Talking to the Sun: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems for Young People [Hardcover]

Kenneth Koch (Compiler, Introduction), Kate Farrell (Compiler, Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1985 | Age Level: 3 and up

Published in association with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The fortunate explorer of this magnificent volume will be enriched by new perspectives on the everlasting foundations on which artists build, in words and pictures. With exquisite care, Koch and Farrell chose paintings and creations in other media from the Metropolitan Museum's extensive exhibits to illustrate poems about love in its many forms; about nature, animals, magic; songs celebrating nonsense and surprisesthe small and big things in life. Reproduced in full color, the pictures evoke the cultures of ancient Egypt, Asia, Africa and Europe. There are great creations by Manet, Monet, Matisse, Fragonard, Picasso, Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper and many more modern geniuses. Among the immortal poets represented are Yeats, Shelley, Roethke, William Blake, Rilke, Pablo Neruda, Edward Lear, Millay, Li Po, Marlowe, Shakespeare . . . the book is a veritable Who's Who of contributors to civilization.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up The ingredients for a wonderful collection are here: the poems selected are strong and true and are accompanied by gorgeous photographs of treasures from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The reproductions are of exceptional quality and are printed on heavy, glossy paper. Instead of inspiring, however, the book overwhelms. Each page in the ten sections is crammed with several poems, photos of artwork, information about the artwork, information about the poet and often an "explanation" of the poem that reduces it to its most simplistic level, robbing it of its mystery and richness. Lear's "The Owl and the Pussy-cat," for example, is followed by the sentence "A silly-seeming poem can inspire a serious feeling, like the desire to sail far, far away." This emperor of a book is overblown and has no clothes. Kathleen D. Whalin, New Canaan Library, Conn.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (November 15, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805001441
• ISBN-13: 978-0805001440
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 9.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, January 13, 2008

By 

Dr. Joan E. Aitken "author of Interpersonal C... (Kansas City, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Talking to the Sun: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems for Young People (Hardcover)

Poetry. Could be used for any age level.

Summary
This book is a collection of art work that accompanies more than a hundred poems by an array of writers, including Nash, Dickinson, Tennyson, Carroll, ethnic poems, and many by people I don't know.

Illustrations
The illustrations are photographs of art work from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Application
This book would be great to read while waiting in line. We could look at Egyptian art page, for example, and I could ask students what they think about the people who created these sculptures? Who are these people today? How old do you think the child in this painting? Why? What kind of hairdo would the child have today? What kind of job do you think this woman had? I could have the students look for details in pictures. What happened to the rest of this sculpture?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book, December 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Talking to the Sun: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems for Young People (Hardcover)

I am 25 now, but I was given this book as a child, and I loved it. It is filled with lavish art and short poems that are meaningful and interesting to children as well as adults.

A great book to give a child as a first exposure to poetry.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book of Poems for Children, May 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Talking to the Sun: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems for Young People (Hardcover)

This is a beautiful book. The illustration used with the poems were splendid. The artwork presented by the Metropolitan Museum of Art were simple breathtaking. I would love to visit that museum oneday. This book is perfect for introducing children to all types of poetry.