To the Moon and Back; A Collection of Poems

A collection of poems from a wide range of authors encompasses the works of Carl Sandburg, Shel Silverstein, and Native American tribes, and deals with everything from spiders and witches to the whispers of the heart

Grade 1-6-- In her introduction, veteran compiler Larrick notes that there is music everywhere today and says that poetry, too, has melody. She states that "listening is the way to meet a poem," and encourages children to find their favorites and try reading them aloud. Then she offers an appealing collection of poems ranging from familiar classics such as R. L. Stevenson's "Windy Night" and Langston Hughes's "Dream Variations" to anonymous works from the Ammassalik Eskimos and Abanaki Indians. The book begins on a strong note with David McCord's "Hitchhiker" and ends suitably with Shel Silverstein's "The Bridge." In between there is both Starbird and Sandburg, Pomerantz and Patchen. Several excellent unfamiliar poems have been culled from Cricket magazine. Larrick has kept her choices well in hand, and the length will not overwhelm young readers. O'Neill adds to the attractiveness of the volume by providing a humorous ink-wash drawing for each of seven sections; otherwise the work is blessedly free of illustration. --Ann Stell, The Smithtown Library, NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.