My First Oxford Book of Poems [Paperback]

John Foster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 5, 2007 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

From seeing shapes in clouds to the colourful peacock, and from the silly old baboon to the sounds of the sea and the rhythm of the banjo dance, here is a wonderfully varied collection of first poems drawn together by best-selling anthologist John Foster. Children will love the mix of poems covering familiar surroundings and those that are more exotic or nonsensical which capture their imagination. A huge range of favourite poets is included, such as Edward Lear, Ogden Nash, Ted Hughes, Charles Causley, James Berry, Eleanor Farjeon, and Spike Milligan. Beautifully illustrated in colour throughout by a number of different artists, this book is a very useful resource and an ideal gift.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-This fine anthology will appeal to a young audience. James Reeves, Eleanor Farjeon, Lilian Moore, and Walter de la Mare are among the dozens of well-known and less-familiar English and American poets included. Nearly all of the selections are rhymed and metered, while the few free-verse poems introduce alliteration and the intricacies of rhythm. Illustrations by eight artists, done in differing but complementary palettes and media, decorate each double-page spread. This volume has a different selector than The New Oxford Treasury of Children's Poems (1999), and includes different poems, though many of the same popular poets appear. Thus, it makes an appropriate prelude to that slightly older-targeted collection. It is a step up from books such as Jane Dyer's Animal Crackers (Little, Brown, 1996), and a more focused complement to Jack Prelutsky's fine Random House Book of Poetry for Children (1983). Divided into sections by subject ("Creatures" and "Weather and Seasons," for instance), and indexed by author, title, and first line, Foster's title should find a wide audience.
Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Ages 4-9. Here's another fine Oxford poetry anthology. This time it's for young children, a good step up from Mother Goose and folk rhymes but with the same physical immediacy and music. There are nearly 100 poems, classic and contemporary, loosely grouped by themes, from animals and time of day to fantasy and nonsense. A few are perennial favorites (Edward Lear's "The Owl and the Pussycat," Shakespeare's "Winter," Robert Louis Stevenson's "Where Go the Boats?" etc.). There are also lots of lively selections from England and the U.S. that will be new to most children and those who read to them. The bright illustrations by a number of artists occasionally overwhelm the words, but the design of the volume is spacious, and most of the pictures express the feelings of the images: boisterous, dreamy, wild, silly. Share these with groups or with one child; then older readers will come back for their favorites and to find more for themselves. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; New edition edition (February 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192763393
• ISBN-13: 978-0192763396
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #477,396 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)