Poetry Friday--Poetry for Young People

Sterling Publishing Company has a series of children's poetry books called "Poetry for Young People." There are at least 20 different titles in the series. We already have 17 on our shelves, and we have orders in for several of the others.

Most of the books cover individual poets such as Maya Angelou [J 811.54 ANG], Carl Sandburg [J 811 SAN], Edna St. Vincent Millay [J 811 MIL], and NH's favorite, Robert Frost [J 811 FRO], while a few are anthologies such as American Poetry [J 811 AME].

There are several notable features to this series. The first is a short introduction to each poem, which may pose a question, mention the poet's background, or explain what the poet is attempting to do in the poem. The second is a glossary of words that may be unfamiliar to a young reader. The third is the striking illustrations that accompany the poems.

On the other hand, though, I have one complaint, and it deals, paradoxically, with the striking illustrations. In many cases the poem is printed right over the full color illustration often obscuring the text. I would think that for a young reader, especially one who may not have strong reading skills, this would make it more difficult to read and comprehend the poem. Call me old-fashioned, but I like plenty of white space around a poem!

That aside, I still recommend the series.



The following is taken from the Animal Poems anthology [J 808.81 ANI]:

On the Grasshopper and Cricket
by John Keats

The poetry of earth is never dead:
     When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,
     And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;
That is the Grasshopper’s--he takes the lead
     In summer luxury,--he has never done
     With his delights; for when tired out with fun
He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.
The poetry of earth is ceasing never:
     On a lone winter evening, when the frost
          Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills
The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,
     And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,
          The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills.

Sara is hosting the Poetry Friday Round-Up this week at Read Write Believe; do stop by.