Antique Poetry Books

Over Thanksgiving, we visited my husband's parents in El Paso.  My Mother-in-law, a former high school English teacher, has collected antique books over the years.  A friend of hers brought these books over one day, giving them to my mother-in-law, knowing that they would be treasured and appreciated by her.  They are a glimpse into the nursery of the past, and thought I'd share them here.

Photo:  Bonnie Newman 2011

Inside these books, I found these inscriptions:

Photo:  Bonnie Newman 2011

The inscription on the left reads:  Lillian from Aunt Carrie, Xmas 1895.  We were amazed to see how old these were!  The book is in fairly good shape; we did need to be careful as we looked through them.

The pictures in these books are beautiful, and hark back to a different time:

Source:  Daisy Chain.  (N.D.) Boston:  De Wolfe Fiske. 

I love the children in period dress, playing soldier!

Source:  Wee Lassies (N.D) Boston:  De Wolf Fisk & Co.

And the mother, tucking her children in bed.

Both of the above pictures are water color as are many of the pictures in these books.  Many more illustrations were created in pencil, both small and large, along side many of the poems. When I saw this, I thought it might be made by woodcut:

Source:  Daisy Chain.  (N.D.).  Boston:  De Wolf Fiske. 

 

There are also some gems of poetry inside the books.  Here are a few examples:

Out into the Country.

 On his knees they clamber,
   "Father, don't you know?
Take us to the Country
    Where the daisies grow!"

                                   Bustle!  bustle!  bustle!

                                       Pack the children's things;
                                  Cabs and trains won't wait for
                                       Children or for kings. 
                                                         Rattle!  rattle!  rattle!
                                                              Off! away they go,
                                                         To the pleasant Country,
                                                              Where the daisies grow. 
                                             Daisy Chain.  (N.D.).  Boston:  De Wolf Fiske.  


A trip to the country must have been a treat for a child that lived in the city.  We still hustle and bustle around, getting ready for a trip anywhere, even now.

And this one:

Butterfly Days.

The morning has come, and the morning has past,
     The terrible lessons are over at last;
          And out in the meadows the little ones run,
              After the butterflies under the sun.

The streamlets go dimpling along through the grass,
     The motes in the sunshine so merrily pass,
          While birds round and o'er them are singing of love,
               With the green grass beneath,
                                              and the blue sky above.

Bright fairies are darting and dancing in glee,
     That only the eyes of the children can see;
          And the songs that the fairies are piping so clear,
               It is only the hearts of the children can hear!
                      Daisy Chain.  (N.D.).  Boston:  De Wolf Fiske 


The world of a child...they see much that we adults don't see.

And finally,

Butterflies.

Skimming blossoms, honey-laden
     Fluttering earthward, floating high;
In your soft hands, little maiden,
     You may catch us if you try.
         
          So I would, you pretty things,
          But that I might hurt your wings. 
                Wee Lassies (N.D) Boston:  De Wolf Fisk & Co.  


I love the imagery in this last one.  Fluttering butterflies, always out of reach.  I can see children chasing after them, careful not to hurt their fragile wings.

I really loved looking through these books, if just to read through  something my grandparents might have read to their young children.  The quaint, simple language of these books reminds me of a simpler time, and make me want to be a child again.  I am glad for the abundance of children's books available to us today, but sometimes, it's good to look back and see from where we came.  

Going Camping?

This week I took a look at the above book, Toasting Marshmallows  Camping Poems, by Kristine O'Connell George and Illustrated by Kate Kiesler.  What a wonderful collection of poems!  Reading through them made me remember the campfires that I have sat by over the years, making smores and gazing at the stars.  Here are a couple of the poems I found:

Tent

First,

smooth dirt.

No rocks or roots.

Next, sharp stakes, poles,

Strong nylon rope.  Shake, snap.

Billow, woof, settle.  Tug.  Pull taut.

Our tent is up!  Blooming, bright orange.  

George, Kristine O’Connell.  Toasting Marshmallows. (p. 4). (2001). New York, NY:  Clarion Books.  

 

I love that the shape of the poem is in a tent!   And another one:  

Sleeping Outside

Small me,

in a small tent

staked to a huge planet,

rolling slowly through open space----

alone.

Small me,

still wide awake

under a wide starred sky,

almost----almost---feeling the earth

turning. 

George, Kristine O’Connell.  Toasting Marshmallows. (p. 43). (2001). New York, NY:  Clarion Books. 

This poem reminds me of how small I felt in a little tent with wilderness all around.  What a wonderful memory.  

There are many more treasures included in this book, and I would highly recommend having it as a part of your library. 

You can find this book at Amazon.

