A collection of poetry and artistic works by people from the Middle East invites readers to explore a mosaic of culture, tradition, and common human ground, and includes additional notes of interest about the contributors. "Poetry is a river / And solitude a bridge. / Through writing / We cross it, / Through reading / We Return." So writes Lebanese poet Kaissar Afif in Naomi Shihab Nye's aesthetically stunning anthology of poetry and paintings from the Middle East, The Space Between Our Footsteps . As Afif's poem beckons, so does Nye, inviting readers into a lush, vivid world in which more than 100 poets from 19 different Middle Eastern countries share their innermost feelings about place, family, war, and peace, scattered amid paintings reflecting pain, hope, and joy with rich, bold strokes. Palestinian American poet, novelist, and anthologist Nye has made a name for herself with critically acclaimed books such as the autobiographical novel Habibi and the striking poetry collections This Same Sky and I Feel a Little Jumpy Around You . This anthology rivals her previous work in both beauty and inspiration, and was nominated by the Young Adult Library Services Association as one of 1998's Best Books for Young Adults. But this collection is not for teens only. The personal yet universal sentiments expressed in these poems and paintings will pierce hearts of all ages--as in Sharif S. Elmusa's "But I Heard the Drops": "My father had a reservoir / of tears. / They trickled down / unseen. / But I heard the drops / drip/from his voice / like drops / from a loosened tap. / For thirty years I heard them." Notes on the contributors round out the collection and help bring footsteps a world apart just a little closer together. --Brangien Davis Grade 7 UpAOver 100 poets and artists from 19 countries are gathered in this feast of poetry and paintings. The anthology is a potluck of Middle Eastern tastes, and every dish is full of flavorful surprises. Thirty-nine paintings, done in a rich assortment of styles and mediums, from figurative to folk art, abstract to collage, are scattered throughout. The artwork enhances, but in no way outshines the poetry contained within these pages. Good poetry evokes emotion and brings feelings and images to light; this collection exquisitely touches the senses through well-crafted language in glimpses of bright sun, watermelons, a rose on an uncle's lapel, a grandfather's footsteps, and heartbreaking images of children maimed by revolution. Nye's respect and admiration for Middle Eastern culture, and for poetry, come through in the expertly chosen, artistically arranged entries. Many of the selections have been translated into English for this compilation, and the poets' lyrical voices have been retained. The universality of topicsAchildhood, nature, love, homeland, war, family, schoolAgives insight into a culture and proves that differences are only skin deep. Students of the region and of poetry will be pleasurably served by this volume that includes a comprehensive introduction, a map, and short biographies of the contributors.AAngela J. Reynolds, West Slope Community Library, Portland, OR Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. Gr. 8^-12. As in her stirring global anthology This Same Sky (1993), Palestinian American writer Nye brings us a wealth of new voices, many in translation. This time Nye's focus is on the Middle East, with more than 100 poets and artists from 19 countries. With the poetry, she includes full-page gloriously colored paintings that range in style from narrative folk art and intricate Arabic calligraphy to surrealism and contemporary graphics. The design of the large square volume is open and beautiful, with lots of white space and thick, quality paper. The biographical notes at the back reveal how many of the contributors have lived in several places, including the U.S., so it is not surprising that displacement is a dominant theme ("I was a kid, in a house they called a shanty / in a neighborhood called a transit camp"). The lyrical verse about family, friendship, nature, and daily life includes Majaj's intimate tribute "I Remember My Father's Hands" and Cohen-Assif's "Class Pictures." Several poets are Palestinian (most of them writing in English), but there are also eloquent pieces from Israel, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt, and elsewhere. Some are famous--including Yehuda Amichai (Israel), Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt), and Hanan Ashrawi (Palestine)--but most will be new to YA readers. Adults as much as teens will appreciate the poetry of place and the longing for home. Hazel Rochman As nourishing a feast as Nye's This Same Sky (1992), this gathering mixes new and previously published works from 130 poets and visual artists born or living in 20 Middle Eastern and North African countries. Although some contributors refer to war, suffering, landlessness, poverty, or exile, most prefer to recall parents, relatives, and childhood, evoke particular moments, place