Review: 100 KIPLING POEMS - OLD AND NEW by Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Pinney (Editor)

 

Rudyard Kipling was born in exotic Bombay just as our American Civil War was ending.  In 1907 he earned the Nobel Prize for Literature, and in January of 1936, he died. He was a prolific writer and a brilliant one. And over the course of his life his wrote numerous books and hundreds and hundreds of poems. 

In this new book from Cambridge University Press, editor Tom Pinney has chosen 100 of Kipling's poems to highlight. 25 of these poems were chosen because of their popularity. The other 75 are poems are less familiar.  In fact, a few were never previously published, or they were published only in India or in long defunct magazines.

There are ballads, lyrics, epigrams, and narratives, and the editor has arranged them in chronological order --which I find very intriguing. Certainly it causes me to hope that as I progress through the book that I'll be able to discern a change in the style and thinking of this great writer; whether from maturity or just experience.

The first poem is dated 1883.  The last 1935.

PHYSICAL BOOK vs eBOOK

I have not seen the physical book of RUDYARD KIPLING: 100  POEMS - OLD AND NEW so I can not comment on the quality.  But I have a lot to say about the eVersion of the book which I received from Netgalley.  (These comments assume that what I received is the same as what is offered by the publisher at amazon.)

With the standard and Fire Kindles --I have a first gen Kindle and a first gen Kindle Fire-- your formatting is very much going to be dependent upon the size of your font.  To get one of Kipling's sometimes long lines of text all on one line you are going to have to make the font VERY small. And certainly the format on my kindle did not look anything like the format of the first poem in the Amazon  Preview. On both Kindles the formatting was a mess.  Sometimes there were massive blocks of text where carriage returns should made for easier reading.

CONCLUSION

TOM Pinney's collection is fabulous.  I love that he's included the most familiar poems, as well as ones that will be new to even serious Kipling lovers. And given the current price for the hardback I think this would be an excellent addition to the home shelves of families who enjoy Kipling's work.

I would approach the e-version with some wariness. As I said, I don't know if I have a 'finished' version of the book.  But as it stands it's rather more work than it should be to enjoy these poems.  And this rather saddens me because I'm the sort of person who is a hit-and-run poetry reader.  By which I mean that I might read a poem at lunch if it's sitting conveniently on my Kindle. But I'm not the sort of person who will drag two books along with me in the car --one of them being a selection of poems.

But well worth considering the hard copy.

Pam~

100 KIPLING POEMS - OLD AND NEW

 by Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Pinney (Editor)

Reading Information:
Page Count: 197
no reading information currently available
--sample pages available

Review: MARC BROWNS PLAYTIME RHYMES

I'm a huge fan of Marc Brown and children's rhymes, so it's not surprising that that I love this book.  

One of the things I always did when my children were younger, and still do, is to read them poetry.  When they were little rhymes served to provide them with great, kid-friendly memory exercises; and poems and rhymes taught them about language structure-- which is probably one of the reasons they have always scored high on vocabulary assays.

What's nice about Marc Brown's new book is that he has incorporated finger play reminders, so moms, dads and others can also share those with their little ones.  (I don't know about you, but I don't always remember what the finger plays are, so a reminder is appreciated.)  If you look at the sample page below, you can see the little boxes which harbor the hints.

Facing page for the Little Turtle poem

There are 20 poems in this collection.

Table of Contents

Whoop! Johnny
The Counting Game
Do Your Ears Hang Low?
Teddy Bear
Wheels on the Bus
I'm a Little Teapot
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Two Little Monkeys
Five Little Pigs
The Church
Here is the Beehive
Grammy's Glasses
Little Bunny
Sleepy Fingers
The Squirrel
There was a Little Turtle
Five Little Goblins
Snowflakes
The Snowman
My Book

Some I'm 'overly' familiar with; and some were new to me.  (Which I love.)

Overall this is a really pretty book.  The artwork is in soft tones and I think it would make a nice gift, or good book to add to the home shelves.

