Poems to Read to the Very Young

by Josette Frank (Editor), Dagmar Wilson (Illustrator)

Illus. in full color. Youngsters who are just beginning to outgrow nursery rhymes will be delighted by this sparkling collection of 43 poems by A.A. Milne, Myra Cohn Livingston, and other well-known poets. .   

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Picture Books, School, Classics

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[Christy Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. No awards
2. B-2
3. Wilkin's collection of poetry includes the work of many famed poets including Cristina Rossetti, and Robert Louis Stevenson. The poems take the reader through a child's day and through the seasons of the year. Behind all of the poems are detailed paintings of children representing the subjects of each of the poems - walking to the zoo, dressing up in mama's clothes, swinging on a tree swing i the countryside, etc.
4. This poetry anthology is my all time favorite. As a child, I loved the illustrations and would imagine myself along with the happy children in each of the different scenes. As an adult, I appreciate the poets represented in this collection, and the order in which they are written - it begins with a few good morning poems next to a small boy waking and admiring the sun shining above his bed, and ends with a little girl in her nightgown, ready for bed and gazing at the wide night sky.
5. This collection could be used in the classroom to show students the myriad ways poetry can be written. Some poems rhyme with every line, while some have different patterns, some are long and tell a story, while others are shorter observations. Students could pick a favorite poem and recreate the rhyming scheme, writing about a different subject as well. Older students could research the poets and see if they have any other favorite poems.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading these poems aloud. They are beautiful, short, and lovely for spring. They would make great verse right before bedtime for children.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still have the 1961 edition of this book that I grew up with - a gift from my grandparents, but read to me so frequently by my mother that I can still recite many of the poems that I memorized as young as 2 years old. I raised my children on the 1982 edition illustrated by Eloise Wilkin, and now I am using it with my first grade classes. Children love these poems. They are tender, observant, and embracing classics that allow children to think, to delight in their daily lives, and to enjoy the beauty of well crafted poetry.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent assortment of poems that are fun to read aloud accompanied by charming illustrations. I read it to my three oldest daughters, ages 2, 4, and 6 during a "poetry picnic" on our deck, and they loved it too.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiddo wasn't a big fan but I thought this was a lovely selection. I think she was just disappointed because she picked it out from the school library and expected a story rather than collection of poems.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered this book because I love Eloise’s illustrations and have since I was a small child. She illustrated many Little Golden Books. 💜 I have never read or seen the poems in this book.

[Florence Baumgardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poems to read to the very young Selected by Josette Frank Illustrated by Eloise Wilkin
ISBN 0-394-85188-9
Poems to read to the very young Selected by Josette Frank Illustrated by Eloise Wilkin is a wonderful example of poetry anthologies. This book of poetry is for N-Nursery ages 3 months to 3 years. This books first copyright was 1961 and the latest was 2001. It is a storybook of poetry starting with waking up in the morning, being outside with nature and weather, being at the beach, at the zoo , and many more poems ending with bath time and bedtime poetry. Out of all the books of poetry read this is my favorite book. Being born in 1968 it is a glimpse into my childhood past. The illustrations are perfect in every way. If I never read another children's book of poetry I know I have enjoyed one of the best. While working with children this is a nice book because of the many different authors can be in one place. The length of poems vary from being short to longer and more complex.

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is marketed as a book for babies, but there is far too much text on each page for a baby. Even just choosing one poem on each page is too much. I just read a few lines on each page until my baby was done looking at the pictures. She liked the pictures a lot, and so did I.

I like the selection of poems. They're not just the same twenty children's poems that you see published in every collection.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sallie and I read from this book every day . .. I put it in her morning book basket and her go to bed basket. She loves it. A board book, with sweet illustrations, great poetry . .. some quite short, some longer (Like The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson . . .which she can fill in most of words if you leave blanks for her). I love this book!

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this book as a shower gift. It comes in a board book edition and the topics of the poems are attractive to toddlers. Things like water fountains, bugs, swings, every title is tuned to the eye of a youngster.

I love introducing poetry to children, I think it's like one more buffer between us and painful experience.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text-to-Teaching Connection
This book is a great collection of poetry that young children can identify with because they reflect experiences in young children's lives.
Teachers can find poems in this book to suit a variety of everyday themes like weather, insects, animals, food, and the seasons.
The illustrations in this book are so charming, Eloise Wilkins is my favorite illustrator.

[Bekki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book growing up. We still have the old copy - beautiful pictures, beautiful, simple poems about nature and play.

"In the mirror
I can see
Lots of things
But mostly - me."

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eloise Wilkin is pretty much my favorite children's illustrator. The poems in this volume are sweet and gentle. The pictures are amazing. Elizabeth has asked me to read to her out of this book every day for a week.

[Rachel Thomas]

title: Poems to read to the very young (poems)
author:Josette Frank
Illustrator: Dagmar Wilson
publisher: random house books
date: 1961
summary: there were some really cute poems in this book. It would be great in introducing children to poetry.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming book. My babies were very engaged by the pictures of chubby children. I did not tire of repeat readings of the book because there are several short poems on each page. Each time I read it, I picked one poem per page.

[Robin E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so sad this book is out of print, because I would be recommending it to everyone with preschoolers and toddlers. It is sweet, lovely introduction to poetry covering topics that are near and dear to the preschooler heart. We have memorized many of them over the years.

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book to my lovely William.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is precious! It was Mandy's very first poetry book.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice collection. Good rhythm for reading aloud.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother read to me from this book from before I can remember. She says I could recite Robert Louis Stevenson's The Cow when I was two years old. For me, it started a lifelong love of poetry.

[Marcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love these poems! And the drawings are so sweet. =)

[Edith Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

These rather old poems and illustrations completely captivate my two year old.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED the illustrations and poems in this book as a small child. So excited to see it's back in print, as my copy is somewhat tattered.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still think mice are rather nice. :-) Still have this one in my shelf ferin when I was young. I will be sharing these memories with my nephew soon.

[Ladonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short poems for young children. The pictures are simple but go along for the poems.

[Keisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great poems for young children, the selection was simple yet fun to read. I found that children could easily connect to the poem

[DJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book for young children. If you can find a copy, buy it! It should be brought back into print.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember this book very fondly from my childhood. It is nice to read it again with my children.

[Kathleen Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading this book to my children. My favorite one is by A.A. Milne: "if I were a bear, and a big bear too...". It's nice because you can just read a few poems if you want something short.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This adorable book includes poems by Margaret Wise Brown and A. A. Milne. The illustrations are soft and realistic.