Product Description

American children's poetry began with Native American cradle songs, moved on to a rhymed alphabet, blossomed in the 19th century with "A Visit from St. Nicholas," expanded widely in the 20th century, and continues with vigor into the new millennium. Some of the best of these poems, however, have been neglected or forgotten. This collection, edited by acclaimed children's author and poet Donald Hall, returns to us the forgotten treasures of American children's poetry. Featuring some of the best of children's book illustration-including archival selections from rare and early editions and pictures from now defunct 19th- and early-20th-century children's magazines-this anthology revives not only the classic poems but also the atmosphere of the periods in which they were written and read.
Starting with anonymous Native American verses and a selection from the 1727 New England Primer, "Alphabet," this book spans two centuries of American children's poetry. Immediately recognizable names, including Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, and T. S. Eliot are joined by talented contemporary poets like Gwendolyn Brooks, Sandra Cisneros, Janet S. Wong, and others. Perennial favorites-such as "The Three Little Kittens" and "Casey at the Bat"-are mixed in with new classics, such as Shel Silverstein's "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out." Poems about holidays appear with verses for recitation, nursery rhymes, poems for laughter, bedtime verses, scary poems, and animal poems. In recognition of America's diverse nature, the selections in this anthology reflect a variety of backgrounds and experiences. From anonymous African-American poets we step forward through the ages to admire the talents of Langston Hughes, Sonia Sanchez, and Francisco X. Alarcon. Children will love discovering these gems, and both parents and teachers will delight in reading to children from this book.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #166521 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-6-According to Hall, "Poetry for our children began with Native American cradle songs, moved on to a rhymed alphabet, bloomed in the 19th century with 'A Visit from St. Nicholas,' expanded in the 20th, and continues with vigor into the 21st." In selecting poems from two centuries-and a bit more-the editor revisits his earlier, unadorned collection, The Oxford Book of Children's Verse in America (1985). Here, a smaller number of entries are presented in a large format pairing the poetry with an appealing array of black-and-white and full-color fine-art reproductions. Perhaps two thirds of the selections appeared in the earlier volume, and the chronological assembly includes a few newly chosen poems as well as many added poets, including e. e. cummings, Ogden Nash, and Gwendolyn Brooks. The newly added Native American pieces that open this book and the diverse voices of the late 20th century add a welcome dimension. There's a strong strain of humor throughout, but small quiet poems, lullabies, and odes to special moments are abundant, too. And, of course, there are those favorite story poems-John Greenleaf Whittier's "Barbara Frietchie," James Whitcomb Riley's "Little Orphant Annie," and Ernest Lawrence Thayer's "Casey at the Bat," among others. An inviting treasury for family and classroom sharing and an elegant gift book as well.
Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
This anthology begins with Native American cradle songs and such early classics as "A Visit from St. Nicholas" and "The Village Blacksmith" before it moves on to enduring favorites by great poets, including Langston Hughes, Carl Sandburg, and Robert Frost. It ends with poems by some of the best poets writing for children today: X. J. Kennedy, Karla Kuskin, Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, Sonia Sanchez, Lucille Clifton, Nikki Giovanni, Gary Soto, Pat Mora, Janet Wong, and more. In just a few cases the words are printed over elaborately colored paintings, and the poetry is lost; but, in general, the design is handsome, with thick paper, lots of white space, and archival illustrations that quietly convey a sense of the place and the time when the poem was written. This is a collection for reading aloud across generations, to give children a taste of what happens when, as David McCord says, "Books fall open / You fall in." Hazel Rochman

