On The Horizon, written by Lois Lowry with illustrations by Kenard Pak. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Raincoast. 2020. $22.99 ages 10 and up

"When he was made commander
of the entire Battleship Division,
he became an admiral.

Admiral Kidd ran to the bridge
that morning in December.

His Naval Academy ring was
found melted and fused to the mast.
It is not an imaginary thing,
a symbol of devotion so vast."

It will come as no surprise that renowned author Lois Lowry's first book of poetry is beautifully written. In it, she recalls life in Hawaii and Japan as a child. She had played on the beach at Waikiki with her nanny and her father, a short distance from where the Horizon often sailed. She rode her bike through her neighborhood where she saw reminders of the war. In this poignant account of the lives of sailors at Pearl Harbor and children in Hiroshima, she articulates the horrors and the humanity of war.

She begins on one horizon, the bombing at Pearl Harbor. Focusing attention on the place, the people, and the unbearable losses on that day, she introduces readers to the band, the captain, and the sailors who were aboard the ship, as well as memorabilia. Each poem is a powerful reminder of love and loss. The other horizon is Hiroshima, and is described in the second part of this collection. She presents stories of the morning of the bombing, the cloud, of children affected including Sadako, and memorabilia.

"Soon four years old! A big boy!
Shinichi Tetsutani
played that morning,
riding his red tricycle.

When his parents found him,
he was still gripping the
handlebar. He was so proud
of his red tricycle.

Shin-chan, they called him.
They buried him in the garden,
and with him, they buried
his red tricycle.

He had called it his friend.
Tomodachi."

Finally, in the third part, Ms. Lowry writes about the post-war years and her family's return to Tokyo, where her father was a doctor. She shares memories of life there, and tells the story of a schoolyard, the children there, and one boy she would meet much later in life, when both were living in the United States.

The poems reflect suffering and promise, are written in a variety of forms, and offer a reminder that by learning from past experiences we can make our world a more peaceful and empathetic place. Kenard Pak's graphite artwork is emotional, historical, and reflective of the remarkable words penned by Ms. Lowry. An author's note is touching and revelatory. A bibliography is included.

Bravo!