The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury (Treasured Gifts for the Holidays) [Hardcover]

Jack Prelutsky (Compiler), Meilo So (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"I objurgate the centipede,/ A bug we do not really need," writes Ogden Nash. Carl Sandburg hums and strums, while pages later, William Jay Smith compares a toaster to a silver-scaled dragon. And of course A.A. Milne must add his two cents' worth, "tiddely pom, tiddely pom." What a labor of love! Children's poet and anthologist Jack Prelutsky has collected 211 of his favorite poems by 137 poets, representing the best of verse from each decade of the 20th century. "Until this century, most children's poetry was either syrupy sweet or overblown and didactic, and tended to talk down to its readers," Prelutsky writes in his introduction. "Contemporary children's poets have thrown all that condescension and moralizing out the window, and write with today's real child in mind."

What's in this anthology for today's child? Food fights, outer space, animals, noses, monsters, sports, and sibling rivalry. Each of award-winning illustrator Meilo So's spectacular watercolor-splashed spreads reflects a theme: one buggy watercolor romp is surrounded by Deborah Chandra's "Cricket," Walter R. Brooks's "Ants, Although Admirable, Are Awfully Aggravating," and Robert Frost's "Blue-Butterfly Day." Five nocturnal poems nestle into a moonlit cityscape. Four music-related poems, from Bruce Lansky's "My Violin" to X.J. Kennedy's "The Girl Who Makes the Cymbals Bang," burst from So's cacophonous paintings. This excellent collection, a companion to The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury, belongs on every poetry lover's bookshelf. Prelutsky, creator of The New Kid on the Block, The Dragons Are Singing Tonight, and more than 30 other poetry books, has perfect pitch. (Click to see a sample spread. Illustrations copyright 1999 by Meilo So. Permission of Alfred A. Knopf.) (All ages) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly

For this companion to The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury, Prelutsky combed more than 4000 poetry volumes to select 211 poems by 137 poets. His sampling includes established poets like Langston Hughes, Shel Silverstein and e.e. cummings, but, to Prelutsky's credit, not necessarily their best-known works. The overriding mood is rollickingly upbeat, uncharacteristic for a form renowned for its adeptness at expressing moments of grief or loneliness. Hats off to So (The Beauty of the Beast, with Prelutsky), who visually holds the anthology together. Her people are engagingly limber, her animals unmatched: for instance, she evokes the fitful movements of a squirrel with a few calligraphic strokes, and her wet-on-wet technique suggests the fluffy texture of a kitten's fur or the speed of leaping salmon. In one spread, she ingeniously accommodates eight bug poemsAfrom poets as diverse as Ogden Nash and Valerie Worth; the poems themselves appear to flit about a central image of two children nearly hidden in a field of wildflowers. She connects four stand-alone poems in another spread ("A Hippopotamusn't" by J. Patrick Lewis and "The Click Clacker Machine" by Donna Lugg Pape are two of them) with a unified palette of pinks and lavenders. Its unvarying tone notwithstanding, this eye-catching collection is likely to lure both future fans of verse and poetry devotees. All ages. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (September 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679893148
• ISBN-13: 978-0679893141
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #71,289 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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  Books > Children's Books > Literature > Poetry

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

96 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging way to introduce children to poetry., September 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury (Treasured Gifts for the Holidays) (Hardcover)

When I ordered this book, I was very curious to see how my first-grader, a beginner reader, would respond to poetry that was more sophisticated and literary than the rhyming words of her preschool books. She absolutely loved it, understanding enough of the content, intrigued by the colorful illustrations and entertained by the way poems sound when read aloud. For the parent, it's a welcomed change of pace from reading stories aloud. For the child, it's an imaginative introduction to the different ways words can be used to express thoughts and feelings. I liked it so much that I ordered a copy for my child's first-grade class.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection with beautiful illustrations, March 14, 2000

By	"papierman" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury (Treasured Gifts for the Holidays) (Hardcover)

This is a great gift to kids (and adults) that like playing with words. Jack Prelutsky has compiled some of the best poetry of the 20th Century. His aim is true. There are no clunkers in this anthology. The poetry covers the broad range from wistful to joyful, with imagination to spare.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the illustrations by Meilo So. They gorgeously illustrate the gist of many poems. Just like the poems, the paintings drip with imagination and wonder.

Some people may frown at spoon-feeding images, rather than letting the child make up his/her own. They may have a point, yet you can always discuss the images with the kid, decide whether they properly frame the poems and/or discuss what other images would have been better. In other words, these illustrations can be used a spring board for further imaginative work.

All in all, I highly recommend this book.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite all-time children's book, September 26, 2004

By	mountainmom (Brevard NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury (Treasured Gifts for the Holidays) (Hardcover)

Paraphrase for your child the preface of this book- Jack Prelutsky's private poetry book collection totalled over 5000 volumes, and from these he culled the poems in this book. That immediately amazed my children who love to collect, and they knew these poems were special... My 6 year old boy - my Yugio loving, Ninja masked soccer playing boy, loves poetry as a result of this book, and recites several from memory. We copied his favorite to put on the bulletin board of his school when it was his turn to be student of the week.