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Hopscotch Love: A Family Treasury of Love Poems
Twenty-two poems celebrate the different faces of love within the African-American community. There's something here for every age and every taste, from sweet to sassy to sentimental. A perfect gift of love for anyone, anytime, on any occasion.
- GenresPoetry
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 20, 2019
1999.
I am one year from being a father for the first time (and learning about love anew). I'm one year from entering into a college program with the idea that, if I could be successful in the endeavor, I might become a school teacher.
Prince had forecast this year almost two decades before. People were using chat rooms and becoming more and more familiar with this thing called the internet. Social media doesn't have a name yet, but college campuses are attempting to find ways to link student to student via their computers. The culture was preparing for what it thought to be a certain doomsday. Because of these computers.
Nikki Grimes was writing.
Nikki Grimes was writing poetry.
Nikki Grimes was writing poetry for children.
Nikki Grimes was writing poetry for children about love.
Nikki Grimes was writing poetry for children, but in the case of HOPSCOTCH LOVE, she was writing of and to the Black experience and how love manifests itself:
In the hopscotch hopes that a boy will like us in return if we just keep pitching the stone onto the pavement.
In the stealthily-placed note with an assurance that nothing was taken, only something left.
In the syrupy-sweet terms of endearment that would invite trips to the dentist if we consumed as much as we caught these.
In the quick-written scribble of a notebook that doesn't get closed in time for that boy not to see it.
In the ties that bond.
In the ties that cannot be broken.
In the tender time of new love and the love that grows old together.
In the examples set forth by those who have loved before us.
In the examples set forth by those who have lost lovers but not their ability to love.
In the examples of those who demonstrate their love by what they can put in the pan.
In the love that needs no reason other than to be given to the ones we love.
Right now, everyone is celebrating Nikki Grimes's ORDINARY HAZARDS. And well they should. But, finding Nikki Grimes's twenty-year-old collection reminds me that this poet has been giving and giving to the poetry community for quite some time.
Not to put Nikki Grimes's business in the street, but our beloved poet is 69 now. And still writing. And presenting. And teaching. Poeming. Loving.
And encouraging. Some time back, maybe when I was forty and Nikki was sixty, we became internet friends. Trading gardening tips and an occasional poetic line or two for feedback. It has been a joy to read the ARC of her newest books to come and to be among the first to write, out of love, for this poet who gives so much. . .love. . .to readers. I am blessed to know poets like Nikki Grimes who know me in return. I would be remiss to shelve this collection as some new serendipitous find without sharing with all of you.
Twenty years from its original release date, I want to encourage my friends to go and seek out and then shelve and share, Nikki Grimes's HOPSCOTCH LOVE with young readers. Love never grows old. And nor do well-written collections of poetry that are born of love and speak love into existence in the spaces between two covers.
I am one year from being a father for the first time (and learning about love anew). I'm one year from entering into a college program with the idea that, if I could be successful in the endeavor, I might become a school teacher.
Prince had forecast this year almost two decades before. People were using chat rooms and becoming more and more familiar with this thing called the internet. Social media doesn't have a name yet, but college campuses are attempting to find ways to link student to student via their computers. The culture was preparing for what it thought to be a certain doomsday. Because of these computers.
Nikki Grimes was writing.
Nikki Grimes was writing poetry.
Nikki Grimes was writing poetry for children.
Nikki Grimes was writing poetry for children about love.
Nikki Grimes was writing poetry for children, but in the case of HOPSCOTCH LOVE, she was writing of and to the Black experience and how love manifests itself:
In the hopscotch hopes that a boy will like us in return if we just keep pitching the stone onto the pavement.
In the stealthily-placed note with an assurance that nothing was taken, only something left.
In the syrupy-sweet terms of endearment that would invite trips to the dentist if we consumed as much as we caught these.
In the quick-written scribble of a notebook that doesn't get closed in time for that boy not to see it.
In the ties that bond.
In the ties that cannot be broken.
In the tender time of new love and the love that grows old together.
In the examples set forth by those who have loved before us.
In the examples set forth by those who have lost lovers but not their ability to love.
In the examples of those who demonstrate their love by what they can put in the pan.
In the love that needs no reason other than to be given to the ones we love.
Right now, everyone is celebrating Nikki Grimes's ORDINARY HAZARDS. And well they should. But, finding Nikki Grimes's twenty-year-old collection reminds me that this poet has been giving and giving to the poetry community for quite some time.
