Classic Poems to Read Aloud (Classic Collections) - Hardcover

Berry, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1856979873 ISBN 13: 9781856979870

Publisher: Kingfisher, 1995

Synopsis

Poetry's allure -- it rhymes, rhythms, and rich imagery -- can best be appreciated when read aloud. And what a delightful way for children and adults to spend time together! This thematic collection of over 150 poems, which includes selections from Shakepeare, Tennyson, the Bible, from modern poets such as Robert Frost and Ted Hughes, and the works of Carribean, African and Native American Poets, has been compiled with an emphasis on choosing works particularly suited for reading aloud. With its stand-out dramatic color illustrations and its simple black and white line drawings, all of which echo the mood and meaning of the poetry, it is a terrific gift any family would cherish.

About this title

About the Author

JAMES MAYHEW is the author of many books for children, including the Katie series and The Knight Who Took All Day. He lives in England.

Reviews

Grade 4-8?Berry has selected 138 poems that represent a wide variety of voices and organized them by subject. Poets range from Shakespeare to Wordsworth and from Anne Sexton to Shel Silverstein. He includes Native American poems as well as selections from Africa, India, and his native Jamaica. Some sections, such as those on animals ("Varied Bodies, Varied Means"), humor ("Lighthearted Happenings"), and love ("Faces of Love"), are typical of the arrangement of poetry collections. Other groupings, such as "Not Havings, Longings, and Endings" and "Folks' Wise Talk and Inspiration," are more unusual. Small line drawings and 16 full-color paintings by various artists are interspersed throughout. A fine volume for read-aloud programs and where librarians are encouraging young people to savor the language of poetry.?Barbara Chatton, College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 4^-8. Jamaican writer James Berry has gathered a lot of old, mainly British, favorites that still speak to kids--from Blake and Wordsworth to Lawrence and Lear--and has added some rich voices usually excluded from the "literary canon that emphasized only white people's experiences." The poems are loosely organized by theme, so Sitting Bull is side by side with Kipling and Shakespeare, and an African dirge from Lesotho is with "Morte d' Arthur." The glossy full-color paintings are intrusive (who needs an illustration with Hughes' wonderful poem "The Jaguar" ?), but the line drawings and spacious type will encourage kids to browse and stay and read aloud. Teachers and librarians will find this especially useful as a gathering of the old and the new. Hazel Rochman

Edition details

• Publisher: Kingfisher
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1856979873
• ISBN 13: 9781856979870
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Mayhew James
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256