Review
Laughing Tomatoes by Francisco X. Alarcon
Morning Sun by Francisco X. Alarcon
Michael Is Afraid Of The Storm by Gwendolyn Brooks
Limerick by Frank Gelett Burgess
The Purple Cow by Frank Gelett Burgess
The Camel's Complaint by Charles Edward Carryl
The New-england Boy's Song About Thanksgiving Day by Lydia Maria Child
Good Hot Dogs by Sandra Cisneros
Listen Children by Lucille Clifton
No Shop Does The Bird Use by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth
Song Of The Rabbits Outside The Tavern by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth
The Lazy Pussy by Palmer Cox
The Mouse's Lullaby by Palmer Cox
Incident by Countee Cullen
Chanson Innocente: 1, Fr. Tulips by Edward Estlin Cummings
A Book by Emily Dickinson
I'm Nobody! Who Are You by Emily Dickinson
Macavity: The Mystery Cat by Thomas Stearns Eliot
Fable: The Mountain And The Squirrel by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wynken, Blynken And Nod by Eugene Field
Something Told The Wild Geese by Rachel (lyman) Field
The Three Little Kittens (a Cat's Tale, With Additions) by Eliza Lee Cabot Follen
The Ostrich Is A Silly Bird by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman
The Last Word Of A Bluebird; As Told To A Child by Robert Frost
Too Many Daves by Theodore Geisel
Knoxville, Tennessee by Yolande Cornelia Giovanni
Habits Of The Hippopotamus by Arthur Guiterman
Mary's Lamb by Sarah Josepha Buell Hale
The Folk Who Live In Backward Town by Mary Ann Hoberman
April Rain Song by James Langston Hughes
Hope by James Langston Hughes
Mother To Son by James Langston Hughes
One Winter Night In August by X. J. Kennedy
The Witches' Ride by Karla Kuskin
The Twins by Henry Sambrooke Leigh
The Little Turtle by Nicholas Vachel Lindsay
The Moon's The North Wind's Cooky (what The Little Girl Said) by Nicholas Vachel Lindsay
The Village Blacksmith by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Books Fall Open by David Mccord
Triolet Against Sisters by Phyllis Mcginley
Catch A Little Rhyme by Eve Merriam
Counting-out Rhyme by Edna St. Vincent Millay
A Visit From St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore
Castanet Clicks by Pat Mora
Tall Woman Walking by Pat Mora
Adventures Of Isabel by Ogden Nash
The Panther by Ogden Nash
The Pancake Collector by Jack Prelutsky
Antonio by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards
Eletelephony by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards
Little Orphant Annie by James Whitcomb Riley
The Rabbit by Elizabeth Madox Roberts
Dinky by Theodore Roethke
The Sloth by Theodore Roethke
To P.j. (2 Yrs Old Who Sed Write A Poem For Me In Portland, Oregon) by Sonia Sanchez
Fog by Carl Sandburg
We Must Be Polite: 1 by Carl Sandburg
We Must Be Polite: 2 by Carl Sandburg
The Blind Men And The Elephant by John Godfrey Saxe
Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out by Shelby Silverstein
The Floor And The Ceiling by William Jay Smith
Ode To Senor Leal's Goat by Gary Soto
Cardinal Ideograms by May Swenson
Casey At The Bat (2) by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
Alphabet, Fr. The New New England Primer by Anonymous
Chant To The Fire-fly by Anonymous
Mother's Song To A Baby by Anonymous
She Will Gather Roses by Anonymous
The Origin Of The Snake (nursery Rhyme) by Anonymous - African American
The Considerate Crocodile by Amos Russel Wells
The Cow-boy's Song by Anna Maria Wells
Barbara Frietchie by John Greenleaf Whittier
Opposites: 18 by Richard Wilbur
Opposites: 22 by Richard Wilbur
Opposites: 39 by Richard Wilbur
The King Of Cats Orders An Early Breakfast by Nancy Willard
Good Luck Gold by Janet S. Wong
One To Ten by Janet S. Wong
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

Customer Reviews

Great book of poetry your children will love
I bought this book to go with an American History cirriculum and we read a poem every couple of days. Under the author of each poem is the date in which they lived, so I can say stuff like, "oh look, this woman wrote this poem during the time when Abraham Lincoln was president" and it helps tie everything together for everyone. Also, the poems are great fun and not boring at all. It is a really good way to show kids that they can enjoy poetry.

I love about 75% of the poetry
I bought this book in a pinch because I was going to Europe and wanted something fun and new to read to my 3 and 5 year olds. They have their favorites, but I am still looking for another.