Poetry Anthologies

A good poetry anthology is like going to a friend’s house with a basket, and being told, “Oh, you must read this one, and this one, and THIS one is my favorite!” as the bounty overflows.  Going to another friend’s house with another basket will introduce you to some of the same treasures, but different ones too, so you are excited both to recognize the familiar, and intrigued to discover something new.

When you browse anthologies, look for a few classic names you have heard of (Mother Goose, Shakespeare, Longfellow, Rossetti, Dickinson, etc.), and be ready to learn about many others (de la Mare, Richards, Prelutsky, Hoberman, etc.). I strongly believe that the illustrations should be beautiful and appealing, partly because they provide a kind of visual Table of Contents on the page for younger listeners who cannot read yet, and also because art makes the poems memorable and irresistible. I remember memorizing “The Highwayman” in high school primarily because of the beautiful illustrations in Childcraft (second volume of the older edition).

The great thing about poetry is that you do not have to read straight through the book. You can choose to read one or twenty in a sitting, revisiting old favorites and meeting new friends. We keep our copy of Random House in the van to read while waiting in the doctor’s office, and enjoy sharing them with eavesdroppers. (Some of these books contain poems about ghosts, etc., so some discernment is required, but those sections can be skipped.)

Here are four anthologies which are currently in print and should be readily available in most libraries:

Tomie’s Little Book of Poems selected and illustrated by Tomie DePaola (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1988). Board book.

These poems were mostly written during the second half of the twentieth century, so they are an exception to my preference for a mixture of classic and contemporary works in an anthology, but Tomie DePaola (Caldecott award-winning author of Strega Nona and numerous other books) has made them very accessible to little readers and little hands with his great illustrations. An early introduction to poetry with themes that would interest a young child.

The Random House Book of Poetry selected by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Arnold Lobel. (Random House, 1983)

If you’re trying to find a familiar poem or one on any particular subject, it will probably be in here. Every page is packed, but there is a remarkable balance of white space, and the marvelous black-and-white illustrations enhance the poems. There are poems on nature, seasons, animals both familiar and strange, cities, people, home, being hungry, nonsense, and further assortment.  As a whole, the collection contains a broad selection of authors and good depth of topics. Jack Prelutsky is a prolific poet who has compiled numerous collections. His poems are witty and fun, so look for more of his work. You may recognize the work of Arnold Lobel in the extraordinary Frog and Toad books.

Sing a Song of Popcorn selected by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers et al, illustrated by Caldecott Medal artists (Scholastic, 1988).

These poems showcase the work of great children’s book artists who seem to really be just having fun with great poems. Poetry goes so well with art because a whole story may be told in a few words, and the illustrations say just a little bit more. Here is a great collection of both classic and modern poems that demonstrates a wide variety of styles between one artist and the next, and weaves together poems both old and new.

Classic Poetry: An Illustrated Collection selected by Michael Rosen, pictures by Paul Howard (Candlewick, 1998)

This is a more literary collection that would appeal more to middle-grades and above, although younger children should certainly be introduced to them. I admire the variety of illustrating styles by a single illustrator that beautifully reflect the style of each poem, and I appreciate the representation of (mostly) truly great poets from Shakespeare to the end of the twentieth century. These poems are longer, some more familiar than others, overall a nice asset to a home library collection. Michael Rosen is another poet who has compiled a number of great collections we enjoy.

As Betsy mentioned on Monday, look for poetry in the 811 section of your library.

Remember our poetry contest…entries are due at the end of the month! To encourage participation, we have decided to give poets their choice of any topic, rather than limiting them to the ones originally suggested.