Some children's poetry collections only really appeal, long term, to children. Some however, contain collections that adults also enjoy; they are books that can be shared and passed down from generation to generation. Today's poetry book is just such a title, and it would make a wonderful gift to a family.
Favorite Poems
Old and New
Selected by Helen Ferris
Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard
Poetry Book
For ages 5 and up
Random House, 1957, 978-0-385-07696-8
Many years ago, when Helen Ferris and her brother Fred
were little, their parents made poetry “as much a part of their children’s
every day as getting up in the morning.” Helen and Fred absorbed poetry,
learning many of the poems they heard by heart. Their poetry journey began with
Mother Goose rhymes, and went on to include the poems of Alfred Tennyson, Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow and Shakespeare. Helen’s mother felt very strongly that
even if her children “could not understand all the words,” they could still
“enjoy the beautiful sound of them.” Helen and Fred and their parents moved
several times, and their lives changed in many ways, but they never stopped
enjoying poetry and sharing it with others.
Out of her love
of poetry grew Helen’s wish to create a book that celebrated this form of
writing, that brought together the writings of many, and the favorite poems of
many more. In all there are over seven hundred poems in this collection, both
classic and modern. The poems are divided up into eighteen categories, making
it easy for young readers to find poems that suit their interests. The topics
include “My Family and I,” “It’s fun to play,” “Animals, Pets and Otherwise,”
and “Almost any time is laughing time.”
Many children
will naturally gravitate to this latter section, for here they will find old
favorites like The Walrus and the
Carpenter and The Owl and the
Pussycat. Here too is The Song of Mr.
Toad, which is the song that Mr. Toad sings in The Wind in the Willows when he is feeling rather pleased with
himself. Edward Lear and Ogden Nash’s nonsense poems are also here.
Poems with a patriotic
feel appear in the “Sign of my nation, great and strong,” section. Here
children will find Paul Revere’s Ride,
and The Gettysburg Address, along
with The Star-Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful.
This is the kind
of collection that has something for everyone, no matter what the age of the
reader. It is a book to grow old with, and a book to pass on to the next
generation so that they too might grow up with a love of poetry, just as Helen
Ferris did.
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