A Child's Introduction to Poetry: Listen While You Learn About the Magic Words That Have Moved Mountains, Won Battles, and Made Us Laugh and Cry (A Child's Introduction Series)

This was a fantastic introduction to poetry for children. I actually learned (or refreshed memory) a lot while reading it with my daughter. It was fun and enjoyable to read, so my daughter always looked forward to it.I was a little disappointed with the CD’s first few recordings, so we ended up just reading the poems on our own. However, I am not an expert on reading poetry, so my opinion may have been off on how the readings should sound. I may try the CD again the next time I read through it with another child. Perhaps I’ll change my mind about it and change my review from four to five stars.

It's great to set out to find a book and then, after a fairly longish hunt, finding one book that actually fits the bill.I've read quite a few poetry books to my boys, but few of them really make any attempt to explain individual poems, let alone the conventions of poetry. I didn't want a poetry textbook, just a well-annotated introduction to poetry. On first glance I wasn't totally convinced that this would be very helpful, but now I am. Types of poetry, the jargon of poetry like "couplet" and "stanza," and lots of basic, famous poems are all explained—in a book that is pretty long, but not too long. The fact that my boys actually like the poems is the icing on the cake.The accompanying CD is OK, but not really necessary if a parent or teacher is reading the poems to the children. Of course, if a child were motivated to read the book to him- or herself, then it would be useful.

Wow! I have been trying to introduce poetry to my boys since they were toddlers and the only feedback I ever received was blank stares - maybe it was my reading style. But, for some reason, they just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this CD. We listen to it in the car and fight over which poem we listen to first. Some of our favorites are The Pied Piper, Thomas' Do Not Go Gently into that Good Night, the limericks (I was a bit worried when it started with There was an old man from Nantucket. . . . - but it is actually the children's version, obviously) and Kit Marlowe's The Passionate Shepard to His Love. My 8 year old has several of the classics almost memorized.Our only complaint is the reading of Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky. It is somewhat flat and not at all as exciting as it could be.Nonetheless, it is a great, rich, collection of beautiful poetry that your kids will enjoy. It truly is one of our favorites.

We just started using this book . As far as the book itself is concerned, we (my son, daughter & I) think it's pretty good. We are not huge poetry fans in this house so it's nice to have some background information on poets or styles before diving into the poems themselves. And I believe that it is good to expose children to all types of writing in moderation even if it's not their favorite (or mom's favorite) thing.The CD, however, is terrible! The very first poem had us groaning and wanting to to turn it off. We skipped ahead to several of the other poems just to hear the recitations and found them all dull and laborious listening.We will continue to use the book for our edification, but we will skip the CD.

The hardback quality of the book and jacket are very nice and the whimsical illustrations are lovely. I ordered 3 books in this series (poetry, Social studies ans art) as Christmas gifts for our daughter. It has been years since I studied poetry, my initial impression flipping through the book content is that daughter and I will be able to bond over the fun of learning and sharing poetry with this book. While there are similar books available to the art option in this series, this poetry book for children seems unique and engaging.

We love the book. We do poetry once a week in this book. My kids cant wait till the next time I read it. The way the author explains the different types of poem is so easy to understand and fun to follow along. He gives great examples. Its fun to dive deeper and look for more poems with the lessons or even try to make up our own poem!

We are using this book in our homeschool co-op. We really enjoy it, as do the children - and that's saying something. Getting children (especially boys) to sit and listen, and to enjoy poetry at these ages (9-12) is often very difficult. This book presents each poetic form neatly and concisely. Just enough information without being overwhelming, and the selections are fun. The CD doesn't hurt either.

Really neat book for younger kids about poetry. I wouldn’t go above 2nd grade. My son is 4th grade and it was recommended but it was too young for him. Although this is a book you would do together with younger kids.

Love this

Great choice of poems but the CD readings are boring for little kids

A good way to start introducting poetry .. I gifted it to my friend's daughter ... she loves it!!!