Elephants and autumn, and a bassoon-playing bison are just a few of the kid-friendly subjects in this clever collection by JonArno Lawson, a Canadian writer of poetry for all ages. I was immediately drawn to this collection, but really hooked at the poem “The Days Have Names,” in which days and months have names, but “it doesn’t seem to bother us/that weeks pass by anonymous.”
Adding to the appeal are illustrations by Sherwin Tija. In a world where poetry is seldom kids’ first choice for reading, these pictures help engage the reader, occasionally bringing to mind a graphic novel, and at other times, reminiscent of The Little Prince.
As in many collections, the poems aren’t equally wonderful. But most children won’t read a poetry collection from cover-to-cover, instead, they rely on a teacher/parent/librarian to help them find the good stuff, and this collection is quite a mine of good stuff, for kids from 10 to teen.
For a few more of Larson’s poems, including his twist on the Humpty Dumpty story, visit his website .
For today’s Poetry Friday round-up, visit A Year of Reading.
Adding to the appeal are illustrations by Sherwin Tija. In a world where poetry is seldom kids’ first choice for reading, these pictures help engage the reader, occasionally bringing to mind a graphic novel, and at other times, reminiscent of The Little Prince.
As in many collections, the poems aren’t equally wonderful. But most children won’t read a poetry collection from cover-to-cover, instead, they rely on a teacher/parent/librarian to help them find the good stuff, and this collection is quite a mine of good stuff, for kids from 10 to teen.
For a few more of Larson’s poems, including his twist on the Humpty Dumpty story, visit his website .
For today’s Poetry Friday round-up, visit A Year of Reading.