Read-Aloud Poems for Young People: Readings from the Worlds Best Loved Verses

I bought this collection for my nephew's children, and almost kept it myself. It is a total of 384 pages including the table of contents and indexes. It has poems by a wide range of English and American writers. Like all collections, the editor had to pick and choose. There is nothing by Robert Service, for example, but she has included poems by some lesser known writers. The editor has included short notes about the poets, many of whom died young, e.g., Emily Bronte at 30, Robert Burns at 37, Joyce Kilmer at 32 (at the Second Battle of the Marne), Edgar Allan Poe at 40, etc.The poetry ranges from Poe's "The Raven" to Kilmer's "Trees" and Longfellow's "The Village Blacksmith," among others. It includes many poems that are well known, intermixed with many that are lesser known. The choices are not always the ones I personally would have chosen, but tastes vary from reader to reader. In some cases the editor has included a full poem where most readers are only familiar with a single verse.

I am really enjoying reading this to my children. It's a wonderful collection of poems and verse, some classics, some lesser known, covering a broad range of subjects (seasons, weather, children, animals...). Many are really cute, clever and funny, and many are beautifully written with evocative imagery. It's a great way to show children the power of language and words, and, like the best cartoons, it's a pleasure to share the experience.

My six-year-old son begs me to read from this collection every evening--and he asks for poems by name. He asked for Tiger, Tiger (William Blake), and we have also shared Walt Whitman, Maya Angelou, Shel Silverstein, Emily Dickinson, among others. The reason I bought this book is that it has an incredible selection (more than 400 poems) at a great price. (list @$13.). My son howls with laughter, and recites lines back to me. While his four-year old brother does not share this infatuation, I find this to be a marvelous collection for someone just learning to read and understand how words work.