Children's Books discussion

Hello Nick!

Great question. I'm going to go ahead and move the thread, not because it's in the wrong place, but imo an even better place would be the folder for Themes Topics and Categories, as more ppl might see it there.

Gosh, I think it has to come down to personal preference, and how the book will be used. I suspect that your wife is thinking about buying collections that she will use as resources to share with the child as spoken pieces, maybe with the hope that the child will memorize some of them. Whereas the books you're most attracted to are the ones that can used in lap-sit situations, because they can be more interactive and appeal to different senses, and eventually the child can read them on his or her own.

I, personally, do not like the heavy collections with oodles poems when I'm choosing for children. I think a child should be able to at least page through the book, carry it around, enjoy it *before* s/he can read it. But they do make good resources. I'd recommend going to the library and getting plenty of examples of both kinds. See what the child prefers by seeing what s/he asks to look at (or listen to) again. I suspect your family will find room in your hearts for books of all lengths, formats, and themes.

I read a *lot* of children's poetry books, so feel free to follow or friend me if you like.

I wish more people would speak up here... I do think it's a great question.

Let's broaden it a bit, shall we?
What's the best way to get more poetry into the 'diet' of young children?

Perhaps some of you can name collections you loved when you were little, or ones that your family loves. Maybe you or your child(ren) have memorized a few verses. (My son memorized 'The Acrobats' by Shel Silverstein from one of that author's collections... I don't remember which because we owned and loved them all.)

Maybe you like classic nursery rhymes, or nonsense poems (Ogden Nash or Edward Lear). Or maybe you recall selected verses or lines from larger poems (Jabberwocky. Maybe you like certain child-friendly poems by people who wrote primarily for adults, and are enjoying exploring the Poetry for Young People series, for example Robert Frost. Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, and/or Carl Sandburg .

Or maybe you have a particular favorite poet, and look specifically for collections by them, or particular themes you look for. Some more leads to consider exploring start at books like The Song, I'm Small and Other Verses, and Nature's Paintbox: A Seasonal Gallery of Art and Verse.

What do *you* seek out? What does your family enjoy?

Oh, and I feel compelled to remind people that almost all poetry is meant to be read aloud. It's easier to understand, and more lovely, and more memorable, if you do so. The only exception that I can think of is shaped or 'concrete' poetry. (As always, correct me if I"m wrong please; I am *not* an expert!)

Poetry recitation is a regular part of life for our kids. They enjoy doing a video when they have learned it by heart and they love having a personal repertoire that they will spot in various other books. Often there is a seasonal connection.

Older children's collections are full of great stuff - Dorothy Aldis, Rose Fyleman, then Walter de la Mare, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Eugene Field. We've done some classics like Pippa's Song, Stopping by Woods, In Flanders Fields, and now Daffodils. We start small (The snow is wet and how it squashes. Galumph galumph go my galoshes.) and build in various ways: length (The Tale of Custard the Dragon is the longest so far, I think) but also vocabulary and imagery and abstraction.

For Shakespeare, we've done "Where the bee sucks" and will soon do "I know a bank where the wild thyme blows".

A great resource is The Harp and Laurel Wreath: Poetry and Dictation for the Classical Curriculum.

Nick, I don't know about sonnets, but there are lots of great poetry books for children available. Check the Picture Book Club in this group; April's discussion was haiku poetry, and you may be able to find some good suggestions there.
The Random House Book of Poetry for Children has a variety of poems by many different authors, divided into categories, and is an excellent tool for introducing your child to many different types of poems.

Nick, if you want a Shakespeare sonnet with a theme kids can relate to, try "When in disgrace." But a) I wouldn't feel bound that you have to do Shakespeare right away. As long as they're enjoying some of the older work, they'll get to Shakespeare when they're ready for it. And b) they don't have to understand everything. Sometimes it's enough to hear you relishing the sounds. Too much analysis gives the impression that understanding poetry is only about intellectual slog instead of emotional resonance, too.

Don't forget A.A. Milne's collections of poetry, which are aimed at children and have some great ones in a variety of moods.

We, too, like others here, are likely to spout poetry at the slightest provocation at our house. We also have a family tradition of writing poems to accompany Christmas gifts within the family. They don't have to be long, or very good, and are most often humorous doggerel, but at least it ensure that both writing and sharing poetry are something that our family does together. (My kids are now in high school, so the days of reading aloud to each other under normal circumstances are past.)

Sorry, to be fair to everyone we can have no self-promotion at all. Please use the dedicated folder to create your own thread.