Pam~



MARC BROWNS PLAYTIME RHYMES
A Treasury for Families to Learn and Play Together
by Marc Brown (of aardvark Arthur fame)

no reading information available
Page Count:  40
-- sample pages and price

Other reviews you might be interested in

•  April is Poetry Month!
•  MICE by Lois Ehlert
• Sylvia Long's Mother Goose
• Best Loved Nursery Rhymes

MICE by Lois Ehlert

Rose Fyleman's MICE was my favorite poem as a child.  I remember sitting in my footie-pajamas and asking my father to read it one more time.   And I remember later sitting down by myself working to memorize it;  and to this day I still know it by heart. 

What Lois Ehlert brings to this great kid-friendly poem is her wonderful whimsical artwork. In this case a multi-media collage of paper, string and drawings. So you'll get to see the two toothy mice with combs and toothbrushes --the latter obviously one of the ways they keep their teeth so white.

Great read-aloud. Great poem for children to memorize. This book can also be used to inspire an art project. With very young children you could cut out the triangles, teeth and string and let them create a montage of their own.  Older children can do the cutting for themselves.

Pam T
Somewhere in the X-burbs

MICE 
words by Rose Fyleman
art by Lois Ehlert

I think mice
Are rather nice.

Their tails are long,
Their faces small,
They haven’t any
Chins at all.
Their ears are pink,
Their teeth are white,
They run about
The house at night.
They nibble things
They shouldn’t touch
And no one seems
To like them much.

But I think mice
Are nice.”

No reading information
Page Count:  40

• Publisher: Beach Lane Books (October 16, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 1442456841

April is Poetry Month!

Generally, when I bring up poetry to my classes I get a lot of groans and sighs and general looks that translate as “oh please no! Read us something fun like you did the last time! Please!” But I’m a stickler. Every April I rev up for poetry programs with every class that comes to visit me-- first through fifth grade. And the reason I’m a stickler is that by the time I’m done, most of my listeners race to the poetry section, eager to discover more. Or, at least they realize that poetry is not always a groan-worthy boring exercise.

Now, to be perfectly fair, poetry can be boring. Teachers tend to focus on the mechanics of it and how to write it and like any lessons that can be hard work to learn. I don’t have to worry about that bit. I’m not there to teach kids how to identify, classify or create poetry. I’m there to teach them how to enjoy it, and some of the stuff out there that they can find. I’m a firm believer that poetry in large part is meant to be read aloud. Most poems on the page are dead and lifeless until they are heard. So that is what I do.

But what to read them? Years ago, it was difficult to find any kind of children’s poetry other than nursery rhymes and a few authors who wrote poetry that was sort of okay for children. Nowadays, there’s a whole section featuring authors who specialize in children’s poetry. And there's a range of poems to suit just about any reader and theme. The list I’ve compiled here are my personal favorites that I use annually with my students. It’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to poems, but hopefully it will give you some surefire winners, some inspiration and some excitement for poetry this April.

Sylvia Long's Mother Goose

Being raised, as most young folk are in this country on Mother Goose Rhymes. And having read, used, collected, bought, sold and generally studied these collections for years, I can truthfully say that this works s probably the best I've run across. Not only are many of the over 75 selections some of the lesser known ones; but the artwork accompanying each rhyme is unique to say the least. [Fear not the obscurity though, all of the old favorites are present.]


As to verbiage, I admit to being a traditionalist when it comes to work such as this. I do not like modern authors mucking about changing words, themes and story lines to meet political correctness standards of the time nor to mellow the stories out so that ultra sensitive kids will not be overly traumatized. Many of these old tales are from a different era where children were treated much differently than those of today. As an example, some of these rhymes date back to the Elizabethan era where it was considered a "good thing" for children to watch public hangings and executions to teach them moral lessons. Times were a bit different then. I must admit that I was at first rather put off by the author's opening statement that she had softened some of the tales. My fears were unnecessary! The author has not changed the wording one bit, but rather through her art work has given some of the little ditties a different interpretation than we would find in a standard or work from an earlier time. These changes, and I might add that there were very few, I found completely acceptable and in fact felt many of the pieces were actually enhanced.

The author has use animal, insects and other creatures in all of her illustrations in lieu of people. All of the critters are dressed in very detailed and exquisite Victorian or Post Victorian garb. The author has really done her research in this area. Using a pen and watercolor technique the reader will find the illustrations reminiscent of Beatrix Potters work, although in this case Long has added far more detail than that found in Potter's work. The creatures the illustrator has use range from insects to frogs to bears, cats, lions, rabbits, many species of birds, cows, pigs, cranes, sheep...and the list goes on. As I said, the clothing used on these creatures is something to behold. Sylvia Long has taken anthropomorphism to new and delightful heights.

The author has also linked many of these rhymes through her art. The sharp eyed child will note that a lost shoe in one illustrated rhyme will show up under a bush or tree in another rhyme several pages later. There are many examples of this and to be quite frank, I find new ones with each reading.

The author/illustrator has provided us with an Index of First Lines in the back of the book and even it has been wonderfully illustrated.

If you find yourself in need of a wonderful collection of Mother Goose Rhymes, then this would certainly be a work worth considering. My personal copy is in library binding; very stout and serviceable which is needed because if you have little ones this book will get quite a workout.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

Sylvia Long's Mother Goose

• Accelerated Reading level : unknown
  
• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Edition edition (September 1, 1999)
• ISBN-10: 0811820882
• Take-a-Peek
  

Haiku Baby by Betsy E. Snyder

Little treasure box/ small fingers explore pages/ and find poetry

This little board book looks rather unassuming at first. Parents may pass over it in favor of slightly larger volumes, or those board books with familiar stories and characters. Given a chance, however, haiku baby is a delightful addition to a baby's library.

Each 2-page layout in the book (seven in all) features a different haiku about a natural element, such as rain, or sun or the moon. These haiku follow the traditional format of a certain number of syllables per line, but the actual content tends to be livelier for the younger audience. The author makes use of onomatopoeic words as well as animal characters and exclamations. The result is warm and engaging without becoming overly cute and keeping the character of haiku. Rather than the usual page structure, each page of the board book has an outstanding tab on the side that allows the reader to thumb through to the different pages. Each tab has a symbol for the particular haiku on that page layout. For instance, on the autumnal page with a haiku about a leaf, the tab has the image of a small gingko leaf. These tabs will help youngsters still learning how to work their fingers learn to turn the pages.

The art work in this book is whimsical and colorful; each page features a different animal and a different color scheme. The pages appear to be created by a mix of cut outs and possibly watercolors, there are no bold outlines here and it gives the whole book a softer feel. Each page has the repeating image of a small blue bird that appears originally on the front cover, providing a challenge to older children to find the bird in each scene. In addition to the actual artwork, each page includes the main poetic element represented by a Chinese character. Overall, there's a lot packed into this small package--not to mention it's a joy to read aloud. Parents who like to expose their young children to a wide range of culture, art and style may want to include this book in their collection. I definitely think it worth the purchase price!

For those who enjoy haiku and picture books, look for Today and Today, featuring the poetry of Issa Kobayashi and If Not for the Cat by Jack Prelutsky, which contains non-traditional riddle haiku about animals.

Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad

Haiku Baby

• Accelerated Reading level : unknown
  
• Board book: 14 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (May 27, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0375843957
• See-a-Sample
  

Scary Fairies by Dugald Steer

The gooseberry bush by the garden fence
Is a place you should never go.
For down by the roots of the greenest shoots,
The fairy babies grow.

Now fairy babies are rather fierce.
For up your legs they'll climb,
And pull on our hair and your nose and your ears,
A hundred or more at a time.

The above lines are from the rhyming poem which tells and warns of some rather mean and mischievous fairies which, as ever one knows, lurk just outside your yard in the weeds, forest, trees and flower patches. When you leave the end of the garden path, at night when the moon is out...well there is a very good chance you will encounter these less than friendly and pleasant little imps.

This work, despite what the School Library Journal tells us -- goodness, those folks must perpetually wake up on the wrong side of the bed...what a bunch of crabby individuals they are -- has a whole lot going for it. First there is the somewhat fun and soothing rhyme that makes up the entire text. It is cute, funny and tells a very neat little story that, if read right, children love to listen to. Secondly, and this is important, the art work in this one is absolutely fantastic. Each page is filled with forest scenes which are extremely detailed. Mingled with the leaves, weeds, trees, toadstools, vines, flowers and the like are some very well drawn mean little fairy people. I say mean, and they are a bit scary looking, but they are rather cute at the same time.

It should be noted that there are exactly four holograms, rather small ones, included in the book which can be viewed through cut-outs. They add a bit of novelty to the book but were actually quite unnecessary as the books stands quite well without them. The little ones seem to enjoy them though so I suppose they do not do much harm. I tend to more or less ignore these holograms as they neither add nor subtract to the overall work.

The Fairies are rather creepy little things, some quite mean looking and scary. Again, the little ones delight in these drawings and I have watched several spends quite some time, day after day, deeply studying these little creatures. I must admit they are quite fascinating and adults will enjoy seeing them also.

A crooked old fairy with only three teeth
May invite you home for some stew.
But don't ever go, `cause you never know...
The stew could turn out to be you!

Just say, "Not today!" and walk right away.
Even though you are hungry and hot.
You're sticky and icky, in deed of a bath,
But you don't want it to be in her pot!

Kids get quite a giggle out of these little rhymes, in particularly if they are read with a bit of play acting on the reader's part.

I am rather fond of this particular genre of children's books. They are exposed to some very nice writing, very, very good art, get to have their already vast imaginations stimulated even further, and have a very good time while doing so.

I like this particular work and very much recommend this one.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

Scary Fairies

• Accelerated Reading level : 4.0
  
• AR Quiz: 28829
  
• Word Count: 720
  
• Page Count: 24 pages
• Publisher: Millbrook Press
  
• ISBN-10: 0761302980

The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

I've known rivers:

I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the

flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.

I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.

I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.

I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln

went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy

bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:

Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

THE NEGRO SPEAKS OF RIVERS was written by Langston when he was only 20.  He was inspired to write the poem when traveling from the east to Mexico where his father lived.  When he crossed the mighty Mississippi River he was inspired by its beauty, but also reminded of the part this river played in the history of America.

If you listen to this wonderful audio clip at Poets.Org you can hear him talk about how it reminded him of what his grandmother told him.  That to be sold 'down the Mississippi' was one of the worst things that could happen to a slave.

This video (below) adds some imagery to the audio.

THE NEGRO SPEAKS OF RIVERS  is not a long poem, but it reads beautifully and is at a level that elementary aged children can begin to appreciate the messages and themes.   

Illustrator E.B. Lewis --who won a Caldecott Honor Book Award in 2005 for Coming on Home Soon -- brings life to Langston's lines. The richness of the colors, the vibrancy of images are nearly impossible to describe. Suffice it to say that I can't imagine any gallery would not be delighted to have them in their collection.  [And here is one more video you might want to share.  The images are pretty.]

[And here is one more video you might want to share.  The images are pretty.]

The combination of art and text makes THE NEGRO SPEAKS OF RIVERS an excellent choice for both home and school shelves.  I purchased it because I happen to believe that poetry is an important part of children's education.  And so Langston sits beside Shel Silverstein and THE BROOK by Tennyson.  My kids are happy perusing the pictures, and like to hear the cadence of the words when their dad or I read it.

If you fear that some of the message will be over your children's heads; don't worry, if they have access, and if you continue to read it and discuss the imagery, they will grow into it.

Pam~


THE NEGRO SPEAKS OF RIVERS
by Langston Hughes
Illustrated by E.B. Lewis

**Starred Review** ALA BookList
**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly
**Starred Review** School Library Journa

4.32 Stars from 247 GoodReaders 
Page Count: 32
no reading information available

updated August 2013

The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss

Well, this is the Seuss book that riles the feathers of some adults. It's got a definite anti-war theme and deals with the consequences of a military arms escalation.

Who's at war? It's the Yooks and the Zooks. Essentially the same sorts of people, they clash over whether bread should be eaten butter side up or down. The story is told from a little boys (?) perspective and is the only Seuss book I can recall that ends on an ominous note.

"Grandpa!" I shouted. "Be careful! Oh gee!
Who's going to drop it?
Will you...? Or will he..."
"Be patient," said Grandpa. "We'll see.
We will see..."

It's hard to say whether kids pick up on these various messages. My own impression is that they won't, unless you sit and have a chat with them. They will be far too busy listing to the clever rhymes and gazing at the wild Seussian artwork.

Meant for practice reading, the Accelerated Reading designation for "The Butter Battle Book" is 3.9 which means that end of year 3rd Graders should be able to read this book themselves without getting too frustrated by words they don't know.

The "Official" Interest Level is given as Preschool thru 2nd Grade, but that makes no sense given the reading level. And personally, I would say that it's more appropriate for First thru Fourth Graders.

My own two children showed moderate interest in the book and they are currently 6 and 8; boy and girl. They requested multiple reads and the book is a pretty good read-aloud. Not amongst Seuss' best, in my opinion. It IS definitely worth a read.

Considerations :::
The Butter Battle Book has an Accelerated Reading (AR) designation of 4.6 which means that the average 4th Grader in the 6th month of school should be able to read it without getting frustrated by the vocabulary. It can be read aloud to any age.

Awards: New York Times Notable Book of the Year

Smelly Locker by Alan Katz

Alan Katz' lyrics remind me of the silly songs that we used to sing at Summer Camp. The principal difference being that the songs in Smelly Locker are definitely edgier than those of John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt (wiki link).

Here's a stanza to be sung to the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".

I don't want to do homework!
Please, I'm fed up with math!
Don't give assignment's I'll surely botch.
Let me relax, I've got TV to watch!
And on't make me study my English
I've learnt it real extra good!
So please say, "No homework tonight!"
'cause you know you should.

Avant-guard, edgy or not, I have to say that one of the reasons I like this book is because my children --currently 6 and 8 y.o.-- like to read it. I don't know whether it's because of the musical aspect but they are willing (even my little guy!) to plow through the text and figure out words they don't know.

As a consequence, I would recommend this book to school teachers as well as camp instructors, even though at least one teacher-reviewer at Amazon.com made an objection to some of the topics. (Myself, I tend to be VERY tolerant of any book that my children avidly want to read.)

Quick Summary :::
Like other Alan Katz' books, this one has unique songs that combine traditional tunes with goofy lyrics. The artwork is bright, full page, and attractively silly. The songs themselves are not meant for very young children who won't be able to appreciate the snide attitude nor the reasons for the whining complaints. If your children know the lyrics "On Top of Ole Smokey, all covered with cheese..." they would probably enjoy this book.

Considerations :::
Smelly Lockers has an Accelerated Reading (AR) designation of 3 which means that the exact level designation has not been determined. It can be read aloud to any age.

POETRY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: CARL SANDBURG

This is another addition to one of the best literary projects to come along in quite some time…Poetry for Children. This particular work of course deals with the works of Carl Sandburg (wiki). It is illustrated by Steven Arcella whose semi-surrealistic art work is worth the price of the book alone.

This book, as with the others in this series, starts with an introduction to the poet. This is good stuff. It is good to know something about the author of the work you are reading, and children, probably more so than adults, need this information.

This volume includes Sandburg’s Fog, From the Shore, Young Sea, Last Answers, A Sphinx, Little Girl… Be Careful What You Say, Margaret, Arithmetic, Plowboy, Monotone, Phizzog, Mask, Summer Grass, Summer Stars, Sky Talk, October Paint, Old Woman, Buffalo Dust, a Coin and Doors.

I certainly am not going to remark on the quality of Sandburg’s work. Those who read him will be well aware of this. This collection though, is upbeat, delightful and gives a pretty good view of the poet’s range.

The art work which accompanies the poems is very appealing and relaxing and very well executed. Like the poetry, it has a dream like quality and is a delight.

This is a book which is perfect to read to your child or to an entire class. Poetry has fallen out of fashion in many of our schools now, which is not only a shame, but I feel almost a crime. Our kids are missing so very, very much. This little edition is an ideal start. It, and the rest of this series, should be in ever school library, in every class room and indeed, on your kid’s book shelf. This work is recommended for children ages 9-12, but to be quite frank, age has little to do with this poets work. A child under the age of nine may have problems reading the book on their own, but this is why parents and teachers exist! Reading poetry with a child is a wonderful experience for both the child and the reader. This particular collection of poem is idea for this activity. I do highly recommend this one.

Considerations:::
Full Accelerated Reading numbers are not available for this book. The general number "5" has been assigned which means that the book is on the 5th Grade level. But whether that is 5.0 or 5.9 has not been determined.

For a list of all the POETRY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE books see our list.

BEST LOVED NURSERY RHYMESIllustrated by TEDDY WILLIAMS

Okay, I admit it. Even though I am well into my dotage now and at times read some pretty sophisticated books, such as Stephen King and Louie L’Amour novels and their ilk, I am still a big push-over for the nursery rhymes I grew up with. I love the rhythm and cadence of them, love the simple, if not always logical stories they tell, and at this time, love the warm nostalgic feelings they give me. I, like many of my generation, was first introduced to the written word, the oral traditions of our society and, yes, imagination, by having these read to me by my mother and various other adults in my life…the giants who shaped me.

How many miles to Babylon?
Three-score miles and ten.
Can I get there by candle light?
Yes and back again.
If your heels are nimble and light
You may get there by candle light.

or

Hark, hark, the dogs do bark,
The beggars are coming to town,
Some in rags, some in tags
And some in velvet gowns.

Now tell me, does it get any better than that? I don’t thinks so. But if those are not to your taste, there are 43 others to pick from in this wonderful volume published in 1971. Best Loved Nursery Rhymes which has been illustrated by Teddy Williams is one of my favorite collections of these old, tried and true ditties. Now please keep in mind. Many of these rhymes are very, very old, dating back centuries. Also remember that there are probably a dozen versions of the same rhymes, at the very least. This, really, is as it should be. The origin of some many of these small children’s poems have, in many cases, been completely lost. Others we can trace, more or less, to their origin. Quite a number apparently have several origins, different countries, different times and different cultures.

This volume contains such favorites as Little Bo Peep, Lucy Locket, Humpty Dumpty, A Diller, a Dollar, Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, Jack and Jill, Old King Cole and many, many more. Each rhyme is accompanied by a wonderful, fully colored painting which is quite detailed in a mode fit for children. I got sort of tickled when I first read this book and viewed the pictures. There is no doubt that the illustrator/artist was heavily influenced by Grim Natick, the originator of Betty Boop, one of my all time cartoon characters. The paintings are colorful, cute and funny and go perfectly with the text.

There is much to be said of nursery rhymes. They teach, they entertain, they stimulate imagination and they give old men and old women something to remember when they read them to their grandchildren and other wee ones.

To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street

This is a great Dr. Seuss book. In fact it would be hard to say who enjoyed it more, me or the children. The story is about a boy who everyday as he walks home from school, spends some time concocting a wacky story to share with his dad.

In true Seussian fashion, there is great rhyming, fun artwork and lots of imagination. I particularly liked that the book demonstrates how children can "stretch" their own imagination. The technique is simple and one even very young children can practice and enjoy. It involves taking an ordinary scene and exaggerating first one element and then another, until the whole situation is really outlandish and silly. If you start with a wagon being pulled by a horse, for example, the horse can become a zebra, and the wagon something more elaborate until step by step it becomes one of those strange Seussian contraptions with big and little wheels, and umbrellas in odd places. Trust us, it's great fun! And the sharing of the father and child is very heartwarming as well.

Definitely Give This One A Try!
Both my 6 and 8 year olds enjoyed this book. The artwork is very good Seussian stuff, and the rhyming is some of his best in my opinion. I would also add that Seuss seems to be a very good bet for youngsters that are reading ahead of their age level as the content is not overly sophisticated.

Reading Level :::
The Accelerated Reading level (ATOS) for this book is 3.6 – which means that this book is has been analyzed and thought appropriate for the average child reading in the 6th month of the 3rd Grade. This is only a guide for children practicing reading, and the book can of course be read to children of any age.

And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street

• Accelerated Reading level : 3.6
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
  
• ISBN-10: 0394844947

See Don's Review here.

