Ted Kooser, Poet Laureate (2004-2006), is a poet who works toward clarity and accessibility, so that each distinctive poem appears to be as fresh and bright and spontaneous as a good watercolor painting. He imbues his poems with "tender wisdom,” and draws inspiration from the overlooked details of daily life.

Beautifully written prose. Kooser is a master of language. ( )

A quietly brilliant collection.

Ted Kooser's Delights & Shadows is one of those rare volumes where I wish I had written nearly every poem within. With few exceptions, each poem has just the right imagery and just the right, quiet word to explode like a milkweed pod into a fertility of grace and meaning. ( )

Poems about everyday life written by the United States Poet Laureate.

More like 3.5. Enjoyed the personal poems about his family. Liked the others a whole lot too, individually, but after a while they all sort of seemed thematically the same. ( )