Knock on Wood

Wong, Janet S. (2003). Knock on Wood. New York: Margret K. McElderry

Superstitions abound in every society and culture. Wong captures seventeen common superstitions in short poems. Those superstitions are discussed in an appendix at the end of the book. Poems are written in free verse style, except for a couple in rhyme. However, I found the writing choppy. It was difficult to read and worse to speak aloud.
Illustrations are wonderful. They are bright, colourful and inviting. Paschkis combines a focused visual line, as a frame surrounding a main picture. Surrounding the frame are more depictions, however, these are monochromatic. A single colour is chosen, and varying hues define the theme of each page and poem.

From School Library JournalGrade 3-5-Itchy ears, broken mirrors, and hats worn backward join wood spirits, ghosts, and of course black cats in this imaginative exploration of common and lesser-known superstitions. The shapely poems are infused with fey intimations in keeping with the collection's theme: "It is said/salt is magic. The pure kind, sea crystals./Spilled salt is magic flung wild." Some selections are haunting, and some humorous, as in this glimpse of a vampire's downfall: "All you bloodsuckers,/this is your last chance:/I am one bite/away-/from a hunk/of Mother's famous garlic chunk chicken." Paschkis creates an exquisite backdrop for the verses. Presented on a panoramic spread, each poem and facing watercolor scene have matching frames, anchoring them as reflections of one another. Some of the borders are abstract designs, but others are suggestive of elements in the verses. For example, "Potatoes" is contained inside a lumpy oval. Adept at both storytelling and design, the illustrator places the text and picture blocks against a wonderful montage of images in tones of a single color. Children of varied ethnicities and time periods are cast in fanciful folk-art scenes. Humor, satire, subplots, historic references, and decorative and surreal elements abound in artful profusion. There is much to ponder in both words and pictures. Some of the children depicted suggest a young audience, but the mixed poetic/visual brew is sophisticated. The author includes brief comments about the featured superstitions and a note reflecting on her personal experience in this area.Margaret Bush, Simmons College, BostonCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistGr. 2-5. The creators of Night Garden (2000) offer another beautifully illustrated collection of poetry, this time celebrating the rituals and beliefs that make up superstitions. Children will easily recognize many of the poems' subjects: black cats, vampires and garlic, fear of ladders. But some notions are more unusual: putting potatoes in a pocket to cure arthritis. A few poems are uneven, with forced rhymes or obscure meaning: "Stand bareheaded in the rain / to cure a baldness in the brain," for example. But children will find the subjects compelling, and many of the poems have a sly humor and haunting, lyrical imagery. Paschkis' watercolors are exceptional. Wild patterns that mimic folk-art designs explode from the spreads with whimsical images that children will want to view over and over again. Filled with mystery, magic, and hidden worlds, these are poems to liven up language arts classes and to spark discussions about personal beliefs. Brief prose explanations about the superstitions close the book. Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

I would not personally use this book in my classes. The poems are too difficult to understand, unless you knew each of the superstitions very well and from Wong’s point of view. A quick peak at wikipedia shows there are many versions of each superstition. I do not believe I would want to teach my class about superstitions.
For those teachers/librarians who do, this would make an excellent companion to any study of Holloween, legends, or perhaps myths. This would facilitate social studies and English literature.
I might use this book to represent folk artistry and water colours in art.