Sunday Surprise – Poetry for Young People Edition!

At one point, I was browsing through Amazon looking for “substance” books for Ian and came across this great series titled Poetry for Young People.  I have to say I was really impressed with the collection of authors the series included, for instance: Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Walt Whitman, William Blake, Lewis Carroll, Lord Tennyson and William Butler Yeats.  There are a ton more, plus a couple of theme ones – The Seasons or Animal Poems.  Here’s a few I’ve added to Ian’s to be bought list:

William Shakespeare by David Scott Kasten, Marina Kastan, and Glenn Harrington

He was the greatest poet and playwright who ever lived, the dramatist who penned lines that we quote without even realising their origin. Shakespeare’s glorious works have even inspired animated films – like Disney’s “The Lion King”. Introduce children to the Bard with this wonderful, fully annotated collection of sonnets and soliloquies, enhanced with beautiful, highly realistic colour paintings that bring each excerpt to vivid life. Here are Shakespeare’s most famous speeches: including everything from “Hamlets” – ‘To be or not to be’ – and “Macbeth’s” witches cackling ‘Double, double, toil and trouble’ to the sonnets, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” and humourous songs sung in comedies such as “Twelfth Night”. Every entry is a revelation.

Edgar Allan Poe by Brod Bagert

If you think that poetry has to be sweet and romantic, or at least serene, think again. Step into the dark world of Edgar Allan Poe. Well known for his spine-tingling, spooky stories that are even more chilling than today’s horror films, Poe also wrote poems that expressed the shadowy regions of his mind. More than 20 of his poems and selections from his stories are accompanied by mood-setting, full-colour drawings and notes that make his work easier to understand.

American Poetry by Edward Mendelson

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear…” —Walt Whitman

American Poetry offers a collection of 26 verses by our finest poets, all with their unique perspective on the land they loved and accompanied by remarkable paintings that enhance the meaning of the words. Here, beautifully illustrated, are such unforgettable works as Robert Frost’s pensive “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Ralph Waldo Emerson’s powerful “Concord Hymn,” Langston Hughes’ majestic “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” Carl Sandburg’s “Jazz Fantasia,” and Maya Angelou’s “Harlem Hopscotch.” Of course, some poems are just sheer fun—especially the beloved ode to our national pastime, “Casey at the Bat.”

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.