The Book of Giving: Poems of Thanks, Praise and Celebration - Hardcover

Chorao, Kay

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0525454098 ISBN 13: 9780525454090

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile, 1995

Synopsis

A collection of poems from such well known writers as Robert Louis Stevenson, Langston Hughes, and Margaret Wise Brown, as well as lesser known poets from other countries, captures the pleasures of being young.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

Gentle and sweet, sentimental without being cloying, this wholesome collection of poems is by far the most varied and sophisticated of Chorao's anthologies (The Baby's Bedtime Book; The Baby's Story Book). The selection of poems represents a wide range of cultures, nationalities and religions. An excerpt from James Weldon Johnson's The Creation is paired with a touching Dakota prairie hymn; a loving portrait of a grandmother combing her granddaughter's hair is next to an illustration of a son helping his aged mother walk. Created "in hopes of encouraging children to think about giving," the book's theme is defined broadly enough to include not just the giving of presents but the giving of "time, care, advice, joy, thanks, and above all, love." Many poems focus on the gifts the earth bestows on humans; throughout, Chorao's reverence for life is evident, from the dimpled infants at the beginning of the book to the birds, animals, flowers and insects sprinkled liberally throughout her detailed, characteristically delicate illustrations. While many of the poems included are religious, they are neither denominational nor doctrinaire. Readers looking for a celebration of life-affirming moments will find this a sunny treasure. All ages.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 3^-7. Chorao has collected more than 60 poems filled with appreciation for the gifts in life. Many talk about family and about special people, such as poet Rose Fyleman's Mr. Minnitt, who "mends my soles / When I have walked them into holes." The majority speak about natural wonders; things as large as the sky or as small as a cricket each get their due. The poems slide gracefully from topic to topic and demonstrate a variety of tones and feelings, with Chorao including Native American prayers and selections from the Bible as well as work by classic and contemporary poets such as Langston Hughes, William Blake, Charlotte Zolotow, and David McCord. As she's done in her previous anthologies, Chorao combines colored pencils and watercolors with other media to fill the pages with tenderly depicted children, flowers, and animals. This is not a collection to read straight through. Rather, it is a lap book to share in short sessions, as well as a good resource for before-meal graces. Susan Dove Lempke

About this edition

• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0525454098
• ISBN 13: 9780525454090
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 64