Reviewed December 17, 2006.
Sourcebooks
MediaFusion, Naperville,
Illinois, 2005. 104 pages.
Poetry
Speaks to Children is a fabulous book for children of all
ages—including
parents. I put the accompanying CD on
while my family was having dinner, and all of us enjoyed listening to
it, even
though my sons are 12 and 18. The book
contains 95 poems from 73 poets. The
audio CD includes readings of 52 poems from 36 poets, most of them read
by the
poets themselves. The editors even found
historic recordings of people like J. R. R. Tolkien, Roald Dahl, Ogden
Nash,
and Robert Frost reading their own poems. There
is a wide range of poetry represented, and some of
the modern
poets even explain why they wrote their poems before they read them.
I’m
afraid the most fabulous reading on the CD was also the most
disappointing. Basil Rathbone gives a
brilliant, spooky reading of “The Raven,” by Edgar Allan Poe. However, it was disappointing because it
ended much too soon, not finishing the poem or the story of the raven. The recording that followed is called “Sheep
Party” and is a good enough poem in its way—but a completely different
style
and mood from “The Raven.” However, even
hearing the portion of “The Raven” that was included is a genuine treat.
This
is a delightful book to dip into and read, one that a child will never
outgrow.
Copyright © 2006 Sondra Eklund. All
rights reserved.
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