Here's A Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry

by Jane Yolen (Compiler), Andrew Fusek Peters (Compiler), Polly Dunbar (Illustrator)

Overview

This exuberant celebration of poetry is an essential book for every young one’s library and a gorgeous gift to be both shared and treasured.

Sit back and savor a superb collection of more than sixty poems by a wide range of talented writers, from Margaret Wise Brown to Gertrude Stein, Langston Hughes to A. A. Milne. Greeting the morning, enjoying the adventures of the day, cuddling up to a cozy bedtime — these are poems that highlight the moments of a toddler’s world from dawn to dusk. Carefully gathered by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters and delightfully illustrated by Polly Dunbar, Here's a Little Poem offers a comprehensive introduction to some remarkable poets, even as it captures a very young child’s intense delight in the experiences and rituals of every new day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763631413
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	02/13/2007
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	93,412
Product dimensions:	10.63(w) x 11.69(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jane Yolen is the recipient of the Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award in recognition of the more than 400 books she has written for children and young adults, including the Caldecott Medal winner Owl Moon and the New York Times bestseller How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? With Candlewick Press, she is the editor of three collections of poems for children: Switching on the Moon: A Very First Book of Bedtime Poems; Here’s a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry; and This Little Piggy: Lap Songs, Finger Plays, Clapping Games, and Pantomime Rhymes. She divides her time between Massachusetts and Scotland.

Andrew Fusek Peters is a poet and anthologist whose work has appeared in collections for children and teens. He has also written many books. Andrew Fusek Peters lives in Shropshire, England.

Polly Dunbar is the author and illustrator of Dog Blue and Flyaway Katie, as well as the illustrator of Shoe Baby, written by her mother, Joyce Dunbar. Polly Dunbar lives in Brighton, England.

Editorial Reviews

A high-spirited, engaging introduction to poetry.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

With lots of hugs and kisses, as well as messy nonsense and uproarious action, this big spacious anthology of more than 60 poems is a wonderful first book to read with babies and toddlers over and over again.
—Booklist (starred review)

The poetry is witty, intelligent, and well crafted…a great way to introduce the youngest listeners to the genre.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Featured/recommended on Oprah's 2012 Kids Reading List
—Oprah.com

From the Publisher

Here are, actually, 61 little poems, which together provide a high-spirited, engaging introduction to poetry. Gleaned from various countries and representing a refreshing array of voices, the poems fall into four categories of high interest to youngsters: "Me, Myself, and I," "Who Lives in My House?," "I Go Outside" and "Time for Bed." The selections include waggish nonsense verse, rambunctious action rhymes, quieter passages, and snippets of everyday life. Margaret Mahy's "My Sister" typifies the collection's airiness and spunk: "My sister's remarkably light,/ She can float to a fabulous height./ It's a troublesome thing,/ But we tie her with string,/ And we use her instead of a kite." Other contributors include the volume's two anthologists, plus Langston Hughes, Margaret Wise Brown, Eve Merriam, Jack Prelutsky, Charlotte Pomerantz and Lilian Moore. Dunbar's signature cheery, mixed-media art injects new energy into even the most familiar poems; her interpretation of A.A. Milne's "Halfway Down," for instance, portrays a girl on a staircase that seems to spiral up to heaven, while the girl on "The Swing" by Robert Louis Stevenson looks suspended from the clouds, over a collage countryside of textured cloth patterns. This elegant, oversize treasury features children as endearing as the verse they illustrate—well, except perhaps for "The No-No Bird" perched in "the Tantrum Tree," a boy with wings aflame and mouth open in a scream. There's something for everyone here. Ages 6 mos.-5 yrs. (Mar.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Publishers Weekly