Knock at a Star-A Child's Introduction to Poetry

by X.J. Kennedy

has school stamp on inside but has not been used

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Picture Books, Middle Grade, Nonfiction, Writing

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last, a poetry book that doesn't insult the intelligence of children. No silly doggerel here. Just good poems by good poets that will appeal to children of all ages.

[Monique]

This was a special, formative book for me and many of these poems will shimmer and echo in my memory for the rest of my life.

Like this one:

When Daniel Boone goes by, at night,
The phantom deer arise
And all lost, wild America
Is burning in their eyes.

Steven Vincent Benet

Some things can't be cancelled.

[Marissa Masterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knock at a Star: A Child's Introduction to Poetry written by X.J. Kennedy and Dorothy M. Kennedy is a book filled with many different poems with varying styles, rhyme schemes, repetitions, and songs. The poems that filled the books pages were very diverse. Some poems were rhyming poems that had very flowing words that had syllables that matched the meaning of the poems. Each poem brought a clear image into my head. I was able to vividly picture what I was reading because each poem was detailed with descriptive language. Along with pictures that were throughout the entire book. This book expands children awareness of the many different types of poetry and opens their eyes to expressing things differently compared to the standard rhyme scheme. Every child would be able easily find a poem that they could relate to. It appeals to all children and provides poems that are fun and happy, dark and gloomy, and out of the ordinary just to name a few. This book could be used for any occasion during the year because it has many different themes. Since it is filled with many famous peoples work, it could be used when entering a lesson on famous writers or when teaching about repetition. This book was a different poetry book than I am used to. It provides so many different types. I really enjoyed the song ones. Its a fun and educational book that any child would love to read and keeps them engaged and eager to read the next poem!

[Ashley Barna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knock at a Star: A Child's Introduction to Poetry is filled with so many wonderful things. To start, this introduction book on poems gives amateur poem readers a great place to begin. In the context readers will find what is in a poem and how poems effect readers. Each category has at least 10 different poems to chose from. This book also tells what poems are used for, and why they are written. This book is very informative in that it also talks about the different kind of poems that are created. Exercises on poems students can create, along with ideas are also a great asset to this introduction book on poems.

The poems that are in this book are ones that are easy enough for children to read in the primary grades starting with about second or third grade. There are also several illustrations with each poem. The illustrations are in black and white, but this helps set the mood for the poems being told in some cases. This book is great for first time poem readers, and I would most definitely have this poem book in my classroom for my students to refer to.

[Jada Smith-Lopez]

This book to me was a very slow book because it had like really long intro's .But at the same time it was a really short book because the poems were fast and easy.One of my favorite poems for that was called learning because it taught the reader what they are expected to do when it comes to manners.

[Charolette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how the poems are simple and it easily deciphered by a second or third grader. There are illustrations that go along with some of the poems that tell the story behind the poems. The poems are great for helping a young student with writing poems. I think every child could relate to some of the poems in this book. I think this is a great introduction to poetry.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

From childhood I have been interested in poetry.  Like many children of my generation I wrote silly limericks as as kid [1] and read plenty of poems, and even had to memorize poetry on occasion as well as write it for class.  This book is aimed at the market I was in when I would read Shel Silverstein books (although I did not see any of those included here), and much of the poetry is good, although a great deal of it comes with an obvious social and political agenda on the part of the writers of the book as well.  Needless to say, I have mixed feelings about this poetry book even if I am generally fond of poetry aimed at young people [2].  If you are an adult looking to encourage young people to enjoy poetry, there is certainly a lot this book can help out with and the poetry included is general of fine quality.

In terms of its contents, this book of less than 200 pages is divided into four parts.  The first part of the book looks at what poems do:  make one smile, tell stories, send messages, share feelings, help one understand people, and start one wondering.  And, to be sure, the book includes a variety of diverse and generally short poetry designed to illustrate those purposes.  The second part of the book examines what is inside of a poem, specifically images, word music, beats that repeat, likenesses, and wordplay.  Of course, there are quite a few poems that illustrate these qualities of poems as well.  The third part of the book looks at special kinds of poetry that are often popular, namely limericks, takeoffs, songs, show-and-spell poems that where their visual elements are important, finders-keepers poems, as well as haiku.  The fourth and final part of the book consists of ideas for writing one's own poems, an afterword for adults, and indices of authors, titles, and first lines as well as acknowledgements.  The book rather sensibly moves from seeking to encourage students to read and recognize good poetry to writing it as well.

