Edited by Gary D. Schmidt
Illustrated by Henri Sorensen
Poetry
For ages 9 and up
Sterling, 2008, 978-1-4027-5475-3
Robert Frost and his poems are
often associated with New England, snow, stone walls, and white birches. What
many people don’t know is that he did not start life living in this part of the
United States. Robert was born in San Francisco and lived in California until
his father died in 1885. Not having any money, Robert’s mother moved her family
to Massachusetts, where she lived with her father-in-law for a while. Then she
managed to get a teaching job in Salem, New Hampshire. A teacher’s pay was not
enough to provide for three people, so Robert worked at a cobbler’s shop where
he nailed heels onto boots.
Robert did well in school, and was delighted when his
grandfather made it possible for him to attend Laurence High School. Robert did
very well there and was able to get into Dartmouth College, which was something
his grandfather wanted. However, Robert was not interested in attending college
and he dropped out. What Robert did want to do was to write poetry, and this is
what he did when he wasn’t working. Though he dreamed of being a recognized
poet, he never imagined, back in those early days, that one day he would win
awards and would read one of his poems at a presidential inauguration ceremony.
What was it about Robert’s poems that made them so popular during his lifetime
and beyond?
In this superb collection some of Robert Frost’s most
beloved poems are brought together so that young (and not so young) readers can
see for themselves why his poems are liked by so many people around the world.
The poems are divided up into four sections, one section for each of the
seasons, and we begin with summer. Many of the poems celebrate country life and
nature. In The Pasture, the narrator invites
us to “come too” when he goes to clean the pasture spring, and when he fetches
a little calf. In another poem he takes us out into a hayfield where he is
turning the drying grass that has been cut for hay. The job is a tedious one
until the worker’s eye catches the movement of a butterfly. The little insect shows
the worker something special and they are united in that moment.
On the section of Autumn poems, we hear from a little
bluebird who leaves a message for a girl called Lesley. The bluebird has felt
the cold touch of the north wind and he must fly south. Perhaps, “in the
spring” he will come “back and sing.” We read about falling leaves that “fit
the earth like a leather glove,” and join someone who has been picking apples
and is ready for the rest that winter offers.
Every poem in this collection is accompanied by lovely
and evocative paintings, and each one has a note from the editor that provides
readers with background information about Robert Forest, his poems, and his
style of writing. The combination of the poems, the art, and the notes gives
readers an excellent portrait of Robert Frost and his work.
At the beginning of the book there is a short
introduction written by the editor where readers will find an excellent
description of Robert Frost’s life and legacy.
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