Robert Louis Stevenson: Poetry for Young People

Poetry for Young People

by Robert Louis Stevenson, Frances Schoonmaker (Editor), Lucy Corvino (Illustrator)

"A collection of 32 poems...A short introductory biography...gives an insightful glimpse into his life and how it influenced his poems....illustrations convey the poetic notion of a romantic childhood memory, with pink-cheeked children...Muted colors, rich with warm golden accents among the dominant green tone, are a peaceful accompaniment to the poems."-- School Library Journal . "These poems...are colorfully illustrated and notable for their detailed brushstrokes of gentle colors. They interpret the verse in a style that is fanciful without looking too juvenile for a middle-grade audience. Younger children will find the poems and illustrations to their liking as well."-- Booklist .

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens, School, Nonfiction

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of English literature. He was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling and Vladimir Nabokov.

Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh I do love this series. I love how an effort is made to match the illustrator with the primary vibe of the poems. Most of Stevenson's poems are best for small children, so Corvino's sweet pictures generally work well.

Most of his children's poems are in "A Child's Garden of Verses" which has been published many times, in whole or part. And several of his poems have their very own picture-books.

All of which to say, several if not most of these will be familiar to you. But not all, I'm sure, judging by this fan's experience. And I'm very glad that 'From a Railway Carriage' is included - even if you don't choose to read this book, find that poem and read it aloud; note the rhythm and energy that masterfully brings to life the experience of rushing past those sights.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent selection of poems, with glossaries of less familiar words. Lucy Corvino brings Stevenson's child-centered poems to life with lots of bright, cheerful children, animals, plants, etc.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time to Rise 4⭐
Bed in Summer 4.5⭐
Happy Thought 4⭐
Whole duty of children 4.5⭐
Singing 4⭐
Rain 4⭐
Summer Sun 5⭐
The Swing 4.5⭐
At the Sea-Side 4.5⭐
Visit from the Sea 4.5⭐
Where go the boats? 5⭐
Keepsake Mill 5⭐
Travel 5⭐
The Sun's Travels 4.5⭐
Land of Nod 5⭐
Escape at bedtime 4.5⭐
Young Night-Thought 4⭐
Night and Day 4.5⭐
Foreign Lands 5⭐
My Shadow 5⭐
Autumn Fires 5⭐
Pirate Story 4.5⭐
Little Land 5⭐
The Land of Counterpane 5⭐
Winter-Time 4.5⭐
Windy Nights 4⭐
Nest Eggs 4⭐
The Wind 5⭐
From a Railway Carriage 4.5⭐
A Song of the Road 5⭐
Block City 5⭐
Requiem 5⭐

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joseph-Beth Booksellers had a grownup summer reading program for a gift certificate which looked like a bingo sheet, where each space represented a different category or genre. Participants had to complete a "bingo" set of books to get the gift certificate. I hadn't even been aware of the program when my husband brought home a set of these cards. In looking back over my summer's readings on Goodreads, I found that I already, naturally almost had several bingos without even trying to find books which suited their categories. Hmm. I hadn't realized I was reading so much variety, but it's nice to know that I do read from a wider range of genres than I thought.

Anyway, in order to complete the card easily, I either had to read a book from a genre I'd not read before, or read a book of poetry. I doubt there's very many genres that I've not read before that I'm willing to read, so I went with poetry.

I probably should've chosen a grownup book of poetry, but while I like poetry, and there even have been some authors I'd been interested in reading more from, I can't imagine absorbing a whole book of it in a meaningful manner by summer's end. I like to think over things more than just fly through them.

This book, then, is a cop-out, and my only excuse is all those books of all those other categories I've already read that don't quite line up into a "bingo." My several almost-Bingos, extra books I wouldn't have had to read if I were just going for a win of a single Bingo.

I chose this book, partly because I already had it on hand, and partly because I was curious about the poem from my own childhood I'd heard repeated recently:

"The world is so full of a number of things,
I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."

I had thought there was more to that poem, but I couldn't remember it, and so I dug it out to reminiscence a little. I found that, at least in this book, that's all to that particular poem. An online search confirmed it.

I ended up reading this book to my youngest child, who is more than fully capable of reading it, but seemed to want to curl up next to me and reminiscence with me a little.

If you read this book, read it aloud, dramatically, as most poems were meant to be read aloud.

