Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year curated by Fiona Waters & illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon [Review & Giveaway USA/CANADA]

My thoughts:  From little two or three line rhymes to famed poetry such as Robert Frost's "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening" or the poems of Robert Louis Stevenson, Sing A Song of Seasons is a delight. With illustrations from the skilled hand of Frann Presto-Gannon the book presents as a volume to cherish for years of reading poetry through the year.

The book is quite large  and hefty which precludes very young children holding. However, it is nicely sized for lap-holding and read-aloud times. The monthly collections of poems are numbered by the day, an arrangement that makes for easy reading on a regular basis. Indexed nicely in the back for looking up favorites.

What a wonderful pairing - the seasons and poetry. There is so much in Sing A Song of Seasons that evokes the seasons - wind, sun, snow, ice - that the beautiful properties of nature expressed in the poetic phrase or artistic drawing simply capture the reader's rapt attention. The reader will gain a better grasp of what the poems are saying through the illustrations, likewise the illustrations will have beautifully descriptive words expressed in the poems that help the viewer see more of the artistic details.

I highly recommend this beautiful book for the home where the poetic word is enjoyed, where the love of seasonal charm and beauty is appreciated, and where a good read-aloud session is pleasure indeed.

About the book: Sing a Song of Seasons is a lavishly illustrated collection of 366 nature poems — one for every day of the year. Filled with familiar favorites and new discoveries written by a wide variety of poets, including William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, John Updike, Langston Hughes, N. M. Bodecker, Okamoto Kanoko, and many more, this is the perfect book for children (and grown-ups!) to share at the beginning or the end of the day.

Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year
by Fiona Waters (Editor), Frann Preston-Gannon (Illustrator)

Read a few pages by clicking here to access Google books. Buy it here

A Christmas gift perfect choice

GIVEAWAY

1 Winner receives 1 copy of book

Begins November 14

Ends December 3 at 12:01 a.m. ET

Open to USA and CANADA addresses

NO P.O. BOXES, Please!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from Candlewick Press on behalf of Nosy Crow Publishing an imprint of Candlewick to facilitate this review. Opinions are mine alone and are freely given. Winner's copy is provided and shipped by the publisher directly to the winner.

Classic Poetry: Candlewick Illustrated Classic, Michael Rosen (Editor), Paul Howard (Illustrator) [Giveaway "Miss Emily" USA/CANADA]

Over the next few days, I shall be reviewing three very well done children's books that feature the classical literary world. With these reviews will come a giveaway of one of the books as a courtesy of Candlewick Press. So we'll have a look at Charles Dickens, an anthology of Classic Poetry, and a delightful rendering of a fictional tale about Emily Dickerson. The books are......

• Classic Poetry An Illustrated Collection by author/anthology editor: Michael Rosen & illustrated by Paul Howard
• Miss Emily author by Burleigh Muten [This will be the giveaway prize book.]
• Charles Dickens England's Most Captivating Storyteller by author: Catherine Wells-Cole

Classic Poetry An Illustrated Collection by author/anthology editor: Michael Rosen, Paul Howard, illustrator

ISBN13: 9780763642105
Softcover $12.99

This is a beautiful collection of poetry specific to English language poets. They are from countries across the World. The book is strikingly illustrated with a rich array of paintings and drawings that the artist developed after studying the poetry, traveling to some of the countries, and trying to put to paints what the authors put in words. A daunting task.

This books is not a young child's book, as the content is more suited for age 10 and up. So while this is published by a primarily children's press (Candlewick Press), it is suitable for children and adults. This will make grand addition to the home library for those who wish to read or study poetry and for those who wish to introduce their children to the words of great poets. A truly nice collection.

The poets in this anthology encompass a timeline from 1564 AD (William Shakespeare's birth) to 2000 AD (Judith Wright's death). There are brief biographies of the poets and paintings of them as well. This provides easy access for children (students) to become acquainted with the poets, aid their research into English literature and the authors of that genre. Provided also is a grand little index in the back of the book. And then there are the delightful lines of poetry themselves.....

The Mock Turtle's Song (Lewis Carroll) p.84

"Will you walk a little faster?"

said a whiting to a snail.

"There's a porpoise close behind us,

and he's treading on my tail.

See how eagerly the lobsters and

the turtles all advance!

They are waiting on the shingle--

will you come and join the dance?

Will you,  won't you, will you, won't you,

will you join the dance?...........

O Captain! My Captain! (Walt Whitman) p.76

O Captain! my Captain! our fateful trip is done,

The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won,

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;

But O heart! heart! heart!

O the bleeding drops of red,

Where on the deck my Captain lies, 

Fallen cold and dead.

This eclectic anthology of poems includes serious, deep thinking thoughts as well as light hearted, jovial. However, true to poetry, there is often loneliness and heartbreak hidden in the lines of the funny or lighthearted.

About the book: Poetry provides the best introduction to the marvels of the English language. This volume, collected by award-winning author Michael Rosen, presents a glorious selection of classic poetry, chronologically arranged from the seventeenth century to modern day—poems by such celebrated poets as William Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Emily Dickinson, Carl Sandburg, and Langston Hughes— complete with biographical sketches of the poets, information on individual poems, and notes on poetic forms. Paul Howard's full-color illustrations illuminate some of the most brilliant poems of the English-speaking world with stunning breadth and beauty. A book to be treasured, Classic Poetry belongs on every shelf—every child should know these poems and keep this book with them as they grow.

GIVEAWAY

Begins August 30

ENDS September 20 @ 12:01 a.m. ET

Open to USA & CANADA addresses only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy by Candlewick Press to facilitate this review. Opinions are solely my own. I was not compensated for this review.