A Folktale Poem

As we were discussing folktales in class 2 weeks ago, I happened upon a book about Johnny Appleseed.  The interesting thing about this book was that the story was told by using poetry.  I thought that it was an interesting way to tell the story, so I took the book home. 

What a treat!  Not only are the pictures lush and colorful, but the poetry says all you need to know in very few words.  Here's a sample of the poetry I found: 

Old Hannah Goodwin talked of him
In apple time each year
When the orchard came to harvest
And the air was crisp and clear

She'd ask children to remember
And to thank the Lord indeed
For apples sharp and apples sweet
And Johnny Appleseed. 

Johnny Appleseed  (1990)  Lindbergh, Reeve.  No City.  Little, Brown & Company.   

The author used such rich language to describe the travels of John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, who was a real person.  He was born in 1774 and traveled the country, sharing his Christian beliefs and bringing apples to the newly settled areas of the country. 

I've already mentioned the pictures, but I'd like to do so again.  This book was illustrated by Kathy Jakobsen, and the traditional flavor, minute details, and the rich colors of the paintings lend an additional treat to reading this story. 

The author of this book, Reeve Lindbergh, is indeed the daughter of the famous Charles Lindbergh, and has many other books to her name, in various genre, although not necessarily for children.  You can find many of her books at Amazon.  While I haven't read anything else that she's wrote, I would highly recommend this book for your library, no matter what age you are. 

Something a bit different...

Today, I found an interesting book entitled The Space Between Our Footsteps:  Poems and Paintings from the Middle East.  I haven't read much about the area except what the broadcast news tells us each evening, so I thought I'd take a look at this book to see what it had to offer. 

The first thing I looked at were the paintings included in the book--they are beautiful.  Done in various media, they illustrate various perspectives of life, and nicely accompany many of the poems included in this book.  The poems themselves are very descriptive, bringing vivid images of what life might be like there.  Here are a couple that I really liked:  

A Dream

When he surrenderd his eyes to the dream, this lad,
The evening star entered his house, trembling,
The wood of his bed turned into a ship for him,
The cosmos turned to an oyster in his hands. 

Muhammad Al-Ghuzziyusi
Translated by May Jayyusi and John Heath-Stubbs

The Space Between Our Footsteps:  Poems and Paintings from the Middle East (1998)  Nye, Naomi Shihab (selected by).  New York.  Simon Schuster Books for Young People.  Page 62. 

I love the imagery presented here--You can go anywhere and do anything when you are dreaming! 

Another one that I really liked was this one:

As I traveled from the city
toward the country
old age fell off my shoulders. 

Salah Fa'Iq
Translated by Patricia Alanah Byrne and Salma Khadra Jayyusi

The Space Between Our Footsteps:  Poems and Paintings from the Middle East (1998)  Nye, Naomi Shihab (selected by).  New York.  Simon Schuster Books for Young People.  Page 32. 

I've felt this way too, on our way to the family property in Cloudcroft, NM.  I always feel younger and rejuvenated when we get away from the stress of the city.

There are so many more examples of rich, descriptive language in this book that I can't list them all here.  The end of the book also has information about many of the poets included in this book of poetry.  It can help people learn more about the person who wrote the poem and learn of their background. 

I recommend picking up this book to share poetry from a place so different from our own, so that our children can know that inside, we really aren't that different at all.  You can find the book at Amazon.

Dean Koontz - Poet?

My only previous experience with Dean Koontz's work is in the realm of fiction--and not the kind I would recommend for children to read.  So, when I saw this book on the same shelf with children's poetry, I was intrigued, to say the least, and hoped that I would have something to post from this book this week.    And so, I explored The Paper Doorway and found some wonderful gems of poetry that you can share with children of all ages. 

Dean Koontz was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and after a stint with the Appalachia Poverty Program and some time teaching English, he quit his job and started to write professionally.  As I mentioned before, I was familiar with some of his suspense/thriller work, and never dreamed that he had written anything for children, but after a search on Amazon, I find that he has several titles to his name that can be considered for children. 

The Paper Doorway, published in 2001, has a lot of silly poetry that can actually start some pretty good discussions with children.  For example: 


Better Than Money

Money I quickly spend.
Ice cream I gobble down.
Clothes I always wear out.
I'd rather have a friend.

Movies all soon end,
And trips out of town.
Rich food gives me gout.
I'd rather have a friend.

The Paper Doorway  Koontz, Dean.  (2001).  New York.  Harper Collins.  Page 46.

This can open a discussion about all the things a person can have that doesn't cost money. 

