"Have you ever sailed across dry land

With a wooden leg and a hook for a hand

All dressed in red, with a patch on your eye

And a crew of thugs who could say 'Aye,aye?'

Have you ever played such a game, my friend,

On a pirate ship made of Just Pretend?"

These magical-sounding lyrics begin the wonderful children's poem "Just Pretend."  The poem reads like a story which continues to weave its spell until it carries you to an exciting conclusion.  This collection of poems is filled with over one hundred story poems in which the author draws upon many personal experiences and observations.  The author, Londis Carpenter, is a 65-year-old grandfather from Edwardsburg, Michigan.  He makes a hobby of writing poems for children of all ages and loves to read his poems aloud whenever he finds a willing audience.  It is not uncommon to find children reading and coloring his illustrated booklet The Eye Of The Dragonfly in doctor's offices or day care centers.