Another First Poetry Book - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199171203 ISBN 13: 9780199171200

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1988

Synopsis

Here are the final two volumes in John Foster's new series of poetry anthologies. Using the same winning formula that made his first series such a success, these beautifully illustrated books present the best of what's new in poetry, carefully chosen for children between the ages of ten and thirteen. Many of the poems were written especially for these volumes, and among the poets included are Roald Dahl, Grace Nichols, Judith Viorst, Jack Prelutsky, David McCord. A variety of themes with strong associations for children are from the light-hearted (Vampires, Pets, and Holidays) to the provocative (One-Parent Families, Technology, and War). The books are also liberally peppered with humor and zaniness—a winning formula with any subject matter. Drawings, cartoons and photographs—most of them in full color—draw attention to every page.

About this title

Reviews

Gr 2 Up Each of these three poetry books fails to form a consistent whole. The poems collected are generally undistinguished and are accompanied by equally undistinguished illustrations. The books progress in difficulty of vocabulary, but the lack of quality remains. Nowhere is there the sign of a compiler's carelines such as ``perished/ Trying to perch on the foaming blossoms/ Of moonlit waves'' (from Untermeyer's ``Adventure'' in Another Third Poetry Book) are the exception; lines such as ``He is closer to you than your brother/ closer than your father or me/ He'll run beside you your long life through/ For it is yourself that you see'' are much more the rule. Although the poems are roughly arranged in each book by subject, the vastly different styles and mediums of the accompanying illustrations undermine any sense of unity the books might have had. Most of the included poets are modern; nearly half of the poems have not been published before. Disturbingly, several of the poems by Valerie Brown and Odette Thomas are illustrated with stereotyped black figures. Another set of poetry books to skip. Kathleen Whalin, Public Library of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio

Copyright 1989 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0199171203
• ISBN 13: 9780199171200
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128