I also love the images that come to my mind with this poem:

Listen to the Wind

Listen to the wind!
Hear it spin, spin, spin!
Telling where it's been:
Rome and back again

Listen to it howl!
Hear it growl, growl, growl!
Wind is on the prowl
and it wants in now!

Listen to it sigh!
Hear it cry, cry, cry!
Such a sorry sigh.
Don't you wonder why?

Listen to it moan!
Hear it groan, groan, groan!
Such a gnawing tone,
Hungry for a bone.

Listen to it climb
Through the bright wind chimes,
Keeping time, time, time:
Music so sublime. 

The Paper Doorway  Koontz, Dean.  (2001).  New York.  Harper Collins.  Page 132

There are so many poems in this book, some are silly; others can make you think.  Pick up this book sometime and read a few--you won't regret it! 

Ahoy, Matey!!!

This week, I'm sticking with J. Patrick Lewis and exploring another of his books, Blackbeard The Pirate King.  Here's a link to the book at Amazon.

The author chose to use paintings by various authors to illustrate the different episodes of Edward Teach, better known as "Blackbeard".  The author mixes his poetry with interesting facts about the life of Captain Teach, and ends the book with maps and a time-line of all the interesting and terrible things that he did.  He also mentions various web-sites that one can visit to learn more about the life and times of Blackbeard. 

I think my favorite thing about this book is the artwork.   The author chose to use depictions rendered by contemporaries of Blackbeard as well as more recent renditions of the pirate's life from the last decade or so.  One of the more bold paintings chosen is entitled "Blackbeard Afire" by Rick Farrell (2000); this painting depicts an angry Blackbeard holding a pistol.  He is standing in front of a black flag with a skeleton on it, and behind him is a fiery golden sky.  The poem that Mr. Lewis wrote to accompany this painting is as follows:

A Pirate's Colors

Though often running up a flag
    Meant mercy would be shown,
For some a pirate's colors cried,
    Leave well enough alone.

Now a famous Jolly Roger that
    Could capture Blackbeard's art
Was the skull-and-crossbones death's head
    That could stop a human heart.

But what's a rumor worth at sea
    That passes for suspense?
Of scores of men they say he killed,
    There is no evidence.

Blackbeard The Pirate King.  by J. Patrick Lewis (2006)  Washington DC.  National Geographic Society.

While many would think that Blackbeard was, like many pirates are depicted, bloodthirsty and a cold blooded killer, evidence indicates that he did not kill anybody until his final fight at Ocracoke Inlet, where he perished in November of 1718.  I like books like this that will challenge the mainstream idea of how a person really was and give you a more realistic idea of how an historical person might have actually behaved. 

In the end, I would recommend this book just for the paintings depicted; however, there is a wonder that is added when you read the poetry that Mr. Lewis has included with these paintings.  Pick it up sometime, I'm sure you'll enjoy it as well.

Who is your hero?

I am really enjoying my journey to find poetry for children and adolescents.  Today, I found J. Patrick Lewis, and read through Heroes and She-Roes: Poems of Amazing and Everyday Heroes.  There are some wonderful gems in this book, great to tie in with many subjects for teachers; for example:  there are poems about heroes like Ghandi, the rescuers from September 11 and even an Elementary School Teacher. The last poem in the book says it all:

So heroes set aside their fear
To lend a hand or lend an ear,

To face the night or save the day
And never look the other way.

They do not, with a single bound,
Leap up tall buildings from the ground.

But from a sense of decency,
The share themselves with you and me.

No matter what or where or who,
When something must be done,
They do.

From Heroes and She-Roes:  Poems of Amazing and Everyday Heroes  J. Patrick Lewis, (2005)  New York, Penguin Group. 

My daughter recently had an assignment for her 7th grade Language Arts and Reading class that wanted the children to "Pay it Forward".  In the assignment, students were to sacrifice their time to help someone else, only asking that the person helped would pay it forward.  The students then were asked to write a paper about the experience, sharing what they did and how they felt.  This is the kind of book that would be a great lead in for this type of assignment, because many of the heroes depicted were just everyday people, making a difference for others. 

According to his website, Mr. Lewis was born in 1942, and has a twin brother.  He has photographs of his life, including his children and grandchildren, as well as activities for children and information for parents.  You can find more of his work here:  J. Patrick Lewis at Amazon 

I am looking forward to reading more of this author's poetry in the future. 

Shel Silverstein

I have to admit that I'm not that familiar with Shel Silverstein's work.  I do know that lots of kids love his books, many of them memorizing and reciting these each year for school assignments.  I picked up 2 of his books from the library:  Falling Up and Where the Sidewalk Ends. 

