Poems to Learn by Heart

Caroline Kennedy's anthology begins with the perfect message-- "There's a poem to celebrate every moment in life." Boy, is there ever! Kennedy continues with her justification for why we should memorize poems-- "Poets distill life's lessons into the fewest possible words. But those tiny packages of words contain worlds of images and experiences and feeling. If our circumstances change and things seem to be falling apart, we can recall a poem that reassures us. If we find ourselves in unfamiliar or frightening surroundings, a poem can remind us that others have journeyed far and returned safely home. If we learn poems by heart, we will always have their wisdom to draw on, and we gain understanding that no one can take away." This book is packed full of around 100 poems, all perfect to "learn by heart," appropriate for children (and adults!) of all ages. ~~ "Poems about the self" include "from The World is Round" by Gertrude Stein, "Don't Worry if Your Job is Small" by Anonymous, and "If" by Rudyard Kipling. ~~ "Poems about family" include "The Parent" by Ogden Nash, "Herbert Glerbertt" by Mary Ann Hoberman, and "Ballad of Birmingham" by Dudley Randall. ~~ "Poems about friendship and love" include "The Dream Keeper" by Langston Hughes, "Liberty" by Janet S. Wong, and "He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven" by William Butler Yeats. Other sections of this book include: ~ Poems about fairies, ogres, and witches ~ Nonsensical poems ~ Poems about school ~ Poems about sports and games ~ Poems about war ~ Poems about nature ~ "Extra credit" Sprinkled throughout the book are also some adorable, calming illustrations that beautifully accompany the text. The poems in this anthology are a fantastic, yet somewhat eclectic, mix of poems that will make you smile, make you cry, make you sigh, and make you squirm. The anthology's poems are "classics" and "neoclassics," narrative and lyric, free verse and structured. Overall, though, the poems are lovely. Simply lovely.

I have had a passion for poetry for most of my life. The only poetry form I dislike is the so-called "modern free verse" poetry that so many pseudo-intellectual professors seem to praise today. Even though this book (Poems to Learn by Heart with Caroline Kennedy and paintings by Jon J. Muth) was obviously written for young students as well as teachers, I found it to be a good basic poetry text for anyone interested in this creative and beautiful art. Many of the short poems are perfect for memorizing. There are also much longer and well-known poems and prose that are excellent. I am a little surprised there were no haiku poems included in this collection because many of those are easy to remember because there are only three lines. Some of the more famous poets and writers in this wonderful collection include the following: Robert Louis Stevenson (My Shadow), William Shakespeare (Sonnet 94 and As You Like it), Rudyard Kipling (IF), Robert Frost (Dust of Snow and The Secret Sits), Gwendolyn Brooks (Andre and We Real Cool), Emily Dickinson (Bee! I'm expecting you!), Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Paul Revere's Ride), and Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Kubla Khan). This text is organized into ten sections. The first one covers poems about the self. The second section deals with poems about the family. Friendship and love poems are in section three. Section four has some fun poems about fairies, ogres and witches. Nonsensical poems are in section five. Section six explores poems about school. Sports and games poetry are explained in section seven. In section eight heart felt poems about war are covered which includes Abrahan Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in this section. Poems about nature are explored in section nine. The final section called "Extra Credit" covers some of the longer famous poems. In conclusion, if you are a teacher at the grade school level or a student, this is an excellent volume to begin the study of great poetry. In my humble opinion, the classic poems in this collection should be read by every thinking person in order to be an educated and well-rounded individual. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Haiku Moments: How to read, write and enjoy haiku)

I love poetry books- and especially those written for children- and Poems to Learn by Heart is a real gem! I am a homeschooling Mom of four, and we have started having something called Poetry Teatime every Wednesday morning, where we sit down around the table and sip tea and eat treats while taking turns reading poetry! I ordered this book with that in mind, and it has made an appearance at several teatimes already...and I know it will be featured at many more to come! The selected poems are a good mix of familiar and new, and the illustrations are lovely, making them as much a treat as the poetry. My three year old can't read the poems yet, but he likes to choose ones for me to read based on the pictures, so having nice artwork is important! I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to either start or add to a poetry collection! I don't think you'll be disappointed...and maybe you would like to brew a pot of tea to go with it!

Being a teacher I have spent many hours reading poetry to students. There were many wonderful poems in this book and I'd say many worth memorizing. The title is a little misleading. Some of the poems are very long and have a pretty high comprehension level. I teach third grade and maybe this is aimed more towards older children. However maybe I equate learn by heart with memorize and that may not be the intent. Having some well known but long poems included may just mean to have the reader be really familiar with them. I was happy with the book overall.

I gave this book to my 5 year old son and to his 8 year old girlfriend. It is one I hope they will enjoy for years to come, having fun reading it's diverse contemporary and historical poetry and finding achievement in memorizing perhaps a poem for each birthday, or each month! I told the 8 year old, if you do that, by the time you're 20, poetry and learning poems by heart will be a lifelong cherished habit. Thank you, Caroline Kennedy for this valuable and beautifully illustrated book of poems!

"Poems to Learn by Heart" is a wonderful collection of poetry that will warm your heart and allow you to reflect on many things. Carolyne Kennedy has put together a collection of poems that both young and old will resonate with them. How nice , in this day and age to have a book that only requires that one desires happiness, a warm heart, and a willingness to ride the wave or beat or feeling of each poem.

Caroline Kennedy works with disadvantaged children in NYC helping them open up to poetry, write it, love it. This is but yet another one of her carefully chosen compilations of poems, this time -- those to learn by heart. The water-color illustrations are beautiful and works of poetry themselves. Her target audience is the entire family, and Poems to Learn By Heart is yet another one of Kennedy's books to become a family favorite of ours!

I'm not well schooled in poetry. It has always mystified me. I like the idea of introducing poetry to kids early on. It is something they can learn easily, like languages. This selection is a perfect way of introducing the genre to even very kids. And the illustrations are beautiful. Another interesting feature is that the cover, beneath the dust jacket, looks just like the dust jacket. This is an expensive feature which justifies the price of the book. And hey. I think adults may enjoy this as much as the kiddos!

Very good.

We love poetry! Good poetry can make the heart sing, and fill the mind with beautiful imagery. Poetry is one of the very best ways to introduce children to rich language, beautiful patterns, rhythm, and new concepts. Poems to Learn by Heart, thoughtfully compiled by Caroline Kennedy, is one of our favorite poetry collections. The book surveys a wide range of writers, providing a stellar introduction to poetry in all its forms. Each section of the book has a different theme and is preceded by a gentle introduction written by Ms. Kennedy. Each poem is accompanied by glorious illustrations by Jon J. Muth. Truly exceptional!

Delighted with the book of poems familiar and new . Book depository very helpful with my queries at a busy time of year.

彼の描く絵が好きで、本屋で日本語翻訳のものと英語のもの（輸入物）をみて、違いがなかったので、値段の安い輸入物を購入しました。英文は、わからなくて、何を書いているのかは、わからないのですが、彼の絵をみていると満足できるので気に入っています。 詩に合わせて描かれた絵はバリエーションにとんでいて、とても楽しく、詩には、どんなことが言われているのだろうかと想像するのも楽しいです。辞書とにらめっこしながら、気になった詩を理解しようとしていますが、絵だけでも楽しいです。

Bought for our granddaughter. She said she enjoyed it.