Not to put Nikki Grimes's business in the street, but our beloved poet is 69 now. And still writing. And presenting. And teaching. Poeming. Loving.
And encouraging. Some time back, maybe when I was forty and Nikki was sixty, we became internet friends. Trading gardening tips and an occasional poetic line or two for feedback. It has been a joy to read the ARC of her newest books to come and to be among the first to write, out of love, for this poet who gives so much. . .love. . .to readers. I am blessed to know poets like Nikki Grimes who know me in return. I would be remiss to shelve this collection as some new serendipitous find without sharing with all of you.
Twenty years from its original release date, I want to encourage my friends to go and seek out and then shelve and share, Nikki Grimes's HOPSCOTCH LOVE with young readers. Love never grows old. And nor do well-written collections of poetry that are born of love and speak love into existence in the spaces between two covers.
September 3, 2024
A quick read, the poems really conjure up a time and place and certain emotions. My favorite out of the bunch was “Mother Love.”
March 4, 2020
Disappointing. I found the poems in When Daddy Prays, which I recently read, to be much stronger.
Want to read
July 4, 2020great
November 15, 2021
Read over the course of two weeks to curate collection for 7th grade poetry project.
January 7, 2022
I got a lot of hoes, but we all know who my main chick is. Happy Birthday bestie♥ @
February 28, 2012
SUMMARY: Hopscotch Love: A Family Treasury of Love Poems by Nikki Grimes is a collection of love poems for all different scenarios. From loving your mom to having a valentine, this poetry book covers it all.
CRITIQUE: Not all of the poems in this book rhymed, but the ones that did were not predictable. There was a very nice rhythm to each of the poems, and reading them aloud helped me to hear the rhythm and beat. The majority of the poems had an illustration to go along with it, so there was a clear image of what the poem was conveying. However, the ones that did not have an illustration were written with enough detail that I was easily able to picture what was going on in the poem. For example, "Juicy-Fruit Love" was my favorite in the book, and it was not hard at all to picture the boy digging through his pockets to find a piece of gum, only to give it away to the girl when she looked at him. There was insight in this book because some of the poems are about historical figures, including Malcolm X. Learning about the romantic side of Malcolm X helped me to see him as a real person, not just as a member of the Civil Rights Movement. Of course, all of the poems were positive. They portrayed love in all different ways, and it was a nice change of pace from the "typical" love poem collections. Finally, this book could be used for Valentine's Day, Christmas, Black History Month, and really any time that you want to share a little love in the classroom.
RESPONSE: I really liked this poetry book. I loved how there were poems for all different situations, not just for romance. Some of the poems even made me want to cry because they are written so simply and really get their point across. I would use this book in my classroom to bring a little humor into love, and to show children that Valentine's Day is not the only time that you should tell someone that you love them.
CRITIQUE: Not all of the poems in this book rhymed, but the ones that did were not predictable. There was a very nice rhythm to each of the poems, and reading them aloud helped me to hear the rhythm and beat. The majority of the poems had an illustration to go along with it, so there was a clear image of what the poem was conveying. However, the ones that did not have an illustration were written with enough detail that I was easily able to picture what was going on in the poem. For example, "Juicy-Fruit Love" was my favorite in the book, and it was not hard at all to picture the boy digging through his pockets to find a piece of gum, only to give it away to the girl when she looked at him. There was insight in this book because some of the poems are about historical figures, including Malcolm X. Learning about the romantic side of Malcolm X helped me to see him as a real person, not just as a member of the Civil Rights Movement. Of course, all of the poems were positive. They portrayed love in all different ways, and it was a nice change of pace from the "typical" love poem collections. Finally, this book could be used for Valentine's Day, Christmas, Black History Month, and really any time that you want to share a little love in the classroom.
RESPONSE: I really liked this poetry book. I loved how there were poems for all different situations, not just for romance. Some of the poems even made me want to cry because they are written so simply and really get their point across. I would use this book in my classroom to bring a little humor into love, and to show children that Valentine's Day is not the only time that you should tell someone that you love them.
January 27, 2010
This book Hopscotch Love is a bunch of likable poems some people may like and it's worth the while for reading.
classroom-books
October 16, 2012Reading Level: 4.1, Guided Reading: R
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews