Review of: Poetry Speaks to Children ~ A MUST HAVE for poetry lovers.
From the moment the shiny new book arrived at my doorstep, I was
excited to see what this incredible creation had in store for my son
and for me. From the moment I cracked open the spine, I realized it
delivers more than I had hoped it would.
Poetry Speaks to Children is a collection of poems and is accompanied by an audio CD containing
many poems from the book, with most being read by the author. Even the
famed Robert Frost's voice makes an appearance to read his well known
"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." Each poem of the book with a
matching track on the CD is marked with the track number, making
listening to your favorites quite easy.
The first thing I noticed about the book was the amazing illustrations
by Judy Love, Wendy Rasmussen, and Paula Zinngrabe Wendland. These
names may not mean much to most readers, but after viewing the images
of imagination coming to life in full color on the pages of this book,
it may give you pause enough to file these illustrators' names to
memory. Each illustration captures the feel and wonderment of the poems
bound in Poetry Speaks to Children.
The collection of poems, 95 in all, captures the diversity of humanity,
cultures, and inner thoughts and feelings. The poetry isn't just
poetry; it is literature in its purest form. Poems from greats like
Langston Hughes, Lewis Carroll, and Rudyard Kipling share space with
historic playwrights such as William Shakespeare and epic novelists
like J. R. R. Tolkien. The best part of this collection is that
children can enjoy a rich education of literature, learning about the
beauty of poetry and the written word while having fun!
The recordings on the audio CD add to the timelessness of poetry. Some
of the poems were recorded for the first time while creating the CD,
thus resulting in crisp and beautiful poetic rhythms spoken by the
author. Other tracks from the CD are from much older recordings, such
as the Robert Frost reading. The varied sounds of the CD add to the
feel of old and new merging together to make a classic for the younger
generation.
Although my son, a mere 2 years old, can't read the words, he can enjoy
the imaginative illustrations and the music of poetry when listening to
the CD. It also allows parent and child to bond in a way a DVD or audio
CD alone cannot.
Poetry Speaks to Children is the best choice for a new addition
to any avid reader's collection of poetry. Better still, it is the
perfect choice for introducing the beauty of poetry and the spoken word
to anyone, of any culture, young and old. Within the pages of the
shiny, wonderful book, poetry speaks to everyone in the family.
Copyright (C) 2005, Rachael Towle.
Rachael Towle is the owner of The Parent Station, a parenting resource
and community. The Parent Station covers parenting and topics of
safety, leisure, and even the metaphysical. For more information, visit
www.theparentstation.com or email Rachael at admin@theparentstation.com
