Celebrate Poetry!

 A few weeks ago, while I was in my local bookstore (Fact & Fiction), I saw a display of poetry books in the children's section.  It was a lovely collection of books to introduce and celebrate poetry for people of all ages. Here are the titles: 

A Child's Introduction to Poetry (Revised and Updated): Listen While You Learn About the Magic Words That Have Moved Mountains, Won Battles, and Made Us Laugh and Cry By Michael Driscoll, Meredith Hamilton
   Poetry can be fun -- especially when we can read it, hear it, and discover its many delights. A Child's Introduction to Poetry ntroduces kids (and parents) to the greatest poets in history -- from Homer and Shakespeare to Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou -- and provides excellent examples of their work and commentary on what makes it so special and everlasting. The book covers every style of poem, from epics and odes, to nonsense verse and haikus, and is filled with examples of each one.
   This multimedia package encourages children to listen, read, and learn, and opens the door to a lifetime of appreciation of a rich literary tradition. Also included is a removable, fold-out poster of "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll, and access to downloadable audio, allowing kids to listen and learn as they experience the magic of the spoken word.  

Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi
   Seven-year-old Jace and his puppy, Thinker, are poets, putting everything they do into verse, from going to the park to philosophizing to playing ball. One day, they'll have the whole world figured out, but for now, Thinker has to keep quiet in public. And he can't go to school with Jace for fear he might recite a poem in front of Jace's classmates. But when Pets' Day comes, and Thinker is allowed into the classroom at last, he finds it harder than he expected to keep his rhyming skills a secret.  

 

Explosion at the Poem Factory by Kyle Lukoff,  illustrated by Mark Hoffmann
   Kilmer Watts makes his living teaching piano lessons, but when automatic pianos arrive in town, he realizes he’s out of a job. He spots a “Help Wanted” sign at the poem factory and decides to investigate — he’s always been curious about how poems are made.
   The foreman explains that machines and assembly lines are used for poetry these days. So Kilmer learns how to operate the “meter meter” and empty the “cliché bins.” He assembles a poem by picking out a rhyme scheme, sprinkling in some similes and adding alliteration.
   But one day the machines malfunction, and there is a dramatic explosion at the poem factory. How will poetry ever survive?   

My First Book of Haiku Poems: a Picture, a Poem and a Dream; Classic Poems by Japanese Haiku Masters (Bilingual English and Japanese text) by Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen, Tracy Gallup
   My First Book of Haiku Poems introduces children to this ancient poetry form that's still a favorite among teachers, parents and    children. These concise poems are easy for readers of all ages to understand and appreciate.
   Each of these 20 classic poems by Issa, Shiki, Basho, and other great haiku masters is paired with a stunning original painting by award-winning illustrator Tracy Gallup--which children will want to dive into and adults will want to frame.
   A fully bilingual children's book, My First Book of Haiku Poems includes the original versions of the Japanese poems (in Japanese script and Romanized form) on each page alongside the English translation to form a complete cultural experience.   

No More Poems!: A Book in Verse That Just Gets Worse by Rhett Miller, Dan Santat
   In the tradition of Shel Silverstein, these poems bring a fresh new twist to the classic dilemmas of childhood as well as a perceptive eye to the foibles of modern family life. Full of clever wordplay and bright visual gags--and toilet humor to spare--these twenty-three rhyming poems make for an ideal read-aloud experience.
   Taking on the subjects of a bullying baseball coach and annoying little brothers with equally sly humor, renowned lyricist Rhett Miller's clever verses will have the whole family cackling.    

What Is Poetry?: The Essential Guide to Reading and Writing Poems by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Jill Calder
   For thousands of years, people have been writing poetry. But what is poetry? Award-winning wordsmith Michael Rosen has spent decades thinking about that question, and in this helpful guide he shares his insights with humor, knowledge, and appreciation — appreciation for poetry and appreciation for twenty-first-century children embarking on their own poetic journeys. Young readers are invited to join him on a welcoming exploration of the British poetic canon, replete with personal insights into what the renowned poet thinks about as he writes and advice on writing their own poetry. When he’s finished, readers will be able to say with confidence: this is poetry. Included in this accessible handbook are writing tips, analyses of classic poems, and an appendix of poets and useful websites.

THINK SPRING.  READ POETRY. 

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