I read a bit out of each of the books, and then decided to see what else I could find out about the author before I continued.  I went to both his website as well as Wikipedia.  What some people may not know, is that Mr. Silverstein was more than a children's author. According to his biography, he wrote the song "A Boy Named Sue" for Johnny Cash, winning a Grammy for this song in 1970.  He also authored cartoons during his time in the military in Korea, extending this into cartoons for Playboy when he returned from the war.  Even during the years that he was writing his children's poetry, he was composing, singing and recording songs as well.  He was also a playwright towards the end of his life.  It's amazing the different types of media he was involved with.  He passed away in 1999 of a heart attack in Florida. 

Some of the poetry was not to my liking; however, but I found some real gems in both of the books I picked up.  For example:

Alice

She drank from a bottle called DRINK ME

And so she grew so tall, 

She ate from a plate called TASTE ME

And down she shrank so small.

And so she changed, while other folks

Never tried nothin' at all.  

From Where the Sidewalk Ends, Harper Collins Publishers, New York, copyright 2004, Special 30th Anniversary Edition, page 112. 

Putting aside grammar and spelling, this little poem could open up a discussion about taking chances in life instead of staying in the safe place.  There are many more thought provoking poems you can use to open up discussion about how a child is feeling about brothers and sisters, playing sick to stay home from school and other situations.  I would recommend that a parent or teacher read through the poems prior to reading them with a child, as there are poems and language that some parents and/or teachers might find objectionable.  All in all, I think I'd recommend his poetry and would like to have this book in my classroom should I decide to teach again.  

More books and media by Shel Silverstein can be found at Amazon.

Jack Prelutsky

Wow!  I wish I'd found Jack Prelutsky when my kids were younger! 

I read through Dog Days and The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders, and skimmed through The New Kid on the Block, and found wonderful and silly poetry, and I could imagine snuggling with my son or daughter, reading through these and giggling at the imagery. 

For example: 

Cuckoo!

The cuckoo in our cuckoo clock

was wedded to an octopus

she laid a single wooden egg,

and hatched a cuckoocloctopus.

                                      from The New Kid on the Block

                                      Greenwillow Books, New York

                                      Copyright 1984, p. 19 

I giggle thinking about a cuckoocloctopus, and I'm sure my daughter would too!

In The Frog Wore Red Suspenders, there are poems that describe nature and different places in the United States, all in a very entertaining manner.  One of my favorite poems in this book is about a little boy traveling in a balloon across Texas.   This one would be great for teachers to use in the classroom, as after you have read it aloud, your class can discuss how large Texas is and estimate how long it might have taken him to travel across the state. 

Jack Prelutsky currently lives in Seattle, Washington, and has been writing poetry for over 30 years.  I visited his website, http://www.jackprelutsky.com/, and it has wonderful animation and includes poetry and pictures to read, funny letters to the writer, and ideas for parents and educators to use his poems. I highly recommend checking it out if you have moment. 

You can check out more of his work here:  Jack Prelutsky on Amazon

You know, I think I'll go catch up with my daughter and read a few of these silly poems with her.  You're never too old to laugh! 

                                                                                        

Nikki Grimes

I've never read a lot of poetry, and was pleasantly surprised by the two books by Nikki Grimes that I picked up at the library this weekend.  With vivid, beautiful pictures, Ms. Grimes poetry tells a story in each of the books I read. 

Danitra Brown Leaves Town tells of young Danitra and her friend Zuri. Both are looking forward to summer and spending lots of time playing and absolutely no time studying.  Then Danitra leaves town and Zuri is mad because all of their plans are ruined.  The poetry that follows shows how the girls spent their summer apart AND together by sharing their adventures through writing to each other. 

Oh, Brother! tells of a boy whose mother is remarried.  Using poetry, the author shows us how the boy comes to terms with his step-father and step-brother. 

I know that when I was younger, I never thought poetry was interesting.  It seemed so short and hard to understand because the story seemed so chopped up.  After reading these two stories, I can see that it is a wonderful way to tell a story and convey emotion in very few sentences.  Both of these stories left me feeling that I'd connected with the characters, and I was sorry when the tales ended.  For my first foray into poetry, this was a great choice! 

According to the biography on her website, Nikki Grimes has won many awards for her writing. With a quite eventful childhood, she began writing at a very young age.  She currently lives in California, and travels the world, giving lectures and talks as well as poetry readings. With dozens and dozens of books available, there are many to choose from to add to your library.  Take a look and see! 

Nikki Grimes's books on Amazon

My audience.

I have decided to explore poetry for parents and teachers.  I do not have a lot of background or experience in reading it, so I'm looking forward to learning about authors and books in this genre. 

New Blog

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