Synopsis "A Different Kind of Day: Poetry and Illustrations of Jack Rickard"
A DIFFERENT KIND OF DAY; POETRY AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF Jack RICKARD Travel with Jack to a magical world where you meet a boy who flies in a spoon over the moon, a cat and mouse baseball team, kids who live in a shoe, a kangaroo with his face painted blue, a boy who rides a spotted cow to school, an alligator that plays saxophone, a bear that rides around on a ball, spooks and goblins in a witches brew with illustrations that are powerful, poignant, sensual and brooding. Laying down sentences like a trail of cookie crumbs, Rickard writes with the insight and compassion of a teacher who spent most of his life in classrooms full of inquisitive youth. The poems express an awareness of young people's lives, feelings, and problems. On the surface they are simple poems about love, friendship, being afraid of the dark, having to make choices, being a cat, the world of a fish, and making yourself well. The poems present everyday life made comical for readers of all ages: traffic jams, being a new kid on the block, standing in line, being a wallflower, having an invisible friend, struggling with the wind, and preserving the earth. Each has a deeper meaning that masks a morality play of many levels and brings the reader back again and again. Jack Rickard is a singer, a philosopher, a master of make believe, a guide to a spiritual connection that reveals a humorous world beyond the rabbit hole. It is a place where readers encounter joy and happiness that threatens to be lost among the sordid events of our time. A DIFFERENT KIND OF DAY is a eulogy to laughter, an acclamation of joy, a celebration of the sublime, a profound ode to the earth and those things that make a difference in life.
