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Poetry for Young People: William Blake

Poetry for Young People: William Blake
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Product Description

With its combination of poetic brilliance and exquisite art, the Poetry for Young People series has won the admiration of critics, educators, children, and parents. Every breathtaking volume in this acclaimed, bestselling collection features magnificent full-color illustrations that enhance each verse, and a renowned scholar’s guidance to help children understand and love poetry. There’s an introduction to each poem, full annotations that define unfamiliar vocabulary, and fascinating biographical information. The star of this superb new entry in the series is 18th century artist and poet William Blake, who wrote his mystical, spirit-filled verses for children and adults alike. Best known for his masterpieces “Songs of Innocence” and “Songs of Experience”—both excerpted here—he speaks of love, hate, anguish, relief and above all, mercy and the divine image that comforts us. Blake often uses simple, lovely language that young readers can appreciate, as well as animal metaphors; his poems sometimes even come in pairs, with the same subjects seen from different points of view. Professor John Maynard (Poetry for Young People: Alfred Lord Tennyson) provides the excellent biography and notes. Artist Alessandra Cimatoribus contributes richly colored and magically rendered paintings that fully capture the gentleness of “The Lamb,” the sparkling deep blue sky and angels of “Night,” and “The Tyger,” eyes glistening and sharp teeth bared—burning bright.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #297109 in Books
  • Published on: 2007-04-01
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • 48 pages

Features

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 5–9—Packaging Blake for this audience is no small challenge. The book begins with a heroic attempt to explain some of his themes and philosophy in a four-page introduction. Maynard speaks of the poet with insight, eloquence, and obvious admiration, but his comments are more likely to be appreciated by adults than by children. He prefaces each poem with explanatory comments that are also thought-provoking and illuminating. They are mostly age-appropriate, but at times they go beyond the intellectual range of middle schoolers. Most of the selections are from Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. Maynard does not shy away from the fact that many of them have strong Christian images or deal with harsh social themes. The artwork is well matched to the tone of the poems. Cimatoribus's illustrations are at the same time childlike and surreal. The simplified shapes of the figures contrast with the rich, textured colors and reflect the complex nature of the poetry. As a whole, this work does an admirable job of presenting Blake to young people.—Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT
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From Booklist
The newest entry in this excellent series offers 31 short poems or very brief extracts from longer ones--enough to provide a sense of Blake's profoundly individual point of view and to turn on readers to his elaborate, fantastical vision of the natural and supernatural realms. Maynard opens with a coherent account of Blake's life and a persuasive explanation of why he is worth knowing, then supplies brief commentary for each poem. He mixes such familiar selections as "The Lamb" and "The Tyger" with less well-known poems, many of which are thematically linked or paired; original spelling is preserved throughout, but unusual words are defined in the margins. The introduction includes just three of Blake's illustrations, but in her own stylized paintings, Cimatoribus effectively captures each poem's mysterious tone and feeling of otherness. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

PRAISE FOR POETRY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE:“It is particularly heartening to come upon…the Poetry for Young People series, [which] should be commended for recognizing that secure stepping stones hold infinitely more hope than forced marches.” —Washington Post Book World “Nothing short of breathtaking.” —Parents“Satisfies in every way.” —School Library Journal“Engaging…both informs and intrigues.” —Booklist

Customer Reviews

Classic poetry for a modern age5
A beautifully illustrated collection of poems by English poet and mystic William Blake... The subject matter (and the didactic tone) may seem remote to many modern readers, and secular-minded parents may wish to steer clear of the constant talk of angels, creators and shepherds, but for those wishing to immerse their children into the English canon, it would be hard to imagine a better introduction to Blake's work than this. The soft-textured artwork recalls Blake's own fantastical visual style, with its wild celebration of nature, and perfectly compliments the text. Although some of the loftier verses may be hard to crack, many poems are easily understood, including the well-known "The Tyger" ("Tyger, tyger, burning bright...") and "The Nurse." Part of an excellent series of introductory poetry sets. (ReadThatAgain)