A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children
Common Sense Note
Parents should know that there is nothing objectionable about this collection, but some poems are quite complicated, and may require adult involvement.
Families who read this book may want to follow one of Kennedy's own childhood projects: Ask your kids to select, copy, and illustrate a favorite poem instead of giving you a birthday or holiday gift, and paste their work in a special scrapbook. In her introduction Kennedy writes that her mother's scrapbook "evokes who we were as well as if it were a photo album."
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Kate Pavao
This collection makes poetry fun and largely accessible. It also reminds parents of the importance of reading poems with their kids -- not only to help them learn to express themselves, but also to give them memories of shared time together.
This book can be read aloud to kids of any age -- and adults of any age, too. Jon J. Muth's (Gershon's Monster) gentle watercolor illustrations will draw the attention of even the youngest, and may help some of the poems make more sense.
Not all of the poems will come easily to kids. Nor do they all fall into their assigned categories just right. But there is still plenty here to appreciate and enjoy. Parents are likely to recognize many of the poems in this collection, and they -- and their kids -- are sure to find new favorites.
From the Book:
The Reason I Like Chocolate
by Nikki Giovanni
The reason I like chocolate
is I can lick my fingers
and nobody tells me I'm not polite
I especially like scary movies
because I can snuggle with Mommy
or my big sister and they don't laugh
I like to cry sometimes 'cause
everybody says "what's the matter
don't cry"
and I like books
for all those reasons
but mostly cause they just make me
happy
and I really like
to be happy
Plot Summary:
As a follow up to 2001s The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Caroline Kennedy now puts together a wide range of poetry for children, from silly poems to works from the Bible.
Under headings such as "Animals" and "Bedtime," works by William Shakespeare and Walt Whitman mix with pieces by modern poets, such as Gwendolyn Brooks and Nikki Giovanni -- Kennedy even includes poems written by her mother. There are poems about dogs, the beach, Christmas trees -- even one about bedtime battles.
Related Books:
Other Poetry and Poetry Collections for Kids
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
The Beauty of the Beast: Poems From the Animal Kingdom by Jack Prelutsky
Mammalabilia by Douglas Florian
A Helpful Alphabet of Friendly Objects: Poems by John Updike
Yesterday I Had the Blues by Jeron Fram
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Social BehaviorEncourages kids to read poetry and play with words. Poets are diverse, as are the illustrations. |
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