Classic Poetry: An Illustrated Collection

Candlewick Illustrated Classics

by Paul Howard

"Walker Illustrated Classics" is a new series which brings together some of the best-loved stories ever told, illustrated by some of today's finest artists. These exquisitely designed books, with their magnificent words and glorious pictures, are a pleasure to read - and re-read. The classics have never looked so good!This title includes over eighty of the most memorable poems written in the English language, from William Blake's "The Tyger" to Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky". Selected by Children's Laureate Michael Rosen and accompanied by his lively biographical sketches and notes and Paul Howard's astonishingly varied illustrations, this is indeed a classic collection.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Childrens, Anthologies, Literature, Young Adult

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 1998

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Reviews

[Vera Godley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful collection of poetry specific to English language poets. They are from countries across the World. The book is strikingly illustrated with a rich array of paintings and drawings that the artist developed after studying the poetry, traveling to some of the countries, and trying to put to paints what the authors put in words. A daunting task.

This books is not a young child's book, as the content is more suited for age 10 and up. So while this is published by a primarily children's press (Candlewick Press), it is suitable for children and adults. This will make grand addition to the home library for those who wish to read or study poetry and for those who wish to introduce their children to the words of great poets. A truly nice collection.

The poets in this anthology encompass a timeline from 1564 AD (William Shakespeare's birth) to 2000 AD (Judith Wright's death). There are brief biographies of the poets and paintings of them as well. This provides easy access for children (students) to become acquainted with the poets, aid their research into English literature and the authors of that genre. Provided also is a grand little index in the back of the book. And then there are the delightful lines of poetry themselves.....

The Mock Turtle's Song (Lewis Carroll) p.84
"Will you walk a little faster?"
said a whiting to a snail.
"There's a porpoise close behind us,
and he's treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and
the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle--
will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you,
will you join the dance?...........

O Captain! My Captain! (Walt Whitman) p.76
O Captain! my Captain! our fateful trip is done,
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

This eclectic anthology of poems includes serious, deep thinking thoughts as well as light hearted, jovial. However, true to poetry, there is often loneliness and heartbreak hidden in the lines of the funny or lighthearted.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher to facilitate a review of my honest opinions. I received no compensation.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect blend of classic author’s signature works and less well known. Brief bios and gorgeous illustrations make this the perfect poetry browse.

[Erin Oh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection contains a number of beautiful poems written by many different historical poets/authors from the past, all situated around the globe. Sonnets and writings from famous figures, such as the great playwriter Shakespeare and the dark writer Edgar Allen Poe, are included: "All the World's a Stage" by Shakespeare and "Eldorado" by Edgar Allan Poe. This helps the reader explore the scope of the fine arts and poetry from different eras of time. As for me, my favorite poem was "The Fawn" by Edna St. Vincent. Besides the painting and portrait of the author that was included with the poem, the writing is very rooted in nature and had a fresh atmosphere: "Monstrous and beautiful to human eyes, hard to believe; Hey lay, yet there he lay." Nevertheless, all the poems were great to read because of their detailed accounts despite the short length of them. I recommend this to those who love short stories and admire poets from all over the world.

[Danielle Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another poetry book that fooled me into thinking it was for children, based on the illustrations and size of the book. Many poems included here children would not understand. Heck I didn’t understand them and I’m in my 40s! There is a short section in the back that explains parts of some of the poems, but I needed more and thus had to consult the interwebs. I enjoyed the short bios on the poets.

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been searching for a new poetry book for months that would be great for reading to my kids and perhaps have information about each poem, the authors, and have beautiful illustrations. This is perfect! I also love the selection and that the poet's are listed in order of when they lived.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful selection of poems and illustrations!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Poetry: An Illustrated Collection is a wonderful assortment of poems selected by Michael Rosen with illustrations by Paul Howard. Within the collection is a range of authors from the 16th century to the late 20th century. One of the first things that stood out to me when I opened this book was the amount of information given about the poets. In the pages preceding the poems, Rosen had provided portraits of each author, the years they were alive, and the poem(s) that they had written in this collection. Before each of the author’s sections was also a description of their achievements and what they were like. I appreciated the amount of thought that Rosen had put into it and it gave me the notion that this book was compiled with great care. I enjoyed most of the poems, such as “Skating” by William Wordsworth and the unnamed writings of Emily Dickinson. There were only a few poems, like “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning, that I considered to be a bore, but that’s a given. I have very little complaints of this collection, so my rating of it is 5 out of 5 stars and I would recommend it to anyone of all ages.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like this book because the poetry in it is inspirational .


Clock A Clay
by John Clare (1793-1864)
1
In the cowslips peeps I lye
Hidden from the buzzing fly
While green grass beneath me lies
Pearled wi’ dew like fishes eyes
Here I lye a Clock a clay
Waiting for the time o’day

2
While grassy forests quake surprise
And the wild wind sobs and sighs
My gold home rocks as like to fall
On its pillars green and tall
When the pattering rain drives bye
Clock a Clay keeps warm and dry

3
Day by day and night by night
All the week I hide from sight
In the cowslips peeps I lye
In rain and dew still warm and dry
Day and night and night and day
Red black spotted clock a clay

4
My home it shakes in wind and showers
Pale green pillar top’t wi’ flowers
Bending at the wild wind’s breath
Till I touch the grass beneath
Here still I live lone clock a clay
Watching for the time of day

[Rosie Gearhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, not great. My 11, 13, and 15 year olds were tolerant of it. They liked some of the poems, found some confusing or weird, and didn’t like a few. I agreed with them.