Again, it is easy to have mixed feelings about this book.  In general, the poems chosen are good ones, but they are (with rare exceptions, like the works of Richard Wright, Lewis Carroll, and William Stafford) not often "great" poems.  In addition, it appears as if many of the poems are chosen to prime certain emotion-based responses on the part of the reader, leading them to subtly downgrade the importance of listening to parents by talking about domestic arguments, or by making children pity nice homeless people (of which there are admittedly some).  Many of the poems focus on creation, something children in general show a great deal of interest in, and a few of them, including Alexander Pope's clever couplet on the collar of a dog, even hint about larger political matters.  Yet I must admit that in this deeply political age I am not sure I trust the writers of this book to have the best interests of children at heart, especially in the avoidance of moralizing, which is frequently necessary concerning the affairs of this world, and something the authors are reluctant to do, unless it is moralizing for their own social causes.  This is a book to use, in other words, but not to trust.

[1] Although, admittedly, not all of the limericks were silly.  In fact, even as a child I had a rather melancholy sense when it came to poetry, reflecting on the mortality of yummy chickens and the isolation of people watching their Sylvania televisions in Pennsylvania.

[2] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

[Lexie Haarsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knock At A Star is very lovely book compilation of poetry. I really liked the simplicity of it, it was very wholesome and sweet to read. It was very diverse in the entries and did a great job of introducing poetry in a way that young readers would understand and enjoy. It is relatable to children, but not in a patronizing way. The poems have beautifully written realistic and imaginative topics of things all the way from fairy tales to nature. There is a watercolor illustration theme as well that sets a calm and serene tone. Overall, I really enjoyed this a lot. I think it is a perfect way of exposing children to poetry for the first time. It is done in a way that anyone can understand and relate to.

[Rachel Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent beginning poetry book for kids. There are lots of different categories with at least 10 poems to choose from in each. The poems range from funny to inspirational and etc. it is a quick read because most of the poems are short and simple. This book would be a great one to start with because poetry can be really hard for younger children to read and keep up with. I loved that there were some illustrations throughout the book as well, this made it even more enjoyable. I would let my 2nd graders read this book in hopes they would gain respect for the writing type. All in all, great introduction to poetry for our younger readers.

[Altea Bolger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awards: N/A

Grade Level(s): 3rd-5th

Summary: This book contains a collection of different famous poems from many different authors, and the collection of poems is very diverse.

Review: I think this is such a great poetry book and because of its diversity it is guaranteed to have at least one poem in it that each student loves.

In-Class Uses: This is another book that is great for introducing more in-depth poetry to a classroom and because of the many different styles in this book, each student could select a style they prefer and use that as a template to write their own poem.

[Hailey Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for a Children’s Literature class and I really enjoyed it! Sometimes it’s hard to find good poetry books for children that aren’t silly or dumbed down. This one has a very nice mix between moods and themes. It is great for a teacher who needs examples for a lesson. The book is split into categories of poems.

[Tandava Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is aimed at 3rd-6th graders, so a bit younger than what I’m interested in, but it seems well done for that and there are several things I made notes of for myself nonetheless. I particularly liked the section on found poetry. There’s a bit at the end about writing your own poems (aimed at kids) and a bit for adults reading poetry with kids as well.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice introduction for children to poetry.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve never been the biggest fan of poetry, but this book is a great guide. It gives short explanations of what poems do, what is in a poem and the different kinds of poems.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great resource for a few years from now with fun introductions to the different types of poetry. We enjoyed reading many aloud at the dinner table together.

[Taneka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knock at a Star: A Child’s Introduction to Poetry is an anthology of poems that was originally published by Little, Brown and Company in 1999. The scope of this book is the introduce kids to poetry by providing them with different poems of different types, such as haiku. The book does not provide an introductory, but instead delves right into the poetry. The first page in the book is of the poem Crunchy by Max Fatchen and Commas by Douglas Florian. The intent is for kids to read the book without the need for instructions from adults. There is a directory that lists poems by type, so that kids can decide what types of poems they want to read. The poems are small exerts, which is beneficial for it does not intimidate the reader with the length of the original poem.

There are different titles for different sections. For example, the first set of poems show kids what poems can do, such as “Make You Smile” or “Tell Stories”. There is a table of content in the beginning of the book. It lists the authors name first, followed by the title of the poem. Many of the entries are by authors that you wouldn’t consider poets, such as Ursula LeGuin, who is known for her fantasy novels. Some of the poems are accompanied by illustrations. The illustrations are in black and white and occupy a small section of the page, usually near the poem for which it is illustrating.

There is an index of authors, index of titles and an index of first lines in the rear of the book. This is to allow quick and easy access to poems that they favor. For example, the index of authors allows them to find all poems included by certain authors like Langston Hughes or Robert Frost. I can tell from the index that Langston Hughes has three entries in this anthology. I questioned the need for an index of first lines, but after going through it, I saw that it can be useful in gaining the reader’s attention to poems that may have been missed. On my initial read I missed the poem Blackberry Sweet, but when I browsed through the index of first lines, the line “Black girl, Black girl” caught my attention.

[Breanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This conglomerate of poems by X. J. and Dorthy Kennedy is a perfect way to introduce poetry, to not only children but adults as well. All of the poems are from different authors which allows each have their own individual voice. It begins with explaining what poems do, starting with humor, for example, "Suppose the ceiling went outside...I think it would be Most Revealing To find out how the Ceiling's Feeling". From the beginning, the Kennedy's break the stereotype that poetry doesn't have to be serious or confusing; this is a great idea because I feel it is a main reason why many are apprehensive of poetry. Throughout the book they have a few paragraphs at the beginning of the chapter giving some history of poems. At the beginning of a chapter it explains that stories are poetry and that they use to be "told by storytellers who would sing or chant or recite from memory". The poems throughout the book transport you in a short amount of time, personally some are better than other. The illustrations provide the imagination a place to start, I feel it is important to give a little guidance when beginning poetry. After the poems there is an afterword to adults stressing the idea of reading children poetry before they can read so they can have a head start. The Kennedy's made this book so children could read it on their own, so they "may decide for themselves whether to have any truck with it". After this they also give a note to those who wish to use the book when working with groups; part of it explains how long children of certain ages should read poetry. Clarifying that you don't want the children to become restless, and reminds the adults to not oversupply them with material because it should be enjoyable.

[Haley Caudell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knock at a Star: A Child’s Introduction to Poetry by X.J. Kennedy and Dorothy M. Kennedy is a book that introduces children to the different components of poetry. There are three sections in this book: “What do poems do,” “What’s inside a poem,” “Special kinds of poetry,” and “Do it yourself.” Each section of this book introduces the different components of poems and gives a description of what they are. Following the description, the authors give examples of different poems that contain that aspect.

I really enjoyed this book because I have never been very interested in poetry. Through reading this, I have a new appreciation for it. I have a better understanding of what poetry is and how to read it. I think this book would be very beneficial for children because the descriptions are very easy to read and understand. Also, the poems are very interesting and not something that is “boring and rhymes” like most children would think. My favorite kind of poetry I read in this book was limericks. I really liked how the poems were short and catchy. Unlike really long poems, the shorter length helped me keep my attention and interest. Also, I thought these poems were easier to read than the best of the different kinds of poems.

My favorite poem featured in this book is “What Has Happened to Lulu?” this poem is from the perspective of a young child who could not figure out what happened to her older sister. I really liked the imagery and descriptive words in this poem. I felt like I could understand how the young girl was feeling based on her poem.

[Nancy O'Toole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knock a Star is unique as it's not just a collection of poetry, but it's also a guide for children about how to identify different types of poetry, and how to read poetry. The book is divided into four sections that do a good job of easing children into poetry. Each section begins with an introduction before heading into the poetry itself. Every now and then, the editor will interrupt to point out something important about a poem, or poetry in general. The chapter “What do Poems do,” is about the more emotional side of poetry. Once a child is comfortable with poetry, it launches into “What's Inside a Poem,” which focuses more on the mechanics such as meter. “Special Kinds of Poetry” focuses on simple structured poems that new poetry readers can catch on to. This means that instead of being thrown straight into sonnets, children get to learn about the more simple limericks and haikus. The final section, “Do it Yourself,” has information on writing poetry. Each section is filled with fantastic poems from the very old to the rather new. Most of the poetry is quite short, with a few longer selections. The book is also sprinkled with cute black and white illustrations by Karen Ann Weinhaus, which illustrate parts of particular poems. This can be very useful for children that may be confused over what's going on in a specific poem.

NOTE- This review was written for a class

[Andrew Caudill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knock at a Star by X.J. Kennedy is a wonderful resource for teachers. The book is organized by different categories you would use to teach poetry. This is a useful thing done to make this book simple and perfect for a classroom. The book also includes many lesson ideas and ways to incorporate the poems into lessons. I also like that it includes way to get students to write their own poems as this can seem like a daunting task to teachers. The cover appears to be a water color painting and is very detailed and beautifully done. The sketches on the inside are fun to look at, but simple enough that they will not distract the reader. They also appear to be easy to copy so that students can have a copy of the poem themselves. As for the writing, X.J. Kennedy did a great job of addressing teachers and really simplifies poetry for the teacher. Many of us are not gifted poets, so teaching it is intimidating for me. This book simplified things and laid it out in a way I can easily understand. The poems themselves are lively and engaging. The poems are fun to read and will work excellently to teach students as well. This book is a must for any teacher who wants to teach poetry but does not feel adequate for the task on their own.

