I Like This Poem (Puffin Poetry)

The International Year of the Child - What's that? It seems nowadays that the idealism of the 1979 UN proclamation, along with UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, have been consigned to history, something quaint for collectors of stamps and other memorabilia. As the editor of "I Like This Poem," Kaye Webb, points out, there is always a poem to console us, to give us hope."I Like This Poem" was truly a labor labor of love, if you would excuse the cliche. Although Ms. Webb's name appears on the cover, it was her idea and will to have children in age groups, from Age 6 through 15, to select their own favorite poems. She did all the hard, less glamourous work of compiling the children's favorites and doing all the tedious paperwork in securing the rights to publish them. She went a step further, giving each child his or her say in why a particular poem is a favorite, a major part of the charm of the book.Divided into sections by age group, children from a wide geographic area have selected poems, some funny and some serious but all that speak from the heart. What is interesting is that a good number of poems have been chosed from "adult" poets, such as William Shakespeare, James Joyce, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Walt Whitman, and Langston Hughes, just to name a few. Of course, there entries by Lewis Carrol, Roald Dahl, Eve Merriam, Robert Louis Stevenson, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Ogden Nash - again, the sheer variety makes this book an intersting read for young and old(er) alike. All this goes to prove that children can never be too young for classic "adult" poetry and adults and never be too young for "children's" poetry. The best poems, as I have said, speak from the hear, to all of us and appeal to all our humanity.As this book was first published in 1979, you will not find the current classic humorous "children's" poetry from the likes of Shel Silverstein, Jeff Moss, Bruce Lansky, Jack Prelutsky, and Douglas Florian. That's OK - there are many fine collections by these poems on the market today. That said, a few notable writers are absent, especially those from non-English-speaking countries. For example, I would have loved to have seen at least one poem by Federico Garcia Lorca. Also missing are Emily Dickinson and Christina Rosetti, both of whom produced numerous fine pieces that would appeal to children. But the collection presented here offers a great deal to be savored.Now, why did I mention the 1979 UN International Year of the Child? According to various sources, this anthology was compiled in honor of the world's recognition of the dignity of the child. This book does an admirable job toward that goal; it is, therefore, a mystery as to why the publisher does not mention this important fact anywhere in the front matter. The UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child, upon which the IYC is based, was inspired by Janusz Korczak, a Polish educator and pediatrician who cared for orphaned children and ultimately died with them at the Nazi death camp of Treblinka in 1942. Dr. Korczak wrote many books on the dignity of children, including "How to Love a Child" and "The Child's Right to Respect." By allowing the children to select their favorite poems, Kaye Webb book honors both these ideals. This is indeed an anthology to treasure.

I bought the first printing of this book almost forty years ago so that I could read out poems to my small sons. The poems were chosen by children and everyone carries a small note written by the child as to why they chose it. The poems are divided in age groups choices, and there are sparse but lovely illustrations.The poems range from classic and serious to light and funny and all are excellent. My sons learned some by heart - and didn't complain about doing it!I have bought many copies over the years when the old ones have fallen apart. I am buying them now for my grandchildren

I've been using this book as a source for poems to teach with, and have been very happy with it. Just recently, I pulled it for students to browse as part of an intro to poetry lesson, and immediately,the minister's daughter in my class happened upon a poem that mentions Hell (a hell-broth I think?) And describes witches. I pulled it from the lesson & shelved it for my reference only.

My daughter was given this as a birthday present she is now in her 40s. The book was so well loved it eventually fell to bits. I was delighted to find it was still in print. Now she is reading it to her two sons.

came on time and I loved it

I love the selections in this poetry anthology, but I have to say - buyer beware! This is a very low quality printing, of the dollar book variety. Every part is thin and printed unclearly on cheap rough paper. If you can see past this, you'll have a fun book to enjoy, but don't expect it to last for long, it is extra poor quality. This fine collection deserves a better production. The price for what we received should be in the range of $2-8, not $15.

I've had this bookthat's covered in dirtfor yearsand yearsand years.(apologies to Michael Rosen)I loved this book into the ground, the binding fell apart years ago, so I had to buy a new copy, and now the old one sits quietly in a special drawer at home. (I'm a college student.)It has classics such as Rosen's "I've had this shirt..." and Masefield's Sea Fever.There's everything from Anthem for Doomed Youth (Wilfred Owen), to "Be kind and tender to the frog, and do not call him names..."Poems for kids, poems for everybody.Best loved.

This is a nice collection of poems organized by age group. I wish there were a few more poems for each age group but other than that it is a nice selection and my 7 year old enjoyed reading it with me.