I did like the little side blurbs that gave some author background. It was nice to run into some of our favorite poems! (Tomorrow by Shakespeare, Paul Revere’s Ride, everything Tennyson and Dickinson, O Captain! MyCaptain!, Who Has Seen the Wind, Jabberwocky, Mother to Son)

[Lorie LovesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good collection, the illustrations were good. If you love poetry and are wondering what poets you want to read this book is a good way to do so. Most of the poets had 2 to 3 poems. I would recommend this more for an older reader because some of the poems are about death, slavery, and smugglers. One of my favorite authors is Lewis Carroll and it had very cute illustrations for How Doth the Little Crocodile and Jabberwocky.

[Becker Children · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this collection was a great introduction to many classic poets and poems, and I thought the idea to include a large number of poets and arrange them chronologically was interesting and helpful. I enjoyed re-reading some old familiar poems. Unfortunately, this book did not interest my kids at all yet, but I'm hopeful that just by familiarizing myself or just creating some exposure for them will help them be more open and interested to poetry in the future.

[Child960801 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to the children. Some of the poems where too advanced for them, but I enjoyed reading them and I think it's good for them to start getting familiar with these great works. The poems are arranged by author in order of their birth. I liked the mini biography that started each poet's section. It helped to put the poems into context.

[Faith Neece · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book kind of randomly at a used book store, but I’m so glad I got it! While this book is aimed at young readers, I really valued reading it as an adult! It actually exposed me to a lot of classic poetry I hadn’t read before. The illustrations are really beautiful and help you appreciate the poetry in a new way. It’s a great book for all ages! :)

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not much of a poetry person, but I enjoyed how the editor gathered this collection of poetry in an approachable and nonintimidating way. The poems are organized in a chronological order according to poet, highlighting the most known poets (with short snippets of information on each) from the time of Shakespeare (1564 AD) to Judith Wright (2000 AD).

[Priya · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who is new to reading poetry this book is excellent because it introduces you to a variety classics. Many of the poems describe beautiful imagery, and are followed by detailed pictures. The only reason I gave this four stars is because some of the language in the poems are hard to follow (for beginners).

[PearlDoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silly, Depressing, and Beautiful Poetry are all mixed in here, alongside a bunch of randomness. I read it in one day! If I had to choose my favorite poets that were mentioned in this story, they would have to be Emily Bronte, Emily Dickinson, Hilaire Belloc, Robert Frost, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Judith Wright.

[Adina Caskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect collections of illustrated poetry for my 5th grader and I for English. Read slowly over about 4 months. . .a poem or two each school day was the perfect pace for us. Some we had to read over just because they were so fun and beautifully illustrated.

[Renee Haug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my daughter as part of her 7th grade curriculum. I appreciate the inclusion of poetry in the curriculum because it's not something we would choose on own. This is a lovely collection and we both enjoyed learning a bit about the poets as we read some of their work.

[Liz Bahati · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really expecting to encounter old favorites & discover new poems, but I was kind of disappointed. The only new poet I read that I liked was Hillaire Belloc.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like classic poetry best due its connection with nature, God, slavery to freedom and all the history of overcoming.

[Tiff Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely introduction to a wide variety of poets.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really fun! I liked a lot of the poems, and found there was a good variety of them.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6th grader and I just finished this poetry collection. I think it was a good assortment of poems and the illustrations were beautiful.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very nice collection of poetry with short bios of the authors and wonderful illustrations.

[Scott Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of some of the most famous poems of English-speaking poets.

[Marda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice collection, and the illustrations are lovely.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection with great illustrations. Since I preferred the earlier poetry, in the main, I would have liked more from before the 19th Century. But it has helped me appreciate what poetry is all about.

Liked it.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros: It's a varied collection stylistically and gives a nice overview of some of the major players in English lit. There are very brief bios for each poet placing them in historical context and some nice notes in the back which would be helpful to teachers wishing to use this collection in an elementary class or for the more motivated student wishing to learn more.

Cons: Heavily weighted to the dead white guy poets with a few token women and Langston Hughes. Since it isn't specifically called Classic Poetry of English Speakers it might have been nice to include some classics from the non-English speaking world.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful collection, great to introduce young readers to well-regarded poets (the brief biographies are helpful and interesting) and to their work. As always, the illustrations influenced my regard: they are interesting, varied, simple, and skillful. I enjoyed re-reading these classics as and adult as much as I hope younger readers would enjoy them. They reminded me of the amazing breadth of experience writers share in their work and how enriching it is to read about them in the condensed, well-crafted poetic format.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The text in this book can sometimes be hard to understand, so I would only reccommend this to someone who can understand harder language.

I read a poem called, The Tyger and I thought it was pretty neat. It was weird how tiger was spelled, but after the poem there were 2 pages drawn of a tiger and it had 'tyger! tyger! burning bright under it. So I thought that little extra feature in the book was neat.