[Chelsea Gail Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never been the biggest fan of poetry, but Knock at a Star by X.J. Kennedy and Dorothy M. Kennedy, illustrated by Karen Ann Weinhaus is a good book to introduce poetry to children. The book is broken down into sections: What do poems do,What's inside a poem, Special kinds of poetry, and do it yourself poems. Each of these sections have sub sections with many types of poems in it. I really enjoyed how this book had a wide variety of poems to choose from, and figure out which poetry you enjoy to read. Two sections in particular that I really enjoyed reading were the sections "make you laugh" and the one that "tells stories". I especially really enjoyed the poem "A Story that could be True". It starts off pretty solemn, but it asks the reader a question and engages them. In the end of the poem it enlightens the reader when thinking anyone could be a king. I think this book of poetry would be great in a 3rd or 4th grade classroom and I feel like it would help children who might be struggling understanding poetry.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my go-to book for attempting to teach students about poetry. It's broken into sections that feel flexible, not didactic. The first part is called "What do poems DO?" and there are examples of lots of poems that make us smile, or tell a story, or send a message. Some poems are accompanied by some explanation, some stand alone. There are black and white illustrations sprinkled throughout, but the poems themselves are the stars.

The second section deals with the "terms" side of things, and asks, "What's inside a poem?" And here we have poems that are rich in imagery, or musical language, or rhythms, for example. The third section examines types of poems, with examples, such as limericks, songs, takeoffs, haiku, and "finders keepers" (a personal fave of mine). Finally, the fourth section gives use writing activities to help nudge us off into writing our own poems.

What I love about this volume is that it's accessible and friendly in tone. It's packed with engaging poems that will have broad appeal. And it's darn USEFUL as a way to structure poetry units and lessons.

[Morgan Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knock at a star is a wonderful anthology of poetry that shows wide variety poems. There isn't one poem with the same topic. What I love most about the book is how informational it is. It allows students to read about poetry, write their own poems, and read other poems all within one book. I really appreciated that it was sectioned off. I think this would make poetry easier to teach and keep the students interested, since they do know where they will end. I recommend this book for ages 3rd grade and up because that is when poetry is taught in schools. Another portion of the book I enjoyed was the section called "Afterword for Adults." It gave me, a future teacher, information on how to get students interested in poetry in the classroom. I want to rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars because it is extremely helpful and a great learning tool for children learning poetry.

[Liane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Poetry, Informational

Reading Level: Late Transitional/Fluent. Grade 3+

Topics & Themes: Elements of poetry

Curricular Use: Introduces children to poetry. Afterword to adult on how to use the book with children.

Literary Elements: Split into three sections: What do poems do? What's inside a poem? Special types of poems. Brief introduction to start each section. Some poems followed by context for the poem to help reader understand the poem.

Additional Notes: Good variety on choice of poems and great for classroom use as separated into sections for examples.
Did not like section on haikus, not adequately explained or given specifics of.

[Sierra Sitzes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for Children's Lit. There are certain aspects of this anthology that make it better than some other collections of poetry for children I've read: its choices in poems, its organization, the length, but there were also several aspects that were unimpressive and annoying to read as an adult. The blurbs at the beginning of each section that explain whatever aspect of language/form/etc. were sometimes tedious, and for children, used language that seemed to be a little complicated for the book's age range. However, I appreciate for its intentions and am keeping my copy for my children in case they have a natural affinity for poetry.

[Sherita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a introduction to poetry and had a variety of different types of poetry. There was some humorous poems, haiku, long and short. One particular poem in this book that stuck out to me was Tell stories, this poem was a bit longer and it was not your typical poetry, children probably usually think of rhythms when it comes to poetry, but this poem did not include that, it seem like a poem that was just informing us on some history; I do not think that many young children would like that particular poem, but there were other great poems in the book.

[Tracey Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knock at a Star is an anthology. It does not have an introduction, but the scope covers what poems do, the parts of a poem, special types of poems, and some advice on how to write poems. I really enjoyed reading this anthology, as it described a particular bit of information (such as what a haiku was, its origins and make-up) and then illustrated the points it made with beautiful and iconic poetry that was simple enough for a child to understand but with enough artistry to properly illustrate the wonders of the genre.

[Eileen 8e · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its is a book of poems. I think it is good because you can relate to them. There very interseting because the way it is types. There are all peoms but some are short some are long but there all very good.My favorite is poor, Spectacular, MyBrother, leave me alone etc. my most favorites are lave me alone and poor, i love poor because its true what the poem says about poor peoplae and the way they feel.

[Dorchester County Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of different types of poetry for children/tweens. A brief description is given about the various types of poetry/prose focused on in the book and several example poems are included, such as limericks or shape poems. A wide range of poets are included in the book. This is a very useful companion resource for parents or teachers who are interested in introducing, sharing, and encouraging poetry with children.

[Erika Conley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful poetry resource for anyone wishing to share poetry with children. It is very conducive to teaching various aspects and uses of poetry. Its "Afterword for Adults" section explains why the book was written, and how to encourage children to like poetry, suggestions for helping them write their own poetry, and ideas of how to use it in a classroom. This would be a great assest to have in the classroom!