz created beautifully echo the boldness and reality of Merriam's poetry.

I loved The Inner City Mother Goose and would highly recommend it to both young and older adults. This book offers the chance to introduce young adults to self expression and an exploration of social and political injustices through poetry. The intrinsic rhythms are reinforced because many of the poems are based on Mother Goose nursery rhythms which are pretty much the staple of childhood play and bed time tuck ins. Merriam concedes that she felt her book "would not eliminate any of the dismaying conditions, but I hoped would make people more aware." I think she has done an admirably wonderful job. Who should we make more aware of these conditions than the young people who will inherit these problems? One answer, perhaps, would be the legislators currently in office and offering ineffectual answers to these prevailing conditions.

John Fox, October 2003

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