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Poetry can be defined many different ways by many different people, and its forms are numerous. A poem's meaning can be interpreted differently by different readers. To find poems, you may see them written and illustrated as a single volume, such as “Casey at the Bat,” but most poems are collected in an anthology with other poems—some by one poet, others with an editor and many poets like you see in the examples below.
Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat
Edited by Nikki Giovanni
Many times children (as well as adults) can feel a disconnect when it comes to poetry. Hip Hop Speaks to children is a great collection of poems to get the enthusiasm for poetry flowing. Hip Hop Speaks to Children is a compilation of famous writers and musicians like Lauryn Hill, Kanye West, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes and many more. These poems are fun, meaningful, enlightening and powerful- not to mention, they will make you tap your feet! The best part is that there is an accompanying CD with recordings of some of the poems read by the poets themselves! You can really get a sense how the poem was initially meant to sound and feel. Poetry Speaks to Children is a must-have for any elementary library or classroom!
Poetry Speaks to Children
Editor: Elise Paschen
Illustrator: Judy Love, et al
Interest Level: Ages 5-10
Reading Level: various
This collection represents over 100 great poems for young people! Readers will find classic favorites like Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll, and Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening, by Robert Frost along with the modern work of Billy Collins and Maya Angelou. Each poem is read aloud on the CD that comes with the book, often by the actual poet! Children, parents, caregivers, and teachers will all find poems to love and return to again and again in this valuable collection.
poetry speaks who i am: poems of discovery, inspiration, independence, and everything else...
Edited by Elise Paschen
Interest level: 6-9
From moms to arithmetic and dreams to locker rooms, young people will appreciate this anthology of poems. Some readers may find inspirational poems and others may find humorous ones, but there will be a poem for everyone. In this collection, readers will enjoy the poems Edgar Allan Poe, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou and Robert Frost. Also, many of the poets themselves have recorded their emotions as they read their work on a CD included.
Reviewed by Lesley Hermann