Poetry

All the World

Author(s): 
Elizabeth Garton Scanlon
Illustrator(s): 
Marla Frazee

Illustrators are so crucial in picture books! If you love our favorite picture book, The Seven Silly Eaters, you will love the illustrations in this one by the same artist. In a good picture book, the illustrations have the power to take you to another world, even if temporarily. Illustrator Marla Frazee's style is captivating, warm, delightful!

If Not for the Cat

Book cover: ‘If Not for the Cat'
Author(s): 
Jack Prelutsky
Illustrator(s): 
Ted Rand
This is what a picture book should be. A perfect pairing of beautiful text and beautiful illustrations. I love haiku and Jack Prelutsky's verses are beautiful examples of the form. I love poems that linger, that take up residence in your heart and resonate long after the book is closed. The title poem has made a nest in my ear and sings to me while I'm doing the dishes:
If not for the cat, And the scarcity of cheese, I could be content.
It has something of the simplicity and weight that I find so pleasing in William Carlos Williams.

Math Talk

Book cover: Math Talk
Author(s): 
Theoni Pappas
Sherman K. Stein

I have long been a fan of the poems for two voices books by Paul Fleischman. This book puts a twist on the idea by covering math topics in poems. It's a really unique and engaging way to memorize a math concept, reciting it as a poem.

The Angel's Alphabet

Book cover: 'The Angel's Alphabet'
Author(s): 
Hilda Van Stockum
A charming book of religious poems for young children - one for each letter of the alphabet. The simple, rhyming poems have been favorites with my little ones and provide a nice introduction to the Saints and Angels, Our Lady, God's love for us, important virtues... Some titles include: C is for Cherubim, F is for Father, G is for Gabriel, L is for Lamb of God, M is for Saint Michael, O is for Obedience, Q is for Queen of the Angels.

The Harp and the Laurel Wreath

Book cover: 'The Harp and the Laurel Wreath: Poetry and Dictation for the Classical Curriculum'
At the rate Laura Berquist is going, homeschoolers are going to need an extra shelf just for her books. Her first, Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum, has already become a classic in its own right. And now Berquist has another book that requires a place in your home: The Harp and The Laurel Wreath. The author begins with the premise that early exposure to poetry encourages a love of the true and the beautiful; memorization of poetry trains the intellect and the imagination; and all of this is good for the soul.