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Poetry TitlesEnglish Poetry Titles (continued)
England has its Roald Dahls, the United States its Dr. Seusses -- authors whose alluring characters and otherworldly environments manage to be both ingratiating and mischievous all at once. Tim Wynne-Jones could be considered Canada's contribution to this group of subliminal children's book writers. His collaborations with illustrator Dušan Petričić especially have produced a familiar style that is empathetic to the thoughtful young reader. In On Tumbledown Hill, an artist and his pet rabbit set out to paint in the evening air…and encounter 26 monsters determined to put a stop to the intended work. After much unruly and comic behaviour, the artist knows he must paint these creatures out of his head to overcome his fear of them. Once they disappear, we are left to look on the canvas. What is hidden among the hills, trees and clouds in the painting? What was real and what was imagined? Unbeknownst to the reader, the block-lettered text is reduced by one word on each subsequent page, revealing more of the illustrations and the monsters' identities. -TC
This book is a selected compilation from two previous collections of Robert Priest's poems: A Terrible Case of the Stars and The Ruby Hat. Over 100 poems were chosen, most of them dedicated to the theme of food. Many fruits and vegetables are part of the imagery, among them "Darth Orange," who is from outer space, and a potato that refuses to be used for chips. The main ingredient of this delirious fruit salad is, of course, the glorious banana. "…Ask not what your banana can do for you / Ask what you can do for your banana…" Strange creatures imagined by Priest, such as elastic people, bum people, the "beautiful but full of rage" flower people and assorted aliens, are depicted in comically abstract pen-and-ink illustrations by Tineke Visser. Many of the entries are intended for singing (the author is also a musician), while others are visual experiments appearing in the form described by their titles ("The Top" or "Spiral"). This book is a delightful way for children to discover poetry and play with words and sounds. -JP
Kids will find themselves very busy with See Saw Saskatchewan as they trek across Canada through Robert Heidbreder's clever game-poems and Scot Ritchie's action illustrations. Each distinctly Canadian poem features a province, territory, animal, sport or occupation as its theme. Symbols above the titles encourage young readers to skip, clap, bounce balls, choose partners, perform character roles or invent their own games. Poems vary from the absurd ("Boss Ross Albatross") to the touching ("Friends"), and several are followed with facts about the poem's theme. Visual re-creations of Canadian particulars (Canada geese, the CN Tower, provincial flowers, hockey and lacrosse) should inspire further creative participation and educational initiatives. A map of Canada adorns both the front and back inside covers of the book. -TC
The little girl narrating this book claims that people and animals from all walks of life have their particular ways of sleeping, but that she never sleeps. We see father sleeping on the couch, mother sleeping in a hammock, twin aunts sleeping symmetrically on the sofa, the cat snuggled up to a warm teapot and the dog asleep under the baby grand. With each refrain of "But I never sleep," we see the girl sinking further into her bed until she finally adds, "Instead I count sheep." By sheep number 11 she is fast asleep and concedes, "Well … I hardly ever sleep." The late author and illustrator Dayal Kaur Khalsa's bright, cheerful drawings are sure to catch a young child's eye. With any luck, both eyes will be closed by the time the final page is reached. -MR
This spectacular collection of stories, poems, mythologies and songs is a historical and cultural embrace of all of Canada. From Native legends of when the world was new, through European settlers, the Acadian tragedy, world wars and modern folk songs, The Spirit of Canada draws from each strain of Canadian life and leaves the reader awash in our heritage like the colour reflections of a prism. Editor and compiler Barbara Hehner undertook this ambitious project after gathering material for several years, prompted largely by her exposure to Native life in the North and the recollections of war veterans. Readers can delight in well-known titles and those that they are discovering for the first time. In the book's introduction, Hehner explains that during her childhood the "phrase used for our multicultural nation was 'the Canadian mosaic' -- a Canada in which every ethnic group contributed its own little piece to the larger design while still keeping its unique identity." To demonstrate this vision, each province and territory in Canada is represented in the anthology. Capsule biographies for each of the contributing authors and illustrators are included. -TC
