Since April is National Poetry Month, it seems appropriate to talk about what is actually considered poetry for children. Basically, there are four different kinds of children's poetry: nursery rhymes; classical poetry written by adults with a nostalgia ring; poetry that children have written; and contemporary poetry. These types are not necessarily independent of each other when it comes to rhythm and rhyme.
The nursery rhyme books for small children satisfy their fondness for interesting-sounding nonsense.The classical type poetry, which many call the "Little-Boy-Blue-All Covered-With-Dust" syndrome, is typical of the nostalgia that adults read because they remember it being shared with them from the thick anthologies of the past. Often this poetry has contrived verse patterns, bad rhyme and maudlin messages.
Poetry written by children is just that; first attempts at language play.
Contemporary poetry that children will read is offered by a few writers such as Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky and sometimes Dr. Seuss.
These contain pithy verses with words as crisp as brittle celery. They snap on the tongue and usually leave the reader in giggles. But many agree that it is a mediocre "pablum" that fails to provide a language meal worth chewing on.
There is a fifth category that appears to be a "phantom" collection since it comes so silently and disappears almost before it is recognized. This is the poetry of rich quality from which children could grow to appreciate the music and subtleties of language. This kind of poetry is what Liz Rosenberg wrote about in the New York Times article "Has Poetry for Kids Become a Child's Garden of Rubbish?" She says, "The best children's poems, like great children's books, accompany one through life. Unlike one's favorite dress or hat, they grow with you - or you grow into them; the exact nature of the fit is unclear . . . "
The genius of A.A. Milne, J. Patrick Lewis, Lilian Moore, Mary O'Neill, Eve Merriam and Paul B. Janeczko are lost to our children today. Their precious collections go out of print often after only one season while the others, the ones with "pablum" content, may remain as hardback copies for years and years.
The number of poetry books published over the years has shrunk - attested to by the very slim reference, "Index to Poetry for Children and Young People" - and the poetry books themselves are becoming more pointed toward silly themes and topics that will entice readers.
The following is a sampling of some favorite poetry books published within the last year. This does not suggest that they will be children's favorites necessarily, but they are selections of quality that could "accompany one through life"
Two books of lullabies would be treasured baby gifts or new ways to sing goodnight at any age. LULLABIES: AN ILLUSTRATED SONGBOOK (Harcourt) has music arranged by Richard Kapp and accompanies art pieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The songs originated in places around the world and the art represents a variety of cultures and times.
LULLABY RAFT by Naomi Shihab Nye (Simon & Schuster) is a song with seven verses that the poet wrote and performs frequently. They are based on a bedtime song her mother shared.
Jack Prelutsky's THE BEAUTY OF THE BEAST: POEMS FROM THE ANIMAL KINGDOM (Knopf) offers over 200 poems in a variety of forms form well-known poets such as Randall Jarrell, Valerie Worth, Ogden Nash, Rachel Field and X.J. Kennedy on all kinds of animals from the earthworm to the pachyderm.
Also animal poems can be found in WEIRD PET POEMS compiled by Dilys Evans (Simon & Schuster), and these are the highly imaginative kind that have unusual names like the "mudgimu." The full-page art by Jacqueline Rogers adds humor to this collection.
ASHLEY BRYAN`S ABC OF AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY (Atheneum) is an example of the Black American verse that is available. This collection of verses, for the most part, does not comprise complete poems, but fragments that fall into the ABC format and salute 25 poets whose works are included.
Lots of people are "cowboys at heart," or so Paul B. Janeczko contends in HOME ON THE RANGE: COWBOY POETRY (Dial). Both humorous works and heartfelt ballads form some of today's leading cowboy poets help set the tone for the prairie, the open sky and the campfires at night. The art of Bernie Fuchs is dusty and muted to expand the verses to their fullest.
Lilian Moore's tiny POEMS HAVE ROOTS (Atheneum) is an extension of her other award-winning verses that look at the world int he most reflective way.
Lee Bennett Hopkins is well-known for his collections centering on pertinent topics. MARVELOUS MATH (Simon & Schuster) is a book of verse about numbers, time and counting.
Two collections on the related themes of night and music are GETTING USED TO THE DARK: 26 NIGHT POEMS by Susan Marie Swanson and CALL DOWN THE MOON: POEMS OF MUSIC selected by Myra Cohn Livingston (McElderry Books). Swanson's slight verses on different views of nighttime are accompanied by the muted gray sketches by Peter Catalanotto. This is a winning combination!
A little gem that will delight anyone who writes poetry or is teaching poetry writing is I AM WRITING A POEM ABOUT edited by Myra Cohn Livingston (McElderry), which resulted from a "poetry game" experiment she conducted while teaching a master poetry class at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). "This could be read," says the editor, "for pleasure . . . but it will inspire young people to play (the same) game with their own poetry."