Poetry Speaks to Children

A Book Review

By Linda Wakefield Kelley

Poetry Speaks to Children would make a fabulous addition to any home school library. It excels on several levels.

It’s visually exciting. The book includes 95 poems all adorned with a colorful illustration making the anthology as much picture book as poetry collection.

It’s suitable for all ages, certainly not children alone. And, perhaps the greatest feature . . . It’s spoken. An audio CD containing 52 (not all of the poems in the book are spoken) poetry readings – many from the original poet, many recorded for the first time here – completes the poetry package beautifully.

It’s was truly a thrill to hear Robert Frost read “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” My sons memorized this classic in the 8th grade.

Our family loves the Lord of the Rings trilogy. J.R.R. Tolkien’s recitation of “Frodo’s Song in Bree” from The Fellowship of the Ring was incredibly special. We loved Basil Rathbone’s dramatic interpretation of a portion of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.” True to their name, Poetry Alive’s performance of Casey at the Bat (by Ernest L. Thayer) brought the famous slugger to life.

Does your home school curriculum include a poetry unit? If so, you’ll find Poetry Speaks to Children quite helpful. Several of the poets discuss their poetry on the CD as well as recite it.

James Berry explains his motivation for writing “Okay, Brown Girl, Okay.” Brad Leithauser defines an alphabet book and reveals the creativity it often takes to develop one. Mary Ann Hoberman enjoys finding little words inside bigger ones and then arranging them on the page thereby providing a game of counting the little words in the poem.

There are even a few lessons for the teacher in these pages. “How to Paint a Donkey” by Naomi Shihab Nye illustrates the power an educator’s words can have on a young protégé.

Poetry Speaks to Children is certainly family-oriented. However, it is not a Christian book. There are a couple poems which might make some parents squirm. “Gas” by C.K. Williams isn’t talking about the fuel in your car if you get my drift (although my pre-teen and teens thought it hilarious). “Mrs. Mitchell’s Underwear” might induce some blushing, although the title makes the poem sound far worse than it is. There are also poems with witches, ghosts, faeries, and unicorns as themes. However, outright exclusion of such poems will also cause you to miss some great literature such as the classic from Shakespeare's Macbeth that begins, "Double, double toil and trouble..."

An anthology is eclectic by nature. That doesn’t disqualify the book as a useful teaching tool.

Simply preview the selections and choose to use those you like. The ability to hear great poets recite classic poems propels Poetry Speaks to Children to the head of my class.

Poetry Speaks is a more comprehensive anthology (large book plus three CD's) that is targeted to high school and adult audiences. You might want to check it out if you are homeschooling teens. As in everything, parents should preview before using.

Disclaimer: This book was provided free of charge from Sourcebooks, Inc. in exchange for my honest review.