From: Kristine George <georgekristine_at_gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:34:08 -0700

This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understan d

Hello!

This is a wonderful discussion! I have enjoyed reminders of old favorites and discovering some new іmust reads.І

I, too, miss being able to hand a child books by the poets Lee mentioned. I n particular, I miss the surprising diversity of topics in the іun-themed І collections published by those poets.

Three of my favorite OOP іun-themedІ collections are Keepers by Al ice Schertle, Rich Lizard by Deborah Chandra, and The Pedaling Man by Russell Hoban. I love opening them at random to discover poems about a modest battery, a frog in a well, a grandfather№s scuffed shoes, a vicious argument, a tin frog that has lost its hop, or a girl struggling to ride he r brother№s bike. (Read aloud, the rhythm of Hoban№s іEsme on Her Brother№s BikeІ sounds to me just like a young child mastering the balance needed to ride a two-wheeler.)

Pragmatically, I understand why publishers prefer to market themed collections, but after watching an eight-year old girl sitting on the library floor, sighing happily over one of Myra Cohn Livingston№s collections (no particular theme -- no illustrations!), it would be wonderful if children had more opportunities to meet and experience collections by individual poets that include poems about a wide range of topics.

Happy Summer! Kristine
Received on Sat 21 Jul 2012 12:34:08 PM CDT