I wore my copy of this out and keep it in a zip lock bag. I loved this book as a child and read in it constantly. I can still quote many of the poems from this book. A great introduction to a wide range of poety for children. ( )

Still trying to find poems by Larrick, not just anthologies she edited.
This is a particular disappointment, because despite the fact that she says, in the intro, that, ... poems about bringing in the cows or hiding in a butterbean tent evoke only a slight response in either city children or their country cousins," these poems are mostly pastoral, and mostly almost twee. ?á Maybe in 1968 they seemed more modern to some?

I do like Eve Merriam. ?áLeavetaking includes the verse: "For I'm packing only/ Necessities:/ A month of sunsets/ And two apple trees."

And the untitled Haiku (?) by Soseki should be in lots of anthologies: ?á"Over the wintry/ forest, winds howl in a rage/ with no leaves to blow."

The art by Ellen Raskin is wonderful, though. ?áI'm thinking of photocopying some just so I can color them for fun.


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Some of these poems are silly & juvenile and perhaps appropriate for grades 2 & 3, and some are "just right" for grades 4-7. Topics vary, and none of these poems are complex in theme or complicated in style. A few are great for introducing poetry analysis to grade 7 (especially the poem "January." ( )