Archive for the ‘Poetry’ Category

What Would You Suggest?

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

lisabadge

I had an interesting reference question today from a school administrator of an inner city school with a high percentage of ESL families.

A generous donor is going to buy a book for every child in the school, K through 5th grade, to take home to keep. The donor wants the books to be hardcovers and something they will treasure for years and perhaps read to their own children in the future. What books would I suggest?

After considering beautifully illustrated classics like Alice in Wonderland or modern classics like Because of Winn Dixie, I thought about what I like to give kids that I don’t know. I often choose poetry, because it is something one can revisit, share and revel in. I also wanted to choose books that would be beautiful to hold.

Here’s what I suggested for each grade. What would you pick?

Kindergarten

Here’s A Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry
Retail Price: $21.99
Hardcover: 112 pages
Publisher: Candlewick – (2007-02-13)
ISBN / EAN: 0763631418 / 9780763631413

First Grade

Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies
Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton
Retail Price: $24.99
Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – (2009-10-06)
ISBN / EAN: 0316040495 / 9780316040495

Second Grade

omnibeasts: animal poems and paintings
Douglas Florian
Retail Price: $18.00
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books – (2004-10-01)
ISBN / EAN: 0152050388 / 9780152050382

Third Grade

The Random House Book of Poetry for Children
Retail Price: $22.99
Hardcover: 248 pages
Publisher: Random House – (1983-09-12)
ISBN / EAN: 0394850106 / 9780394850108

Fourth Grade

Poetry Speaks to Children (Book & CD) (Read & Hear)
Retail Price: $19.95
Hardcover: 112 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks MediaFusion – (2005-10-18)
ISBN / EAN: 1402203292 / 9781402203299

Fifth Grade

Hip Hop Speaks to Children with CD: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat (A Poetry Speaks Experience)
Nikki Giovanni
Retail Price: $19.99
Hardcover: 80 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky – (2008-10-01)
ISBN / EAN: 1402210485 / 9781402210488

Posted in Childrens and YA, Poetry | 7 Comments »

Poetry Gets an Obama Bump

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

It’s heartening to see the chapbook of Elizabeth Alexander’s Inaugural poem, Praise Song for the Day, rise on Amazon. It’s currently at #290 (from #9,059) in overall sales rankings and at #1 in poetry, despite the fact that it was reprinted in newspapers and online.

The AP’s story on the poem noted that the publisher is releasing 100,000 copies of the chapbook, but that Maya Angelou’s poem for President Clinton’s inauguration sold a million copies. At the time of that story, Praise Song was at #429 on Amazon.

Alexander’s earlier poetry collection is at #3 in poetry (#2 is Maya Angelou’s Letter to My Daughter, which is not poetry, but a collection of essays. Amazon’s classifications can be strange) and is at #333 on the overall list. It’s owned in small quantities in most large libraries, with reserves in some areas

praise

Praise Song for the Day: A Poem for Barack Obama’s Presidential Inauguration 
Alexander, Elizabeth

  • Paperback: $8.00; 32 pages
  • Publisher: Graywolf Press (February 6, 2009)
  • ISBN-10: 1555975453
  • ISBN-13: 978-1555975456

 

sublime

American Sublime
Alexander, Elizabeth

  • Paperback: $14; 96 pages
  • Publisher: Graywolf Press (September 22, 2005)
  • ISBN-10: 1555974325
  • ISBN-13: 978-1555974329

Posted in Poetry | No Comments »