Shades of Green

by Anne Harvey (Compiler)

A collection of poems that explore all the different shades of green teaches young readers an appreciation for nature and includes poems of myth and folklore.

Genres: Poetry

192 pages, Library Binding

First published May 1, 1992

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A poetry book that I imagine is aimed at young to middle grade children. The theme is 'green' - so, nature, the environment and man's effect on it and insects of this colour.
I borrowed the audiobook from listening books. I see on Goodreads it says the poems are beautifully illustrated, but I can't comment on that due to the listening format. Overall, it was OK and contained poems I hadn't come across before, but none of the poems really stood out or appealed to me.

[Nicole Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels so old fashioned, getting out a hardback poetry book at home to read just for pleasure. But poems have better mileage than prose, often, with much less commitment. This book was a gift from a dear friend. The simplicity of the theme -- green things in nature -- and the wholesomeness of the poetry selection and soft pencil sketch illustrations were wonderful. Between books I love picking up something like this or a dense magazine with lots of articles.

Here I'd like to share some of my favorite excerpts:

We with our quick dividing eyes
measure, distinguish and are gone.
The forest burns, the tree-frog dies,
yet one is all and all are one.
--Judith Wright

Progress
The country is getting so terribly near,
I think I should faint if I happened to meet
A man with a load of hay:
You never see ricks in a rickyard now;
They turn on a switch when they milk a cow;
They'll get it so smart, one day,
There won't be a spot
In the world we've got
For a bird or a boy to play.
--Reginald Arkell

The sky was like a blue nest with white feathers
And the sun was the mother bird keeping it warm.
That's what my song said: though it hadn't any words.
--Katherine Mansfield, from When I was a Bird

...Words, like you, like me
annihilated in
this one syllable, green.
Brian Lee, from Green

If I keep a green bough in my heart,
the singing bird will come.
--Anon

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely collection of poetry celebrating, you guessed it, green.