It's time for another Nonfiction Spotlight! This week I'm highlighting the updated and revised edition of A Child's Introduction to Poetry by Michael Driscoll.
The Facts:
Title: A Child's Introduction to PoetryAuthor: Michael DriscollIllustrator: Meredith HamiltonPublisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publication Date: March 10, 2020
Lexile: 1110
Target Audience: Grades 3 and up
Summary:
This delightful, interactive journey through the history of the world's poetry now includes a removable poster and access to downloadable audio, allowing kids to listen and learn as they experience the magic of the spoken word.Poetry can be fun -- especially when we can read it, hear it, and discover its many delights. A Child's Introduction to Poetry joyously introduces 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, one of history's most iconic poems.
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, one of history's most iconic poems.
The Experts Say:
"There are plenty of collections of children's poetry available, but none like this one....The brief introductions to the forms and poets are lively and often amusing. Readers will find the varied layouts and warm cartoon watercolors inviting. On the CD, a professional actor reads the selections; the music or sound that precedes each one sets the mood. This is a great resource for teachers and homeschoolers, and a must for libraries."
- School Library Journal
"Playful and informative, this cheerful anthology introduces kids to the joy of all kinds of poetry. [Driscoll] gets away from the view of poetry as difficult and special, focusing on sharing the fun, especially the joyful sounds and rhythms of the words."
- Booklist
Miss Kate Says:
As more and more novels are coming out in verse, the interest in poetry is on the rise. This book is a great introduction to the poetry genre for readers of all ages. Divided into two parts, the first part covers the different types of poetry and notable poems in that genre while the second part highlights notable poets from Homer to contemporary poets. There are additional downloadable audio materials so that you can listen along while you read. Meredith Hamilton's beautiful full-page illustrations help illustrate the poems, their poets, and the different types of poetry.
Hi Kate,
ReplyDeleteI feel like poetry gets a bad rep. Shel Silverstein continues to fly off our shelves, but for the most part, our juvenile poetry collection collects dust. Having taught it in a middle school classroom, I vividly remember the eye rolls of despair when I introduced the poetry unit. This book sounds like a much more fun approach to introducing poetry into young readers options than the usual text book.
One resource that is fun for the middle school/high school age group is TeenInk, which features poems written BY teens. For younger, I love Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4Kids, which has a lot of funny poems along with resources like a guide to writing your own poems and a rhyming dictionary.