Children’s Book’s of Poetry
Review by the Book Ladies
Special to the Morning News

Since 1996, April has been designated Poetry Month by the Academy of American Poets as a way to celebrate the unique contribution poetry has made in the life of the United States. The goals of National Poetry Month include highlighting the legacy and achievement of American poets while introducing more Americans to the pleasures of poetry.

Poetry is a special language of word play that can be enjoyed by everyone, including the very young. Children’s appreciation for poetry begins with an unconscious delight in sounds—the repetition and rhythm of nursery rhymes and songs. Dr. Seuss is a favorite poet for young children. Think of “one fish/ two fish/ red fish/ blue fish,” or “Socks on chicks and chicks on fox. Fox on clocks on bricks and blocks.”

There are countless books of wonderful poetry for children. Here are a few of our favorites:

“Lullabies and Poems for Children” and “Treasury of Best-Loved Children’s Poems” are both valuable resources for traditional verse and include many traditional poems as well as familiar and oft remembered works by Odgen Nash, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Eugene Field, Sir Walter Scott, Rudyard Kipling, William Shakespeare, Johannes Brahms, Christina Rossetti and T.S. Elliot. There are no illustrations in either book. “Treasury” has indices of author, title, first line. “Lullabies” includes an index of first lines. “Lullabies and Poems for Children.” Edited by Diana Secker Larson. Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets. New York. 2002. $12.50. “Treasury of Best-Loved Children’s Poems.” Edited by Patrice S. Klein. Random House. New York. 2006. $11.95.

“The Real Mother Goose—Anniversary Edition” has the best-known poems from Mother Goose (originally published in 1916) with slightly abbreviated illustrations from the original version. A handy alphabetical listing of first lines is included. “The Real Mother Goose.” Scholastic Inc. New York. 2006. $10.99.

Jack Prelutsky, noted children’s poet, did a glorious job of picking 211 poems in “The 20 th Century Children’s Poetry Treasury.” The book showcases poems from his personal collection of over 4,000 volumes. In the introduction, he explains that we wanted to find poems that represented the scope and variety of children’s poems produced in the 20 th century. Many of the poems will be unfamiliar to most readers but most of the poets are well-known. The color illustrations by award-winning artist, Meilo So, accentuate the delight of the words. It includes an index of authors and titles. “The 20 th Century Children’s Poetry Treasury.” Selected by Jack Prelutsky. Alfred A. Knopf. New York. 1999. $19.95.

The poems compiled in “The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems” trace the human journey from birth to old age and celebrates some of the finest poets in the English language including Sylvia Plath, E.E. Cummings, Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Allan Poe, W.B. Yeats, A.A. Milne, William Blake, Emily Dickinson and J. R.R. Tolkein. The bright watercolor illustrations by Carol Ann Duffy are engaging and add depth to the words on the page. It includes indices of author, title, and first lines. “The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems.” Compiled by Jackie Morris. Barefoot Books. Massachusetts. 2006. $19.99.

“Animal Crackers,” says illustrator, Jane Dyer, is a celebration of the happy memories she has of the poetry books she and her twin sister read when they were very young. The books is arranged by A, B, C, 123; seasons; food; animals; nursery rhymes, playtime and lullaby and good night. Some of the poems in this collection are familiar—Pease Porridge Hot—and some are unusual—“I eat my peas with honey;/ I’ve done it all my life./ It makes the peas taste funny,/ But it keeps them on the knife.” This is charming book filled with fun rhymes. “Animal Crackers.” Jane Dyer. Little, Brown and Company. New York. 1996. $19.99.

The rhythm of poetry mimics the rhythm of the human heart, thus drawing children close to their mothers and fathers, grandparents and siblings. Children’s poetry also engages adults; as we hear ditties, lines, phrases, we remember other times and places. Poetry Month is a great time to revisit some of our favorites and to share them with others.

The Book Ladies write a weekly book column and can be reached at 824-5343.