Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson (Hardcover)

~ Frances Schoonmaker Bolin (Editor), Chi Chung (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Poetry for Young People series attempts to straddle the school and trade markets with these two volumes about America's best-known New England poets, but the results are uneven. Frost is superb, the poems introduced in a tone that is informative but not pedantic. Robert Frost's best work is organized into seasonal categories; an italicized gloss for each poem unobtrusively explains references and highlights themes. Sorensen's sketchy watercolors ground each poem in Frost's world of pastures, rose pogonias and yellow woods. Bolin's biographical interpretation of Emily Dickinson, on the other hand, is both coy and condescending. The reader is told, for example, that "Emily may have seemed to some like a real 'nobody' [but] inside she knew she was somebody special." Chung's illustrations combine Holly Hobbie-style children with trite ornamentation; a rainbow springs from the center of a lily to accompany "A word is dead" while a pea pod containing heart-shaped peas illustrates other verse. Each book includes a brief biography of the poet and a short index. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3 Up?Frost satisfies in every way; Dickinson does not. Bolin's four-page introduction describes and explains Emily Dickinson's odd life style and creative productivity. This is followed by 36 poems loosely arranged by the topics of hope, death, and poetry. This organization, however, is not readily apparent; nor is the reasoning behind defining some words (gale, bog, shanties, etc.) and not others (dimity, helmsman, countenance). An index of first lines and little else will help readers searching for poems by subject. The prettily colored watercolors are flat and stylized, and seem better suited to nursery rhymes than Dickinson's insightful and witty glimpses of an entire universe in a blade of grass or of "paradise" gathered by "narrow hands." Frost contains a three-page overview of the poet's life, 29 poems selected and arranged around the seasons of the year, brief and apt commentaries on each, and a useful index of titles and subject matter. The realistic watercolor illustrations capture the delicate beauty of a New England spring and the glory of fall while still suggesting the around-the-corner chill of winter, a disquiet echoing throughout much of Frost's poetry.?Meg Stackpole, Rye Free Reading Room, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Sterling; 8th Printing edition (December 31, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806906359
• ISBN-13: 978-0806906355
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #304,539 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to Emily Dickinson, July 19, 2000

By	Rob Darrah (Dallas, Tx United States) - See all my reviews

As an adult, I didn't realize how much that I would appreciate this book. I wish that it had been available to me when I was younger. I believe that this book is definitely intended for children between the ages of 9 to 12. I think a child under that age may not understand the full impact of the poetry.

The introduction to this book gave a good synopsis of the life of Emily Dickinson. Also, I liked how some of the poems were mentioned by page number to check out in the book.

Visually, this book was on target. The illustrator was very detailed with the drawings. In one section of the book, Emily Dickinson writes some poems that were riddles. The drawings give you the answer to those riddles.

It was very helpful to find definitions at the bottom of each page for some of the poems that may have had more difficult words. I learned that a frigate was a medium-sized warship with sails and that coursers were graceful, swift horses or runners.

This book supports the ideas of reading and poetry. I will end this review with one of Emily Dickinson's poems, on page 44, to support those ideas:

There is no frigate like a book/ To take us lands away,/ Nor any coursers like a page/ Of prancing poetry/ This traverse may the poorest take/ Without oppress of toll;/ How frugal is the chariot/ That bears a human soul!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Emily Dickinson, July 4, 2000

By	Jeff Pierce (Harlingen, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Emily Dickinson: Voices in Poetry (Hardcover)

In this VOICES IN POETRY title, Berry's biographical sketch of the reclusive 19th century American poet Emily Dickinson is interspersed with some of her poems. Each poem is chosen to illustrate important aspects of her life and character, which are still something of a mystery to this day. Stermer's illustrations effectively complement the tone and subject of both the poems and Berry's own text. For both young people and casual readers, this is a beautiful and useful introduction to Dickinson and her poetry.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this series, December 13, 2004

By	book family (MN, USA) - See all my reviews

All the Poetry For Young People books are wonderful for all ages, for those who "want" to like poetry but just don't know where to start. Each has a biography of the poet, and the poems are guided by illustrations, background info, and helpful word definitions. So much better than opening a huge book of just words... this is such a gentle, approachable introduction!