April, once famous for bringing flowers, has now been declared Poetry Month and heralds scads of new children's poetry books. My question? Are children really reading the poetry books published for them? Poetry is the only developmentally dependent genre I know. Children adore rhythm and rhyme from birth to six, but by seven, interest begins to wane. I've evolved a psychology of children's poetry to compensate for these patterns. My recommendation is to enjoy poetry when children thrive on the stuff, then sneak it in as often as possible when they begin to resist. Perhaps this will keep children's love of word play and imagery alive during the dry spells. Here are some specific new titles based on these guiding principles.
When children first experience books, rhyme and rhythm are certain indicators of success. One of the first books on any child's book shelf should be Mother Goose, the first literary building block. Zena Sutherland, a leading authority of children's literature, has chosen seventy-some familiar and favorite rhymes for The Orchard Book of NurseryRhymes (Orchard, $$22.95; ages 0 and up), a volume which has just been re-relased. Eighteenth century settings and quaint illustrations by Faith Jacques compliment the poems and create a volume that could easily become a family heirloom.
Two more poetry books for the very young offer rollicking opportunities for toddler romping. Opal Dunn's Hippety-Hop Hippety-Hay: Growing with rhymes from birth to age three (Henry Holt, $16.95) includes directions for actions, music for songs, and coaching for parents. Learning, play, and movement are key elements in the rhymes of Francesca Simon's Calling All Toddlers (Orchard, $15.95)
Many books for young children are not poetry collections, but entire books built of repetitions, rhymes, rhythms, and choruses. Classics that have endured and should be part of any young library are: Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon; Bruce Degens' Jamberry; Nancy Carlstrom White's Jesse Bear What Will You Wear?; Jim Aylesworth's Old Black Fly; Bill Martin's Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? ; Deborah Guarino, Is Your Mama A Llama?; Mem Fox, Time for Bed; 10,9,8 by Molly Bang 0688149014. All these titles come in a board book format as strong and durable is important for a beloved book. Every year sees publication of new favorites. New in hardcover, for example, is Kathleen and Michael Hague's Ten Little Bears (Morrow, $16.00; ages 1-3)a rhyming countdown of some active, fun-loving teddy bears.
Books like these have rhyme and rhythm that support language learning, but later, the same qualities, promote reading. This point is easily proved. The books of Dr. Seuss, the prose-poet master, I-Can-Read inventor, and father of The Cat in the Hat (Random House, $7.99) still succeed after more than thirty years of popularity. Word prediction and reading patterns are easier with the assistance poetic conventions provide.
Anyone who knows children realizes that just when all is going marvelously well, something will change. By eight, interest in poetry dwindles for many children. Upper elementary school students are plot, character, and conflict lovers. When I share a beautifully written, image-rich, poetic book, third to fifth grade students, I begun to expect the response: "That book's boring!" Sadly, that initial love of poetry doesn't seem to return and its lack leaves a literary hole. I realized this recently when my middle-school daughter came home full of dread. She had an assignment to analyze a poem and she didn't know where to begin. Together as we puzzled at meaning and admired word choices, I realized how poetry demands an exacting breed of thought and it captures literary music in a way that can promote great discussions. I offer seven suggestions for finding success with children's poetry and some new titles to start you on your way.
Share poems aloud. They are made to read that way. And don't stop with just reading them. Share the splendors, ask questions. "What are your favorite lines and why?" Mary Ann Hoberman's excellent new collection, The Llama Who Had No Pajama (HBJ, $20.00; ages 4-9) has a large range of moods, subjects, and levels of sophistications. For much older children, Michael Rosen's collection, Walking the Bridge of Your Nose (Kingfisher, $7.95; ages 8 and up) has sophisticated word plays and silly, but subtle significances that open doors to contemplation and dialogue.
Children's favorite poetry books are funny. Ask about favorite poets and the names of poetic laugh-masters Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein spring to every child's lips. But there are others of excellence, like newcomer Douglas Florian. His latest, Laugh-eteria: Poems and Drawings (HBJ, $17.00; ages 6 and up) has poems in a variety of styles and presentations. He knows children's minds and how to produce a poem with a laugh-out-loud quality. For older readers who love irreverence there's David Greenberg's Whatever Happened to Humpty Dumpty? (Little Brown, $14.95; ages 8 and up) a sarcastic, sometimes brutal look at those characters Mother Goose hatched.
Share poems you love. Poetry is written to be expressed with emotion and there's a special drama that comes when you read a poem you loved as a child. Classic children's book illustrator Tasha Tudor has recently illustrated Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses (Simon and Schuster, $18.00; all ages)
Sneak your way into poetry with subject appeal. There are numerous books that will satisfy curiosities and an insatiable desire for certain subjects. Suck sports lovers in with Eloise Greenfield's For the Love of the Game: Michael Jordan and Me (HarperCollins, $5.95; ages 6 and up)
Find poetry with a hook. A recent volume we've enjoyed is Brian Swann's The House With No Door: African Riddle-Poems (HBJ, $16.00; ages 8 and up) Word choices and images are lovely, but it's also great fun to puzzle out the meaning of the poem...and great training for future thought.
Books with a strong narrative, may be easier sells for older children. Last year's Newbery, Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust,(Scholastic, $4.99; ages 10 and up) has been newly released in paperback. It's a title requires an emotionally strong reader, but most children love it. Heroine Billie Jo's free verse poems link to tell the intense story of how she endures mother's death and the Dust Bowl depression.
My daughter's recently been hooked by the work of Mel Glenn who writes entire mystery novels in poems. His latest, Foreign Exchange (Morrow, $16.00; ages 12 and up) wonders whether an African-American boy visiting from the city murdered a local white girl. Young adults can piece together clues from the series of poems.
Last, a recommendation for adults. Many books released for young adults, may work better for those who are grown. I was deeply impressed with the raw emotions and narrative power of Angela Johnson's The Other Side: Shorter Poems(Orchard, $15.95; ages 10 and up) a volume based on memories of her Alabama town which was razed to make a dog track. This volume deservedly won both the Coretta Scott King and Lee Bennet Hopkins awards, but I couldn't get children I knew to share it with me.