Spires's work in both poetry and children's books has been well received and admired since she first began publishing it. Her poems are most often praised for the simplicity of their style and richness of their imagery. Her tone is recognized as soft and contemplative, and she is noted for choosing words that connect to the reader's own experiences. Some critics have suggested that her latest collection, Now the Green Blade Rises, is more melancholy and spiritual than previous books, as its inspiration was the death of her mother. In a book review for The Antioch Review, critic Ned Balbo states, "Spires's book of growth and mourning . . . explores the twinned impulse to sing and to lament with poems as thoughtfully lyrical as any she has written." In regard to a poem from the collection about parents and children, Balbo claims, "This understanding of opposing forces—toward...