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Poetry TitlesEnglish Poetry Titles (continued)
Dennis Lee's recent work of rhyming verse will once again delight both children and adults alike. New verses have been added to favourite poems: from the grotesquely exaggerated "Mulligan Stew," a sure-fire poetry favourite, to the light-hearted "Summerhill Fair" romance, there is a poem here to win over every heart. "What Will You Be?" playfully flounces the question adults like most to ask children, while "Suzy Grew a Moustache" rings of the absurd. Maryann Kovalski's charcoal illustrations help to bring these scrumptious words to life: "With a nip and a nibble, a drip and a dribble, a dollop, a walloping bite: if you want to see grins all the way to my shins, just give me some garbage delight!" -ANC
P.K. Page, one of Canada's most distinguished poets, wrote this poem as part of an oratorio composed in 2000 to celebrate the new millennium. Inspired by William Blake's Auguries of Innocence, A Grain of Sand is about childhood's limitless imagination and possibility. Vladyana Krykorka's combination of painting and collage echo Page's words, putting comprehension of the text within the grasp of younger children. The colourful illustrations provide a background for each rhyming couplet in the poem. This collaboration between poetic and visual artists has resulted in a volume that will appeal to children and adults alike. -MMc
Jean Little's most recent collection of poetry is a gift to her readers. All ages are sure to enjoy her selection of mostly prose poems that delve into the joys and pains of giving and receiving. The author was motivated to craft this work by her memories of gifts she had always wanted but never received. She recalls the disappointment of unwanted gifts, but also writes of gifts received that despite not costing a dime touch our hearts forever. We don't always get what we want or expect, but there's usually something to be appreciated or learned from all gifts given and received. Jean Little's light-hearted poetry is laced with humorous twists and unexpected irony; in "My Mother Got Me," the author's mother gives her many things she feels her daughter should want but had never asked for. The poem ends with, "I'm glad I've got grandma. She has trouble hearing sometimes but no trouble listening." -ANC
We each have our own indelible images of nature -- cold brook water alive again in early spring, lapping over snowy rocks and punching holes through a sheet of melting ice; the last of the October leaves, ruddy-brown and brittle, curling and twining from maples; a languorous summer sky with clouds jockeying for place above a northern lake. Many of those kinds of seasonal images have been sketched and painted onto paper, wood and canvas by the Group of Seven. A number of the Group's works have made their way into Images of Nature, a poem/picture book that is a stirring whirl of rawness and colour. Author and anthologist David Booth selected nearly 30 works from the Group of Seven, coupling them with 27 poems by Margaret Atwood, Leonard Cohen, Earle Birney and others, to add verbal texture and congruity to the brush strokes of Jackson, Thomson, Carmichael and others. Images of Nature is a revelation of moods -- a visual and oral journey through spectacular Canadian landscapes. -MS
Curious and creative children will want to make this particular jump into Avis Harley's Leap into Poetry. The author uses the alphabet, from A to Z, to introduce young readers to 26 forms of poetry. With each letter, an insect whose name starts with that same letter is also introduced. For A: "Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial sound, which creates an interesting effect." Coupled with A for Alliteration is "Ants," a clever, word-crackling poem to illustrate the definition: "Ants, / admiring an amber, / are amazed at an ancestor / appearing almost alive, / all anxious angles and / alert antennae…" And with each letter of the alphabet and each poem, Avis adds a bright and accurate illustration. Leap into Poetry encourages readers to tweak their imaginations and consider the playfulness and diversity of words. Children will have their curiosity piqued by the illustrations too -- there's a fascinating array of insects that crawl and fly and weave their way through the book. From Alliteration to Zéjel, Ants to Zebra Butterfly, this is an imaginative, gently informative leap of learning. -MS
Perhaps no child or adult can resist the poet's invitation to indulge in utter make-believe. In this book, celebrated author Robert Louis Stevenson's timeless poem "The Little Land" (selected from A Child's Garden of Verses) is given enchanting and sympathetic treatment in Kim Fernandes's three-dimensional, award-winning Fimo (acrylic clay) illustrations. Although published in 1885, The Little Land takes place anytime, when a daydreaming boy imagines himself in the Land of Play. There, he is the diminutive size of his insect friends, the "clover-tops are trees" and the "rain-pools are the seas." Stevenson's miniature world offers children a token of magic inspired by simple visions of nature, and the happiness in imagining ourselves to be no bigger than others. -TC
This is a charming, hip and funny collection of poems whose upbeat and inspired rhymes beg to be read aloud. The shorter poems, such as "Rumble Bumble Bumblebee," feature inventive wordplay as their main attraction: "roly poly ram-ba-lam / Jambalaya, toast and jam / Hambone, wishbone, Ping-Pong slam…" Two of the longer poems treat with humour and tenderness the subjects of toddler tantrums and the all-too-quick (from a parent's point of view) progression of a baby into childhood. What really distinguishes this book is its illustration. It is interesting to note that while only two of the poems mention animals, the pages are chock-a-block with large, colourful cavorting bears, daisy-umbrella-toting ladybugs, festive dinosaurs and temperamental dragons, to name but a few. -MR
My Cake's On Fire is a collection of poems, prayers and songs. Its theme is one of hope and good cheer. Each section has the word 'welcome' in its title, such as "Welcome to My Space," which is about a child's home, classroom and neighbourhood. Other sections include poems about special occasions, such as birthdays or taking a driver's test. The poems are written in a wide range of styles, including a diamante poem (arranged in a diamond pattern of seven lines). Author Diane Dawber is a three-time winner of the Federation of Women Teachers' Associations of Ontario Writer's Award. The survivor of a disabling illness, in her spare time she speaks to individuals and groups about chronic pain and fatigue and how to overcome them. -LS
This is Jeannie McGregor's first compilation of poetry for children. The volume includes 18 poems that humorously deal with a variety of everyday situations. These include "Clancy Dugan," the disruptive classroom influence who is making Grade 4 fly by; "That Word," in which the family parrot repeats a nasty word learned from an unlikely source; and "Poor Sammy!" about the demise of a pet turtle. One particular poem finds the author demonstrating sibling rivalry by luring her brother into a well-known winter predicament: "Tomorrow I will tell my friends; / tomorrow I will boast, / of how I got that stupid kid / to lick that metal post!" A widely exhibited artist, Bill Brownridge provides brightly coloured paintings to accompany McGregor's works. This collection is guaranteed to bring smiles. -MMc
This story starts off as many stories do, with a simple question. Araba, a young girl from Ghana, mails to her Canadian pen pal the very important question "What is snow?" The boy writes her a letter in which he explains everything there is to know about snow, through poetry. He explains how the taste of snow is white, how it is sometimes like splinter-sharp needles against your skin. It's like tobogganing, snow forts and the crunch of snowy crust under your feet. He also explains to Araba how snow sticks in small, white pebbles to wool mittens. He concludes his poem to his pen pal by saying that words are not enough -- snow must be held in your hands to be understood. Sheree Fitch has written many other well-known poetry books, including Toes in My Nose and Other Poems; There Were Monkeys in My Kitchen! and If You Could Wear My Sneakers (winner of both the Ontario Silver Birch Award and the Atlantic Hackmatack Award). In 1998, she won the prestigious Vicky Metcalf Award for a body of work inspirational to Canadian children. -SG
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