The poems in this collection come from Nancy Willard's cardboard boxes—she's collected them to accompany her on her journey through life, and she hopes young people will take them along on their own adventures. Works by well-known poets—Elizabeth Bishop, e. e. cummings, Emily Dickinson, and Wallace Stevens—are gathered here, along with verse from lesser known writers from other countries and other times. All of the poems in Step Lightly share a common readability, and the spark of joy that caught a remarkable poet's eye.