Customer Reviews

Poems and Prayers for the Very Young (Pictureback(R))

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A cousin sent this book when my first child was born in 1992. I started reading it to Christopher when he was eight months old, and we read it nearly every night for two years. I gradually came to know each poem by heart, so we could "read" without even looking at the book, just rocking in a chair or driving in the car. The poems are so sweet, so whimsical, so dear, that they stay with me to this day, and I'm ordering several copies to give to friends with young children. Christopher and I still go through them periodically, and I think back on the days that he would fall asleep in my arms to the lyrical words of this book.

This is an adequately-illustrated collection of classic poems and prayers, some of them traditional, others by authors such as Christina Rossetti, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Robert Browning. It is included in several homeschooling curriculums and may be best used for repeated reading and memorization exercises. Unlike nursery rhymes, these poems are serious rather than funny, and it may take a committed parent to help young children appreciate them. As a basic introduction to classic poetry it is pretty good, but is by no means essential. If a child responds well to A.A. Milne's or Shirley Hughes' poetry, this might be a very nice supplement to their library.

I recieved this book when I was three years old from my grandmother (over 25 years ago) and I now give it to any expecting mother I know!

I remember reading and loving this book as a child, and now I read it to my own sons. It is a wonderful collection of sweet poems and prayers that I am happy to pass on to my children.