Elephants and autumn, and a bassoon-playing bison are just a few of the kid-friendly subjects in this clever collection by JonArno Lawson, a Canadian writer of poetry for all ages. I was immediately drawn to this collection, but really hooked at the poem "The Days Have Names," in which days and months have names, but "it doesn't seem to bother us/that weeks pass by anonymous."
Adding to the appeal are illustrations by Sherwin Tija. In a world where poetry is seldom kids' first choice for reading, these pictures help engage the reader, occasionally bringing to mind a graphic novel, and at other times, reminiscent of The Little Prince.
As in many collections, the poems aren't equally wonderful. But most children won't read a poetry collection from cover-to-cover, instead, they rely on a teacher/parent/librarian to help them find the good stuff, and this collection is quite a mine of good stuff, for kids from 10 to teen.
For a few more of Larson's poems, including his twist on the Humpty Dumpty story, visit his website .
For today's Poetry Friday round-up, visit A Year of Reading.
Poetry Friday : Black Stars in a White Night Sky
Comments
That's a great poem! I am going to have to look for this book.
Lisa
Posted by:
Anonymous
| July 25, 2008 10:02 AM
This was a popular book this week. (Well, one other person reviewed it, too, but what are the chances???) Makes me think I need to give it a gander!
Mary Lee
Posted by:
Anonymous
| July 26, 2008 07:39 AM
Hi, Jamie. Fun to be on the same wavelength. And thanks for the link to Lawson's Web site!
Sylvia
Posted by:
Anonymous
| July 29, 2008 06:50 AM
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