There were so many of my childhood favorites

"I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see ..."

I and one of my sisters used to have that one memorized.

And I loved the Land of Counterpane, and how RLS turned his frequent childhood illnesses into something playful and good like this, to entertain other little children. I also loved that RLS dedicated "A Child's Garden of Verses" to the nurse that took care of him during his illnesses.

I loved Block City, too.

My youngest and I talked about Windy Nights, and whether the horseman the child heard was 1) his own heartbeat, my child's idea, or 2) wind blowing the branches against the house, my idea. I'd never thought of the heartbeat idea, but it fits too.

Requiem is just sad; RLS wrote it for himself:

"Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.

"This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be,
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill."

Another reviewer mentioned the problem word in the poem "Travel." It is truly an offensive word now, but there was an era when it wasn't, necessarily. It could've been used that way, but it could also have been just descriptive. The reviewer who mentioned it was a teacher who planned to just skip that poem with her students. Honestly, I'd probably do the same with any large group of kids. There's so many other good poems in here to choose from without opening that can of worms. My own kids are a different matter. I've read it to them because we have more time to discuss those sorts of issues.

[Sophia Tarullo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry for Young People was a good book. Personally, I am not the biggest fan of poetry, but I felt this book had something for every child. Intended for younger people, it is a great book to have in the classroom. The book has poems about days at the beach, shadows, the countryside, and so much more. The illustrations accompany the poems perfectly. They aid in the story and allow you to get an image of what the author is picturing. With the illustrators varying in size, as well as the length in poems, it kept me interested to see what would be next. I would recommend this book of poems to grades 1-4 or to anyone looking for an introductory poetry book.

[Andrea Lussier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Poetry
Grade: 1-5
Star Rating: 4 stars
Unique Feature: Viewpoint of a child

I'm not a big poetry person, but I really enjoyed this read and how it was in the perspective of children. The book covers a lot of imaginary worlds that many children can relate to making it enjoyable for lots of age groups. I also liked how in the beginning of the book, an introduction introducing Robert Louis Stevenson was put. I've heard his name but didn't know much about him so this was helpful to me. Overall, a very enjoyable poetry book for children!

[Natalie Guido · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awards the book has received: This book has not received any awards.
Appropriate grade level(s): 1st- 3rd grade
Original summary: Stevenson has a wonderful and creative array of poems which captivates young readers.
Original review: Each of Stevenson's poem creates a unique world for the reader. The pictures help to create the images described in the poem beautifully.
1-2 possible in-class uses: Introduce poetry, while focusing on finding rhymes. This could go further and be used to introduce the different types of rhymes a poet may use when creating his prose.

[Wes Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should be clear on one point: something is wrong with me as concerns the world of poetry. That is to say, based on what other poetically-minded people enjoy and what I enjoy, something must be off in my lyrical taste buds. I don't like what I'm supposed to like, it seems; and I love what is deemed unimpressive to the modern poet. Perhaps that is why I enjoyed reading this book. Maybe I'm a child poet: low-intelligence, high-heart. I don't know. What I do know is that Stevenson brought me the magic in this collection of verses, and what can I say, it worked for me.

[Tandava Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so third one of this series I've read, and this one finally seems to have a coherence to it, in that most of the poems were deliberately written for children and so fit more naturally into a picture book format. So it gets points for doing what it sets out to do. That said, most of the poems are sort of too much written for children, and I'm not terribly fond of them, though the illustrations are pretty good. I particularly liked the two-page spread for "Travel."

[Noelani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I get why this author is on so many book lists for young readers. Stevenson's poems are beautifully written and imaginative. His illustrator did an excellent job bringing Stevenson's poems to life to captivate young minds.

[Dawn]

A wonderful book, immensely enjoyed !

[Lisa DiG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply loved reading this book to my children. The illustrations are beautiful and the selections of poetry are delightful.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good selection, but marginal pictures. Any of the "A Child's Garden of Verses" editions are better in my opinion (especially illustrations).

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

1st-4th grade

I LOVED this one. I really am unfamiliar with poetry, though of course I'd heard the name Robert Louis Stevenson before, and knew he was a poet, though I'm now surprised to find that he wrote Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which I'm embarrassed that I didn't already know. I really liked the information on Stevenson's life in the beginning of the book. I'm happy to find out that this is part of a series of Poetry for Young People, by many very famous authors, and I hope to track down a few more.

