Poetry

Poetry genre

Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggled the Secret of Silk Out of China

An enchanting tale of hidden beauty and fierce courage, retold in the style of T’ang Dynasty poetry and illustrated with charm and grace. A young Chinese princess is sent from her father’s kingdom to marry the king of a far-off land. She must leave behind her home of splendors: sour plums and pink peach petals and — most precious and secret of all — the small silkworm. She begs her father to let her stay, but he insists that she go and fulfill her destiny as the queen of Khotan. Beautifully told and arrestingly illustrated, here is a coming-of-age tale of a brave young princess whose clever plan will go on to live in legend — and will ensure that her cherished home is with her always.

One Earth, One Spirit: A Child’s Book of Prayers from Many Faiths and Cultures

All over the world, in every country and culture, people express their innermost thoughts, feelings, and hopes through prayer. When we pray, the mystery and beauty of the universe and of our own earth can comfort and uplift us, for our prayers give us a way of connecting with something greater than ourselves.This collection of prayers, compiled especially for children, brings together offerings from many cultures and religions. The prayers themselves, which read like poetry, are enhanced by beautiful photographic images of children from around the world. Together, words and pictures express a deep reverence for the earth and a spirit of oneness among all living things. A special section at the end of the book offers information on the origins and significance of each selection so that adults can help young readers toward a greater understanding of the prayers.

Tap Dancing on the Roof

A sijo, a traditional Korean verse form, has a fixed number of stressed syllables and a humorous or ironic twist at the end. Like haiku, sijo are brief and accessible, and the witty last line winds up each poem with a surprise. The verses in this book illuminate funny, unexpected, amazing aspects of the everyday–of breakfast, thunder and lightning, houseplants, tennis, freshly laundered socks.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume VII, Issue 2

 

Stories by Firelight

The magic of winter is captured perfectly in this collection of prose, lyrical poetry, and dramatic pictures. The festive spirit of the winter season is captured in stories dealing with cold weather, winter nights, and Christmas.

The Tomten and the Fox

A tomten agrees to share his porridge with a hungry fox who in turn must not disturb the farm animals.

The Ancestors Are Singing

A collection of poems reflecting the culture, customs, daily life, and history of Mexico. Tony Johnston takes us from Mexico City to Oaxaca to Chiapas, from the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl to a shoeless boy selling newspapers, in this moving collection exuberantly illustrated by Karen Barbour.

Skip Across the Ocean

A collection of traditional rhymes and lullabies from different countries.

Black Stars In A White Night Sky

Black Stars in a White Night Sky, Lawson’s second book of poetry for children, includes fractonyms, concretes, as well as short lyrics and poems that don’t rhyme. Lawson stretches the boundaries of what is normally thought of as children’s poetry, but not at the expense of the books entertainment value or clarity. The poems are written within hearing of both children and adults; philosophy and tomfoolery are equally at home in this exemplary new tome.

The Absentminded Fellow

Leaping into a shirt and thrusting his arms into his pant legs, the Absentminded Fellow dashes out into the London streets, frantically hails a cab, rushes through the train station and right into an abandoned car. Three days later, to his surprise, he’s still in London…This droll character portrait will quickly have listeners chiming in on the chorus.