TWILIGHT COMES TWICE by Ralph Fletcher

In this work, Twilight Comes Twice, the author and artist, Kate Kiesler, have explored my two favorite times of day: the two twilight periods, dawn and dusk. The text is done in a flowing, simple poetic type prose, and those who love poetry will love this one. As to the text, I do disagree with the brief paragraph published by The School Library Journal (who, more often than not, get it wrong anyway), in that they state that the metaphors used are sometimes more distracting than illuminating. This may be so for the adult, but I have not found this to be true with any child I have read this one with. This I fear is the mind set that seems to be in vogue of late, i.e. underestimating the intelligence of our kids. If a child is to grow into a truly literate adult, they need to understand metaphors, their meaning the their use. You cannot, in my opinion, start this process soon enough. What better way to begin than with a work like this. Yes, I will admit that this may take some actual work on some adults part,i.e. an explanation, but is not what adults are suppose to do? Even a bad metaphor is better than no metaphor at all when teaching. Anyway....

The art work in this book is stunning. The story, and there is a story here, deals with people, the environment and the creatures and critters around us. The entire book is a feast for the eye and ear. The story deals with the two areas mentioned above...what happens during these wonderful times of the day? Why are they so enchanting? Why have poets written about them for hundreds of years? It is enjoyable, the kids that I read this book with like it, which, when all is said and done, is the best endorsement, and it seems to never get old for the little ones. What is more fun, after reading and discussing this one with your child, take that child and go for a walk in the woods, fields, park or neighborhood. You will be absolutely amazed at how effective this work is and how it make an impression on their minds. This is certainly one you need to add to your child's library. Highly recommend this one.

Considerations:::
The Accelerated Reading level for Twilight Comes Twice is 3.5 which means that the average 3rd Grader in the 5th month of school should be able to read it without becoming frustrated by the vocabulary. It can be read to any age, of course.

The Brook by Alfred Tennyson, Charles Micucci artist

Let me start by saying that this book isn't going to be right for every child. However, if you have children who like poetry you ought to give it a try as I think it is an excellent introduction to more adult fair.

What makes “The Brook” a good transition piece is the gentle quality of the poem and in the case of this book, the artwork. The pastel drawings are not flashy, nor something you would hunt down and appreciate on their own, but they are a fantastic match for the theme of the poem, which is best exemplified by the lines: “Men may come and Men may go, but I go on forever....”

In the drawings we see children maturing into young adulthood, wooing, getting married and finally having children of their own. And while they and other wild life grows old, the brook and it's little surroundings of hills and bridges, goes on unchanged.

Because my own children are only 6 and 8 years of age, I quite certain that they don't understand the finer nuances of this poem, but I'm a firm believer that understanding comes in stages and for right now I am satisfied that we've discussed the general gist of the theme, and that they enjoy the cadence and beauty of the words.

Rating ::: A
This is not a 'perfect' book, but without being able to say how they could possibly have improved it, I'm going to give it an “A”. The artwork is simple, attractive and fits the poem beautifully. And the poem... what can one say, Tennyson is delightful and this is a poem that enriches the lives of all who can appreciate it.

Find It!
At Amazon => The Brook

I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today! and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss

I CAN LICK 30 TIGERS TODAY! is a great Dr. Seuss book!  I first shared it with my children when they were very young, and now we are revisiting it as a practice reader.  (As I write this, they are 8 and 6 years of age.)

What I discovered is that Dr. Seuss books are exceedingly good for readers who are intimidated by large numbers of words.  Though this wasn't a particular problem with my daughter, I found that my son is one of those kids who can look at a page and just be absolutely stymied by the number of paragraphs.

With Seuss books though, he gets so caught up in the the rampant silliness and fun that he forgets how many words he is reading.

**I Can Lick 30 Tigers has an Accelerated Reading designation of 2.9 which means that the average 2nd Grader in the 9th month of school should be able to read it without getting frustrated by the vocabulary. It can be read aloud to any age.

Style -- rhyming

Pam~

I CAN LICK 30 TIGERS TODAY!
by Dr. Seuss

Reading Information
Word Count: 1,365
Page Count:  72 pages
Accelerated Reading level: 2.9 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 9028
Lexile: NP
--sample pages available

updated August 2013