Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children by Caroline Kennedy, John J. Muth (Illustrator), Jon J Muth (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Caroline Kennedy has chosen a rich variety of Kennedy family favorite poems to include in this priceless collection. With thoughtful personal introductions written by Caroline herself, and beautiful new original artwork by award-winning artist, Jon J Muth, this collection is sure to become a family favorite for years to come.

Publishers Weekly

Kennedy, who created the anthology The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for adult readers, gives this winsome collection a personal feel. In her introduction, she describes the pivotal role poetry has played in her life and introduces each of the book's sections with relevant anecdotes from her childhood. Throughout her commentary, Kennedy articulately underscores the importance of reading and appreciating poetry and urges children to express themselves through this medium. She organizes the 106 poems into seven categories, all seminal to a youngster's life, including "About Me," "Animals," "Adventure" and "Bedtime." The expansive range of poets represented include those renowned for their writing for children (A.A. Milne, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack Prelutsky, Edward Lear) and those whose work has thrilled readers of all ages (Robert Frost, William Wordsworth, T.S. Eliot, Carl Sandberg, William Shakespeare, plus Psalm 23 and Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Kennedy also selected two thoughtful poems of rhymed verse penned by her mother (credited to Jacqueline Bouvier), one a melancholy ode to autumn, the other an affectionate paean to the seashore. Providing stunning backdrops for these timeless works are Muth's richly textured watercolor paintings, which capture with remarkable insight the spirit of each poem. He is as adept at humor in the "That's So Silly!" section, which teems with clownish characters, as he is dramatic realism in undersea views of octupus or jellyfish. This resonant volume deserves a permanent-and prominent-place on any family bookshelf. All ages. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Mary Quattlebaum - Children's Literature

When the cold winds howl, cozy up with your kids and A Family of Poems. Editor Caroline Kennedy clearly understands children's delight in image and sound and doesn't shy away from challenging poems that can be savored by readers of all ages. The result is a rich compendium, with verse by masters such as William Shakespeare, Elizabeth Bishop, Walt Whitman and Christina Rosetti, along with a liberal sprinkling of work by Richard Wilbur, Nikki Giovanni and other contemporary wordsmiths. The organization by topic—"About Me," "That's So Silly," "Animals," "The Seasons," "The Seashore," "Adventure" and "Bedtime"—allows kids to read right through or dip into the volume at will. Watercolors by Jon Muth beautifully evoke the mood and images of the poems. Be sure to check out the umbrella-dancing girl that accompanies Langston Hughes's joyous "April Rain Song" and the mysterious orb that illuminates "The Moon" by Jorge Luis Borges. 2005, Hyperion, Ages 3 up.

School Library Journal

Gr 2 Up-From the cover photograph of Kennedy as a toddler "reading" to her teddy to the red linen-textured endpapers; from her thoughtful introduction and words of encouragement to children at the beginning of each section of carefully chosen poems to Muth's beautifully executed watercolors, this volume is a treasure. In compiling the collection, Kennedy passes on her own family's tradition of creating a scrapbook of poems chosen by the children in lieu of gifts to their mother and grandparents. Divided by topic into seven sections, the collection is, indeed, a treasury of beloved poems written in a variety of styles by poets from many lands and generations, some more familiar than others, some unknown. Most of the soft-focus illustrations fill whole pages. The wide variety of artistic styles-ethereal, realistic, comical, energetic, sweet, romantic-matches the mood of the poems themselves. The 10 translated selections appear at the end of the volume in their original languages. This well-balanced anthology should be a first purchase for school and public libraries. Recommend it as a gift book for parents to share with their children, as well.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Kennedy's focus here is on sharing the classic poets with children, and she emphasizes the closeness and warmth that comes from using poems to spark memories of times spent together as a family. Divided into sections, the poems focus on the self, the silly, animals, seasons, the seashore, adventure and bedtime. Truly a collection that will grow with a child, some can be shared with the very young, others are better saved for later years. She includes a wide variety of styles and sources, voices old and new. Muth's luminous full-bleed watercolors suit the poems perfectly, evoking emotions and sometimes deepening understanding. The poems on facing pages for the most part tie in nicely together, allowing the illustrations to flow across the divide. Foreign poems are included in their original languages-unfortunately not identified. While the actual collection is only so-so, there is excellence in illustration, Kennedy's introductions and as a way of showing children that all poetry need not rhyme and be funny. (index of first lines) (Poetry. 4+)

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