It’s Poetry Friday!
Last week I received my preorder of Where the Deer Slip Through written by Katey Howes and illustrated by Beth Kommes. Katey was a colleague, fellow poet, and friend who passed away much too young in 2024. I’ve read this book many times already, and each time I notice something new in the words or pictures and feel its calming quality.
The opening lines set the stage:
This is the hedge that grew and grew.
The wall of stone a bit askew.
They guard the yard. The barn does, too.
While just outside, hills roll and rise
away off into the pines.
This is the gap where the deer slip through,
when the sky is still more pink than blue.
Nibble and nudge and startle and dash
away off into the pines.
Using a cumulative structure that follows a day from morning to night, Katey and Beth take us into the wonder of the natural world to meet the creatures that inhabit a tiny farm, or maybe your own backyard. Beth’s characteristic scratchboard panels are the perfect accompaniment to Katey’s lovely rhyming text. It is the kind of book kids will want to fall asleep to and dream about.
It was somewhat serendipitous that the day after receiving the book I came home to find a doe nibbling my hydrangea bushes. It’s not unusual to spot deer wandering in the back yard and I know they visit at night, but this one was quite close to the house in the middle of the afternoon. I like to think it was Katey who came for a spot of afternoon tea.
Afternoon Tea
doe nibbles hydrangea
drinks rain pooled in leaf cups
waits for friends to slip through, too
Draft, RoseCappelli2025
Ruth is hosting the round up today on her blog. She is in the US from her usual home in Uganda and has posted some perfect summer poems about fireflies. Be sure to stop by for lots of poetry goodness.
Imagine the Possibilities 
Rose, thank you for the information about Katey and a glimpse of the new book. This line reminds me of the deer family that enjoy jumping through the woods at our community. “Nibble and nudge and startle and dash.” Afternoon Tea also offers the word nibbles. Have a wonderful weekend.
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Thank you, Carol.
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Beautiful! I know Katey was so excited about this book. I love the cumulative format…and the art! Lovely. Thank you, Rose. xo
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Thanks, Irene! Enjoy the conference this weekend!
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Thanks for featuring Katey’s book — so sorry to hear that she passed away last year. The excerpts you shared are just beautiful, and Kromme’s art is indeed the perfect complement. Love your “Afternoon Tea” too!
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Thanks, Jama.
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Laura also shared a book illustrated in scratchboard. So intriguing and lovely. I also love this lilting, rhyming verse. Thanks for sharing this beautiful book.
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Thanks,Margaret.
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I love Beth Kommes’ art, and it seems to provides the perfect backdrop for Katey’s lyrical text. I’ll definitely look for this one. So sad that we lost her beautiful voice too early.
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Thank you for introducing me to this new book. I recognized the illustrator immediately. Your poem about the deer remind of the conversation I had with my brother about deer recently.
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Thank you for sharing this, Rose! I can’t wait to read the whole book. I’m so glad Katie’s work lives on.
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Gosh this is a beautiful book, Rose! What a gift from Katey! Thank you for sharing it. It’s one I will definitely want to own.
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Rose, Thank for sharing this lovely book. I think it would make a great gift or one to own, myself – for grandchildren. We often have deer in our yard during the day, or more commonly at dusk. Just yesterday, I saw a doe and two fawns – still speckled run through our yard by the tree line. Immediately, they were covered by the dense forest.
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What a beautiful sight!
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