My Uncle Emily (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: My Uncle Emily Karen Coats Yolen, Jane. My Uncle Emily; illus. by Nancy Carpenter. Philomel, 2009 32p. ISBN 978-0-399-24005-8 $17.99 R Gr. 2–4 This fictional tale grown from a small seed of biography reveals the fierce love and loyalty poet Emily Dickinson shared with her family, particularly her young nephew Thomas Gilbert Dickinson, known as Gib. Uncle Emily, as she is called in the family, gives Gib one of her rarely titled poems, “The Bumble Bee’s Religion,” and a dead bee to take to his teacher. Gib worries that the other children will be as baffled by the poem as he, and he is right. Moreover, a big boy named Jonathan calls his aunt names, whereupon Gib punches him in the nose, falls and twists his ankle, and has to wear a dunce cap for the remainder of the day. Later, he tells a cleaned-up version of the incident to his family, prompting Emily to share another poem with Gib (“Tell all the truth but tell it slant”) so that he can be fully comforted and reconciled with his ordeal. Yolen’s spare, ragged-right prose evokes the elegance of Dickinson’s own work and embodies a faith in the poetic sensitivity of even the youngest readers. Moreover, the book maintains a distinct child focus throughout the story, portraying not only the problem of having difficulty understanding an enigmatic poem, but also of having a beloved relative who is thought eccentric by one’s peers. The pen-and-ink illustrations enhanced with digital colors and effects to resemble woodcuts also focus the action on Gib’s perspective, his postures clearly articulating his shifting moods throughout the story. Creamy, yellowed colors create an atmosphere of sun-drenched attunement to natural things, adding to the sense of family warmth and understanding. This would make an inviting start to an investigation of Uncle Emily’s life and letters, or even just a broader look at poetry. A final note explains a little more about the factual elements of the story (including the sad reality that its young protagonist died not long afterward). [End Page 466] Copyright © 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois