Customer Reviews

Knock at a Star: A Child's Introduction to Poetry

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As a teacher- I found this book to an incredible assest to have in the clasroom. This is a very exemplary eclectic collection. It contains a wide variety of poem forms, styles, and authors. Usefully organized into category chapters, it easy to find a poem relating to a topic. The book is organized into useful sections that have equally as useful subcategories. These divisions make it easy to use these poems during a unit on poetry. The wide variety of types of poems in the book also is useful to assimilate these poems into the curriculum, either as a transitional piece or within a topic discussion. The students LOVE hearing these poems!

This anthology is a terrific mix of styles, subjects, and moods. Most of them I would not necessarily call "children's poetry" in that they are not obviously written by an adult trying to be clever in the way that a child would find clever. Instead, they are genuine expressions of truth, both the day-to-day variety and the larger truths we all understand, even before we're able to articulate our experiences. Robert Frost's "Canis Major," Gwendolyn Brooks' "Narcissa," and "The Eagle," by Tennyson are some of my favorites. There as also some wonderful rhythmic poems that are especially pleasurable for the pulse and the sounds of the words: Eve Merriman's "Windshield Wiper," and "The Pickety Fence" by David McCord are great fun.
This is a must-have anthology for elementary teachers, parents, or anyone who loves the sound and feel of poetry.

Kennedy informs students about the purposes for poetry by the categories he's formed. The selections are appropriate for elementary school children and is an instructive collection for serious poetry reading for kids 7-13.

Kennedy's collection is accessible, informative and a pleasure to read and mull over.

X. J. and Dorothy Kennedy have compiled a wonderful poetry resource that anyone who wishes to share poetry with children would find useful. Although the "Afterword for Adults" states that the book is "addressed directly to children from eight to twelve," (157) it is very conducive to teaching various aspects and uses of poetry with examples and commentary from the authors. Originally published in 1982, this edition has been revised and updated with contemporary authors and selections that can get students even more excited about today's poetry.

The contents of the book are organized into categories:
1- What do poems do?
2- What's inside a poem?
3- Special kinds of poetry
4- Do it yourself
Each category then has sub-categories with poems listed by themes. These would be particularly useful for teachers or students looking for a poem that has a certain topic, evokes specific feelings, or is constructed in a specific form (such as haiku or limerick). The book does not simply present poems in an organized fashion, however, but the Kennedys also provide background information, insight, and ideas to ponder inter-mingled with the poetry examples. The narrative text serves as a guide to young readers who might wish to know more about the background of poetry and delve deeper into the meaning, structure, and purpose.

The "Afterword for Adults" section at the end explains why the book was written, how to encourage children to like poetry, suggestions for helping kids write their own poetry, and ideas for those who work with groups of children, such as teachers and librarians. The Kennedys offer many suggestions for not only activities to use that utilize poems, but also how to best prepare yourself and your environment for sharing poetry with children. Other useful tools are: Index of Authors, Index of Titles, Index of First Lines, and Acknowledgements citing the original source for each poem. All in all, there are179 poems included that will spark a child's imagination and help in fostering a love and appreciation for poetry.

So many children who have poetry inside of them do not discover this until later, or sadly, not at all, because it was never read or said to them...like a seed that stays dry. This is a book where some of the poetry can be read out loud cuddled up with a four-year-old; much can be savored by an older child by himself; and all of it by anyone who understands or would like to know how to knock at a star.

As a writer, this book was recommended to me by one of the speaker's at a writer's conference. The explanations of poetic forms are clearly organized by chapters, and written for everyone to understand. While it doesn't have the breadth of Kennedy's poetry books for adults, it's the perfect jumping off point for someone newly experimenting with poetic techniques.