A Child's Introduction to Poetry: Listen While You Learn about the Magic Words that Have Moved Mountains, Won Battles and Made Us Laugh and Cry by Michael Driscoll, Meredith Hamilton (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Poetry can be fun-especially when we can read it, hear it, and discover its many delights with the help of cartoon character Professor Driscoll, delightful illustrations, and the poetry read aloud on CD.

This wide-ranging journey through the history and highlights of the world's poetry covers everything from epics and odes to nonsense verse and haikus, and is filled with examples of every style.

The multimedia package encourages children to listen, read, and learn-and opens the door to a lifetime of appreciation of a rich literary tradition.

It painlessly introduces kids (and parents, too) to the greatest poets in history, from Homer and Shakespeare to Robert Frost and Ogden Nash-and provides excellent examples of their work and commentary on what makes it so special. In short, this is a galloping tour through poetic history loaded with all of our most significant and beloved poems. In addition to charming illustrations on every lively page, A CHILD'S INTRODUCTION TO POETRY contains a full-length CD with wonderful renditions of the poems read by professional actors.

Beverley Fahey - Children's Literature

The beauty of language through the nuances of poetry comes alive for children in this multimedia presentation. Dubbing himself the "Professor," the author gently guides children through the rhyme and reason of a variety of poetic styles with an example of each including nursery rhymes, nonsense, limerick, haiku, ballads, pastoral, sonnets, free verse, narrative and villanelle. His "Words for the Wise" defines new or arcane terms to help children better understand the verse. The second half of the book takes the reader on a historical journey to meet beloved poets and sample their work. With the accompanying CD children can listen as they read the works of Homer, Milton, Dickenson, Rossetti, Auden, Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou, among others. The expressive watercolor illustrations that fill the pages are child-like and aptly fit the mood, from the whimsy of a nursery rhyme to the dark foreboding of Poe's "The Raven." While the pages are chock full of text, sidebars, and illustrations there is an order to the design. Not every poem may initially appeal to a child but in the hands of a skilled teacher or a patient parent, this book may light the spark that will create poet aficionados. 2003, Black Dog and Levanthal Publishers, Ages 5 to 14.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-There are plenty of collections of children's poetry available, but none like this one. The first section discusses the different forms the genre takes: nursery rhyme, narrative verse, ballad, free verse, pastoral, etc. Driscoll offers a clear explanation of each type and defines any difficult, associated vocabulary. Commentary on each example and a note on where to find the recording on the accompanying CD is provided for each selection. The second section covers individual poets from Homer to Maya Angelou and offers at least one example or excerpt from each writer's work. The brief introductions to the forms and poets are lively and often amusing. Readers will find the varied layouts and warm cartoon watercolors inviting. On the CD, a professional actor reads the selections; the music or sound that precedes each one sets the mood. This is a great resource for teachers and homeschoolers, and a must for libraries. It has more diversity than Glorya Hale's An Illustrated Treasury of Read-Aloud Poems for Young People (Black Dog & Leventhal, 2003).-Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

• ISBN: 1579122825
  
• ISBN-13: 9781579122829
• Format: Hardcover, 96pp
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc.
• Pub. Date: May 2003
• Edition Description: BOOK & Cd-Rom
• Sales Rank: 99,230
• Age Range: 9 to 12

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents