Not Everyday an Aurora Borealis For Your Birthday: A Love Poem

“It is because I love you I give you for your birthday present the aurora borealis” begins this never-before-published poem by quintessential American poet Carl Sandburg.  The brief text,  designed with the air of a turn-of-the-century love letter, tells of a lovestruck young man who struggles to bring the “shimmering swimmering” northern lights to the front porch of his beloved.  This stylish valentine for all seasons is luminously illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Anita Lobel who lights up the sky in colors and images that dance on the page.  In a style suggestive of Georgia O’Keeffe’s, Lobel has created a picturebook tour de force that speaks to all ages.  Handsomely formatted, complete with a pink satin ribbon bookmark, it is a beautiful testimony to the power of love and an elegant way to say “I love you” any day of the year.