Spruce Up Your Poetry Shelves
Staff -- School Library Journal, 1/1/1996
Beginning with this issue, we introduce a new column: ''Curriculum Connectors,'' a topical approach to revisiting our Best Books selections of years past. We hope to keep them in the forefront of people's consciousness (and, therefore, in print), to bring these titles to the attention of newcomers to the field, and to help promote the use of some of these outstanding older titles in specific areas for classroom units or booktalking. The column will appear every other month. We're starting off with poetry so that you can spruce up your collections in time for the first annual National Poetry Month, sponsored by the Academy of American Poets, publishers, booksellers, libraries, and others, in April, 1996. The citation for the full-length review follows each annotation.
CARTER, Anne, sel. Birds, Beasts, and Fishes: A Selection of Animal Poems. illus by Reg Cartwright. Macmillan. Tr $16.95. ISBN 0-02-717776-9.
Gr 3 Up -- A prestigious collection that reads like a who's who in poetry, illustrated with folk-art oil paintings that give unity to the poets' diverse voices. (Oct. 1991)
ESBENSEN, Barbara. Who Shrank My Grandmother's House: Poems of Discovery. illus. by Eric Beddows. HarperCollins. Tr $15. ISBN 0-06-021827-4; PLB $14.89. ISBN 0-06-021828-2.
Gr 2-5 -- Twenty-three original poems suggest a fresh way of viewing familiar childhood happenings and objects, accompanied by whimsical illustrations that illuminate as well as amuse. (Apr. 1992)
FLETCHER, Ralph. I Am Wings: Poems about Love. photos. by Joe Baker. Bradbury. Tr $12.95. ISBN 0-02-735395-8.
Gr 7 Up -- Through 33 short, free-verse poems, a love-struck adolescent relates the ups and downs of a relationship, with its eventual breakup and healing. A unique approach to story that mirrors the wavering nature of teen romance. (June 1994)
GRAHAM, Joan Bransfield. Splish Splash. illus. by Steve Scott. Ticknor & Fields. Tr $13.95. ISBN 0-395-70128-7.
K-Gr 3 -- Effervescent poems about water in its many forms, from rain to popsicles, steam to snow, illustrated with bright graphics in patterns often formed from the words themselves. (Aug. 1994)
HELLDORFER, M.C. Gather Up, Gather In: A Book of Seasons. illus. by Judy Pedersen. Viking. RTE $14.99. ISBN 0-670-84752-6.
K-Gr 4 -- Beginning with autumn and progressing through the year, this jaunty prose poem sings the praises of the seasons from a child's point of view. Glowing, impressionistic paintings show the joys, the mysteries, and the unstoppable whirl of the annual cycle. (Dec. 1994)
LEAR, Edward. The Owl and the Pussycat. illus. by Jan Brett. Putnam. RTE $14.95. ISBN 0-399-21925-0.
PreS-Gr 3 -- Transported to a Caribbean setting, a dapper owl and a demure cat cavort in richly textured illustrations that take full advantage of the island's lush flora and fauna. (Feb. 1991)
LEWIS, J. Patrick. A Hippopotamusn't. illus. by Victoria Chess. Dial. Tr $12.95. ISBN 0-8037-0518-2; PLB $12.89. ISBN 0-8037-0519-0.
K-Gr 5 -- A high-spirited collection of verses focusing on the essence of each member of the animal kingdom. The witty word play is accompanied by colorful cartoons guaranteed to produce hoots and howls of delight. (May 1990)
LITTLE, Jean. Hey World, Here I Am! illus. by Sue Truesdell. Harper. Tr $10.70. ISBN 0-06-023989-1; PLB $10.89. ISBN 0-06-024006-7.
Gr 5-9 -- A collection of poems, observations, and vignettes about life, friendship, family, and love from the point of view of a saga cious young teen. Universal themes, told with aplomb, showing Kate as she begins to accept the world as it is, not as she would like it to be. (July 1989)
The Little Dog Laughed and Other Nursery Rhymes. illus. by Lucy Cousins. Dutton. RTE $14.95. ISBN 0-525-44573-0.
PreS-Gr 1 -- Cousins' knockabout style perfectly mirrors children's own sensibilities; it's hard to believe that any reader won't crow with joy over this crayon-bright album of favorite rhymes. (June 1990)
PANZER, Nora, ed. Celebrate America: In Poetry and Art. Hyperion. Tr $18.95. ISBN 1-56282-664-6; PLB $18.89. ISBN 1-56282-665-4.
Gr 6 Up -- Striking poems`classic and contemporary`are skillfully matched to full-color, fine-art reproductions of the work of stellar American artists. A celebration of our country's diversity of voices and visions. (Nov. 1994)
PRELUTSKY, Jack, sel. For Laughing Out Loud: Poems to Tickle Your Funnybone. illus. by Marjorie Priceman. Knopf. Tr $14.95. ISBN 0-394-82144-0; PLB $15.99. ISBN 0-394-92144-5.
Gr 1-5 -- An assortment of rollicking verse that's sure to trigger boisterous laughter, supported and extended by comical watercolors. (July 1991)
PRELUTSKY, Jack. Something Big Has Been Here. illus. by James Stevenson. Greenwillow. RTE $14.95. ISBN 0-688-06434-5.
K-Gr 4 -- Something big, indeed -- like Prelutsky's talent for listening to the woes and wit of children groping to make sense of an adult-run world. Breezy illustrations garnish each poem to perfection, making this a dizzying, dazzling collection for both browsing and total immersion. (Oct. 1990)
ROGASKY, Barbara, sel. Winter Poems. illus. by Trina Schart Hyman. Scholastic. RTE $15.95. ISBN 0-590-42872-1.
Gr 2 Up -- Like a field of new fallen snow, this collection of 25 poems from across the ages is fresh, inviting, and a source of delight. Hyman's glistening acrylic paintings convey the season's many moods with crisp clarity. (Oct. 1994)
SIEBERT, Diane. Train Song. illus. by Mike Wimmer. Crowell. Tr $14.95. ISBN 0-690-04726-6; PLB $14.89. ISBN 0-690-04728-2.
PreS-Gr 3 -- Poetry in motion. A loving tribute to the realm of the railroad is told in simple, lilting verse that picks up the cadence of the rolling cars and reverberates with rich imagery. Wimmer's sweeping landscapes and dramatic perspectives complete the voyage. A title that's sure to be homeward bound. (Sept. 1990)
SUTHERLAND, Zena, sel. The Orchard Book of Nursery Rhymes. illus. by Faith Jaques. Orchard Bks: Watts. Tr $21.95. ISBN 0-531-05903-0.
PreS-Gr 1 -- Ornately costumed and detailed, Jaques' opulent illustrations reinvigorate the nursery rhymes in this sterling collection, reminding new readers and old why these familiar verses are of lasting value and enjoyment. (Sept. 1990)
WHIPPLE, Laura, comp. Eric Carle's Animals Animals. illus. by Eric Carle. Philomel. RTE $18.95. ISBN 0-399-21744-4.
PreS-Gr 3 -- A compendium of poems, highlighted by Carle's radiant, tissue-paper collage portraits of fauna galore. An inviting book that takes readers on a colorful swing through the animal kingdom. (Nov. 1989)
