I received a sample for this review/feature. Opinions expressed are my own.
Poetry is not always a favorite of kids so it is nice to find poetry books that really interest them. Here are some great books just for the 4 to 8 age group that make poetry enjoyable and are a delight to read.
The words can come from a memory, or a dream, or something I see or hear or wonder about or imagine. . . . Maybe there’s a place where words live, where our minds and hearts can go and find them when we want to write or read. I like to imagine that there is such a place. I call it “The Land of Words.”
In this collection of twenty-one poems, National Council of Teachers of English Excellence in Poetry for Children Award winner Eloise Greenfield journeys to a place where words, creativity, and imagination abound. Featuring the poems “In the Land of Words,” “Books,” and “Poem,” as well as favorites such as “Nathaniel’s Rap” and “Way Down in the Music,” this tribute to the written word invites readers to look within themselves and discover what inspires them.
In The Land of Words: New and Selected Poems by Eloise Greenfield and illustrations by Jan Spivey Gilchrist is a collection of 21 poems that are true poems for younger kids. Each one is beautiful and both my 4 and 7 year old daughters seem mesmerized while I read them. Each poem is long enough that they can sit and really enjoy each accompanying illustration. A fabulous book to get little ones into the world of poetry.
Chinatown?a place of dragons and dreams; fireflies and memories
Chinatown?full of wonder and magic; fireworks on New Year’s Day and a delicious smell on every corner
Chinatown?where every day brings something familiar and something wondrously new to a small boy
Chinatownhome
Kam Mak grew up in a place of two cultures, one existing within the other. Using extraordinarily beautiful paintings and moving poems, he shares a year of growing up in this small city within a city, which is called Chinatown.
My Chinatown by Kam Mak is about a young boy’s first year in the United States after emigrating from China. The boy learns to adapt in his new life in Chinatown while still remembering his Chinese heritage and everything they left behind. Chinatown is a place I have never been but this book brings it alive. A beautiful book that offers a peak into another culture in a way children will be able to understand.
To one young narrator, it’s the simple things that mean the most, like sharing laughter with a friend, taking family rides in the country, and kissing her mama’s arm.
When this poem was first published in 1978 in Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems, Eloise Greenfield reminded us that love can be found just about anywhere. Now, twenty-five years later, she and celebrated children’s book artist Jan Spivey Gilchrist present a stunning, newly illustrated anniversary edition that invites readers to celebrate the simple joys of loving and living.
Honey, I Love written by Eloise Greenfield and illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist is all about the simple things a young child likes. Like playing in the hose water on a hot summer day or laughing with friends. The words flow together so well that it is almost like music when I read it. This is more like a traditional style poetry book that was first published in 1978 in Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems. This illustrated version is fabulous for kids!
This is the Earth that we treat with respect,
where people and animals interconnect,
where we learn to find balance
between give and take
and help heal the planet
with choices we make.This Is the Earth takes readers on a journey through hundreds of years as it explores how humans have affected the environment and shows the ways in which we can all care for the planet. Every action we take has an impact on our surroundings?and everyone can help save the world.
This is the Earth by Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander and paintings by Wendell Minor is a non-fiction book that reminds everyone that we all must share the same earth so we must work together to protect it. It rhyming verse readers journey through hundreds of years of life on earth through gorgeous illustrations and an important lesson to be learned.
These books are a great addition to little readers’ bookshelves. Poetry is an important part of literature and these poetry books are sure to be enjoyed.
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