Table of Contents

Publisher's Note
Introduction

The First Book, Rita Dove
The Quarrel, Maxine Kumin
Letter to Bee, Emily Dickinson
Hurt No Living Thing, Christina Rossetti
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Robert Frost
Wolf, Billy Collins
The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves, Gwendolyn Brooks
from "The Adventures of Isabel," Ogden Nash
On a Flimmering Floom You Shall Ride, Carl Sandburg
El Chicle, Ana Castillo
The Dentist and the Crocodile, Roald Dahl
Bear Song, Kay Ryan
Jabberwocky, Lewis Carroll
Sneeze, Maxine Kumin
Mrs. Mitchell's Underwear, Dennis Lee
Okay, Brown Girl, Okay, James Berry
Vowel Owl (Roger),John Hollander
Magic Words, Anonymous Inuit Poet, translated by Edward Field
The Unwritten, W. S. Merwin
Crayons: A Rainbow Poem, Jane Yolen
Gas, C. K. Williams
Knitted Things, Karla Kuskin
from Macbeth, William Shakespeare
Frodo's Song in Bree, J. R. R. Tolkien
Eagle Poem, Joy Harjo
The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Langston Hughes
I Rise, I Rise, Anonymous Osage Poet
Verses from "The Elephant's Child," Rudyard Kipling
Alphabets, Part 1, Seamus Heaney
John Smith and his Son, John Smith,Wallace Stevens
About the Teeth of Sharks, John Ciardi
Dinosaur Diets, Jane Yolen
My Sister Saw a Dinosaur, Mary Ann Hoberman
Joey,Brad Leithauser
Rabbit, Mary Ann Hoberman
At Last, James Stevenson
Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to His Royal Highness, Alexander Pope
Balloons, William Jay Smith
Hide and Seek, Robert Graves
Every Time I Climb a Tree, David McCord
The Reason I Like Chocolate, Nikki Giovanni
Trips, Nikki Giovanni
Mommies, Nikki Giovanni
Lineage, Margaret Walker
Snowmen ,Agha Shahid Ali
Good Luck Gold, Janet S. Wong
The Secret Song, Margaret Wise Brown
Why?, James Stevenson
The Question, Karla Kuskin
First Grade, William Stafford
Crying, Galway Kinnell
Art Class, X. J. Kennedy
How to Paint a Donkey, Naomi Shihab Nye
Daddy Fell Into the Pond, Alfred Noyes
Working with Mother, Myra Cohn Livingston
A Faery Song, W. B. Yeats
The Unicorn,Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Paul Muldoon
The Lion and the Lily, Elizabeth Spires
hist whist, E. E. Cummings
The Ghost and Jenny Jemima, Dennis Lee
from "The Raven," Edgar Allan Poe
Sheep Party, John Fuller
Jamaican Song, James Berry
Halfway Down, A. A. Milne
Count to Ten and We'll Be There, Rita Dove
opposite poem 4, Richard Wilbur
opposite poems 7 and 20, Richard Wilbur
from "The Tale of Custard the Dragon," Ogden Nash
Good Hot Dogs, Sandra Cisneros
Lies, All Lies, William Cole
Which is the Best?, James Stevenson
Casey at the Bat, Ernest L. Thayer
The Testing Tree, Part 1, Stanley Kunitz
Skating in the Wind, Kristine O'Connell George
A Poem for Jesse, Sonia Sanchez
To P.J., Sonia Sanchez
Valentine, Donald Hall
Summer, W. D. Snodgrass
Winter, W. D. Snodgrass
The Sun has a Tail, Emanuel di Pasquale
Knoxville, Tennessee, Nikki Giovanni
I Am Cherry Alive, Delmore Schwartz
The Tyger, William Blake
Conversation with a Mouse, Robert Bly
On Turning Ten, Billy Collins
How to Stay Up Late, X. J. Kennedy
Flashlight, X. J. Kennedy
Maturity, X. J. Kennedy
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, Eugene Field
Little, Dorothy Aldis
Two in Bed, Abram Bunn Ross
Brother, Mary Ann Hoberman
The Land of Counterpane, Robert Louis Stevenson
from "The Bed Book," Sylvia Plath
The Coming of Teddy Bears, Dennis Lee

About the Author

Elise Paschen is the editor of Poetry Speaks to Children and co-editor of Poetry Speaks, both New York Times bestsellers. She is the author of several acclaimed poetry collections of her own, including Bestiary and Infidelities, winner of the Nicholas Roerich Poetry Prize. Former Executive Director of the Poetry Society of America, she is the co-founder of Poetry in Motion, a nationwide program that places poetry in subways and buses, and co-editor of Poetry in Motion and Poetry in Motion from Coast to Coast.

Reviews

"Poetry Speaks to Children would make a fabulous addition to any home school library." - Christian-parenting-source.com

"The book is so engaging that my students love reading and rereading the poems again and again." - Earlychildhoodliteraturereview.blogspot.com

"The artwork in this hardcover book is perfect, making the pages come alive and the poems visually appealing to children and adults alike. Whether you're listening to the CD in the car or snuggling on the couch during read-aloud time, Poetry Speaks to Children is sure to please." - Eclectichomeschool.org

"Poetry Speaks To Children is a beautifully illustrated, hard-back book and CD set. It spent ten weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List. This delightful collection is full of significant poems from a variety of eras, and it's poetry that can be loved and appreciated by children. Not "children's poetry", necessarily, just poetry they will be able to follow. The editors did an outstanding job. Included is poetry from ee cummings, Emily Dickinson, William Shakespeare, W.B. Yeats, Edgar Allan Poe, Eugene Field...and many, many more. " - rocksinmydryer.typepad.com

"Poetry Speaks to Children is an indulgence for anyone to enjoy – parent or child, teacher or student. And not only is this wonderful collection put together in a beautiful book, but we get to hear 50 of the 95 poems read by their authors on the included audio CD." - 5minutesformom.com

"The publisher's introduction says it's strongly visual, full of storytelling, packed with sound (a CD is included, with 52 poems from 36 poets, many recorded for the first time), ageless, and a mix of classic poetry with some new ones - all correct." - John Mark Minitries

" "This entertaining dip into many archival recordings will likely be a family treasure"

" - Publishers Weekly STARRED

""Beautifully illustrated... the accompanying CD is the real treat"" - Family Circle

""Beautifully illustrated... the accompanying CD is the real treat"" - Family Circle

""...one of the most anticipated audio-poetry releases of the fall"" - The Wall Street Journal

""...an excellent introduction to a whole lot of poetry, from Shakespeare to Nikki Giovanni, from Kipling to Naomi Shihab Nye. The poems are short and long, rhymed and not, famous and little-known. Every single one of them is appealing.... The accompanying CD is a wonder...Sure to please teachers, parents and children who might not yet know how much they need poetry, and how much they will love it."" - Kirkus Reviews

""For density and pleasure on many levels, try this reading, seeing and hearing experience. Adults as well as children are the audience here." " - The Chicago Tribune

"" As a producer I get many books across my desk –Poetry Speaks to Children stood out from the rest. It is a fantastic book for kids! I have even read it to my little boy and he loves hearing the soothing poetry. The included CD is an added bonus to an otherwise delightful book. A must have for parents to introduce their kids to poetry."" - Rick O'Connor, producer, "The Steve Cochrane Show" on WGN AM Chicago

""....humorous when required to be and affecting.... always eye-catching and appealing for its intended audience"" - The Globe and Mail