Gifts: Poems for Parents - Softcover

The 30+ poems in this collection have been written out of the passionate necessity of making sense of our lives as parents. The collection represents the breadth of talent of Canada's leading writers and poets, including Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, P K Page, Susan Glickman and Bronwen Wallace. These mothers and fathers write wisely about their sons and daughters in language that is engaging, descriptive and moving. Their imagery and insights take us inside the varied experiences of parenting; the birth of a baby and the first moments of connection; a first trip to the beach; the desperate panic of losing sight of a child at a busy fair; hearing first words; offering comfort after a bad dream; watching the transformation into maturity. Black-and-white photographs combined with an elegant design complement these poems' graceful charm. "Gifts" is perfect for Mother's or Father's Day, for those new to parenting or those wearied by it, and for anyone struggling with the complex joy and labour of raising children in this difficult world. The poems form a human and intelligent chronicle of the remedial joys and difficult sorrows that being a parent entails.

Rhea Tregebov is the author of six collections of poetry; she has also written five children's picture books and edited numerous anthologies of fiction, poetry and essays. Tregebov is currently Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia.