Ambleside's Year One: Poetry

Overview:
Poetry is something I've never found time for in the past. But with Ambleside Online's emphasis on giving children a strong literary foundation, the beauty and humor of good poetry is necessary. And again, I was surprised at how much we enjoyed something I might never have taken the time to do otherwise.

The Charlotte Mason approach to poetry is as simple as with the other arts. Classic pieces are chosen for quality and read out loud, one poem per day and the works are allowed to speak for themselves. I just brought the book to the table at lunch time and read over peanut butter sandwiches and it ended up being a really fun part of the school day.

The Books:

1. A Child's Garden of Verses, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
What a great collection of poems! I think this was the first time I've read this one, though it is an old favorite for children. Stevenson has such a great insight into the way little guys think and wonder. Dan's favorite poems were The Land of Counterpane, and Armies in the Fire. We have a version with illustrations from a variety of sources, though I have heard good comments on this edition illustrated by Jessie Wilcox Smith. This book is in the public domain and all poems are available online for free use.

A Child's Garden of Verses full text.

2. When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six, by A. A. Milne.
Do they even need a review? These two collections of poems by the author of Winnie the Pooh are hilarious to children and maybe even more so to adults. Our favorites were The Knight Whose Armor Didn't Squeak, Forgiven (about Alexander the beetle whom Nanny let out), Bad Sir Brian Botany, and Lines and Squares.


3. A Child's Book of Poems, compiled and illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa.
I remembered children's books illustrated by Fujikawa as a little girl and was excited to see this on the list. It is a collection of poems that appeal to children from many classic writers. Included are The Owl and the Pussycat, The Sugarplum Tree, and Wynken, Blynken, and Nod. There is a wide selection of poems, and Fujikawa's color-saturated illustrations make this volume sparkle. However, this was not one of Dan's favorites this year. He felt the illustrations were a little baby-ish. And while many great classic poems were included, there were quite a few shorter mediocre ones to wader through too. An enjoyable book and one I'll probably read to the younger years, but not our favorite.

4. The Oxford Book of Children's Verse, compiled by Iona and Peter Opie.
This book I didn't actually buy until after the school year was over since we'd chosen to go with the Fujikawa volume above. It is out of print now and can be hard to find, but a used copy turned up recently and just arrived, and I must say I'm very impressed. It is not a beautifully illustrated edition like the other books, but the pictures are made up for by the huge selection of poems by authors from Chaucer, Longfellow, Browning, Whittier, De la Mare, and so many others. The Opies collected and arranged the best of English poetry that might appeal or relate to children and as a result have a much wider range of works than usually found in children's books. If you could only buy one book of children's poetry, this might be a good option.