Many children will be able to recognize themselves in this poem, in which an excited little girl steps out in a special new pair of blue and magical shoes: "Two shoes, blue shoes, new shoes / See what I can do, shoes!" She heads out into the city, where her shoes can do everything -- skip down the street, jump off a log or tap out a tune. She also encounters strange animals: a purple frog, a whale, and an antelope that swings from a rope. The rhythmic and lyrical verse is simple, catchy and printed over the double-page, panoramic illustrations. The watercolour work of Farida Zaman is vivid, expressive and full of energy, capturing the spirit of the little girl's adventures. The complete poem is repeated at the end of the book, one that children will likely want to read over and over again. -AC
This collection features 25 sophisticated poems about wild animals, such as the cougar, sea otter, moose and eagle. The book is divided into five sections: Sight, Smell, Touch, Hearing and Taste. Each section features five animals, and how a particular sense serves them in the natural world. In Sight, for example, the great horned owl decrees "Who is there Who dares forget me? / Who is there Who dares not know me? / Know how dangerous is the old owl / Know my vision in the dark." The book offers a diverse and informative look at nature's many inhabitants, increasing the reader's awareness of how precious wildlife is. A full-page realistic acrylic painting of the featured animal in its natural setting complements each poem. An illustrated appendix provides factual information about each animal. Voices from the Wild: An Animal Sensagoria was awarded the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award in 1997. -AC
The writers-illustrator team of Maggee Spicer, Richard Thompson and Kim LaFave has teamed up for another picture book in the series We'll All Go. In We'll All Go Flying, the three intrepid young friends explore the wide-open sky in a hot-air balloon. They spy clouds, a jet plane, hawks, bats and drift over a town and some mountains. On every second page is a folded inlay asking the reader what might be revealed behind it: "We'll all go flying / In the morning sky, / And what will we spy / In the sky so high?" Then the reader lifts the flap to discover the answer: "Five wind-dancer kites / And a red balloon! / That's what we'll spy / In the midday sky," or "Six pea green parrots / And a loud toucan! / That's what we'll spy / In the jungle sky." The text is thematic with descriptive, simple rhymes, making the book ideal for group activity as well as private reading. Kim LaFave's illustrations are appealingly bright and vibrant. -AC
Historical uncertainty over just who inspired the traditional English verse "The Grand Old Duke of York" (some believe it was the second son of George III, others say it was Richard III's father) will not distract those reading this book. The parody offered here by Maggee Spicer and Richard Thompson lends its own grand nonsense to what they portray as the decidedly madcap adventures of the Duke and his men. When They Are Up… follows the antics of a group of soldiers who are quite unknown to battle. They march up and down the mountain performing whatever outrageous acts the authors have seen fit to write about. Knitting overcoats for rocks or catching armadillos in bags, these soldiers differ greatly from the real thing. Kirsti Anne Wakelin's beautiful illustrations portray the Duke's men like figures on a deck of cards, with elegant, themed art in the margins. -TC
A clown is searching everywhere for Pup, his missing dog. He asks all the circus performers if they know where Pup is, to which they reply using simple rhyming phrases: "Don't know / Go ask Jo / She's feeding Mo," or "No guess / Go ask Jess / He's training Bess." The reader meets silly characters and is introduced to various circus acts: a magician sawing a lady in half, a mouse jumping through a hoop, two trapeze artists and a horseback rider among them. The acrylic illustrations are simple, captivating and funny; whether it be a gorilla wearing a polka-dot bib or a goggle-sporting pig that is about to be shot out of a cannon, artist Pierre Pratt uses bright oranges, reds and blues to evoke the curious world of the circus. At the end, the clown finally discovers his beloved dog (a foldout page reveals Pup at the top of a human pyramid). Dodd's rhyming text and Pratt's expressive illustrations make Where's Pup? a great interactive book of humour and playful suspense. -AC
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