Bette A. Sevens is a real Renaissance woman when it comes to writing–she does it all. Children’s fiction and nonfiction with her charming story of Matilda the Monarch butterfly as well as her Tanagram puzzle book, historical fiction with Pure Trash and Dog Bone Soup, and now she’s turned her attention to further developing her skills in the demanding area of poetry.
Every word always counts, no matter the genre, but it seems that in poetry each one needs to work extra hard. Ms. Stevens has chosen the haiku form to paint her ephemeral pictures of mood and fleeting imagery, and she has clearly practiced her craft to come up with these gems. And even though I’ve never been to Maine, I feel I’ve been privileged to see it through Bette’s eyes. She obviously loves her home in a profound way.
My favorite haiku in the collection is titled simply “Autumn Leaves,” and it contains this exquisite passage:
“Radiant rustling leaves
Sketched among the trees
Foretell the story
Splashed across woodlands
Blazing brush transforms the world
Into a canvas”
This is a quality read, one where you’ll wish to savor every word. You can check out the Look Inside here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1733896503/.
Happy reading! : )
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Avid writer and reader of Faerie tales and noblebright fantasy.
Cathleen Townsend 
Ever thanks for the lovely review for My Maine, Cathleen! ❤ xo
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My pleasure, Bette. : )
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Hugs & Happy Week, Cathleen! ❤
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Poetry requires such syntactic discipline; I think all writers should at least study the form, if not try their hand at it. Growing up in New York, we used to drive up to Vermont in mid-October every year, and now as an eighteen-year resident of Southern California, I find myself longing for those autumnal pleasures. Bette’s poetry is at least the next best thing!
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Sorry for the delay–this is my first full day of power in quite some time. I agree, SoCal is lacking in fall color. We used to drive to Big Bear or Idyllwild to see the leaves change. In Whittier, quite often the deciduous trees would get confused and hang onto their leaves until the new spring ones finally pushed them off. Reading about autumn in Maine, I could picture the blaze of color on all sides. : )
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Fantastic review Cathleen. Bette’s haiku is captivating, each one is undoubtedly a gem.
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Thanks so much, Balroop. : )
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A lovely review of Bette’s book, Cathleen. I loved this book too.
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Thanks, Robbie, and again, sorry for the delay in replying. We’ve had significant power issues where I live. : )
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Great review, Cathleen. I thoroughly enjoyed Bette’s book too. 🙂
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Thanks so much, Diana. I’m just getting back on the internet after a week being completely off the grid, on top of another week. It’s the new normal in California. It’s a terrific book, though, and I’m glad you enjoyed it, too. : )
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The fires in CA are horrible. We’ve been watching the coverage. I hope where you are isn’t in danger. Stay safe.
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I’m well out of the fire zone this time–I’m in gold country, not Sonoma County, but everyone loses power. We’re all praying for rain, though. That’s what we really need to put out fires of this magnitude.
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