These are a great introduction to some more serious and less silly poems. They are about a child's every day life, from being sick in bed, to noticing a shadow, to having to go to bed when it's still daylight in the summer. There is a lot of detail paid to things that children really notice and pay attention to. One thing I really like about this particular book is that at the end of each poem, there is a small glossary of unfamiliar words. Some of the words are rare words that a child simply may not know yet, such as "hue" and others are rare because they are no longer really in use, such as the word "counterpane" for bedspread.

These poems would be great simply for reading for enjoyment, slipped into the day when there are a few minutes during transitions, or to get a child's brain starting to focus on the task ahead.

One wee little problem I have is some of the references to people of a different race are slightly problematic, though I only see it in one poem. (Travel) I'd probably just skip that one, unless I felt my students were ready for a discussion on race and the historic ideas about race.

[Jessica Tonkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry, Grade Level 4-6
This was a great collection of Poetry for children. I thought all of the poems were very nicely done. I think the compilation might be overwhelming for young readers though. It took me probably 20 minutes to read through it. I don't realistically see a child sitting there that long. If there were maybe half the amount of poems it would've been better, but these are all wonderful. I appreciated the Introduction/Biography of Robert Louis Stevenson. I learned a lot about his very short life. "The Land of Counterpane" was my favorite in the collection.

[Erica Johnson]

The book is a collection of 32 poems by Robert Louis Stevenson. Most of these poems have come from one of Stevenson's popular poetry books called A Child's Garden of Verses. Most of the poems are geared toward small children and reflect upon Robert Stevenson's childhood. Prior to reading this poetry book I had read Travel along with Night and Day. All of the illustrations in this poetry book are colored with warm colors such as browns and greens. All of the children have smiles and rosy cheeks. Most of the illustrations are very simple images with lots of detail and color. They look as if they have been done in colored pencil. The illustrations drew me into the book and made me want to read the poems. I think that young children would enjoy this book because the illustrations contain small happy kids. Most of the poems had a rhyming scheme of A A B B or A B A B. Poems with those to rhyming schemes are easy to follow and are almost able to be sang with a melody.

[Lauren Derosa]

Poetry for young people: Robert Louis Stevenson is a good book for children. This book shows many different imaginary worlds that many children can relate too. I enjoyed reading this book and being able to go back into the imaginary world of a child. It is hard for adults to go back but I believe that this book makes sense to a child and an adult. I liked how the setup of the words is different on every page. The pictures on each page really follow what the words are saying. I found it helpful that at the bottom of the poem it gives you words that you might not know. It will also help for children because they will be able to learn new words. Throughout this book it has many different styles of bordering, some of it is all the way off the page where others is just in a little section. I did notice that the words are mostly in a paragraph form. This book is a wonderful book for children.

[Marjorie Estavillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was in fifth grade, that is when I was really introduced to poetry. I had to start writing my own and I got all my inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson. My teacher had all of the Poems for Young People books, and my favorite was Robert Louis Stevenson. I love all of his poems, I liked how they were short, sweet and too the point. As a fifth grader I was able to understand the meaning of each poem! As a fifth grader poetry was hard for me and Robert Louis Stevenson made it a lot easier to understand. My favorite poem in the book is The Land of Counterpane, because I love the story and the picture! I really liked how the pictures on the pages applied to more than one poem. And each poem on the page had a common theme or detail. I thought that this book was put together really well and has a wonderful flow of his work.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lOVED this book and can't wait to try more in this series. Love the biography at the beginning and the illustrations included with each poem. Also love that definitions of uncommon words are given right on the page. GREAT POETRY BOOK FOR CHILDREN!

[Cws]

J821.8Ste

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good selection of poems
and information about the poems explaining them to children

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good selection of poems
and information about the poems explaining them to children
i love the way this series presents the poems with beautiful pictures and explianations

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated edition of Poetry for Young People featuring poems from Robert Louis Stevenson. Many of the poems included are from the famous 'A Child's Garden of Verses.' The introduction gives readers insight into Stevenson's life, family history & motivations for writing. His poems are filled with images of nature, the sea, and childhood. Stevenson was a dreamer who wrote about what made him happiest, and his poems would make a delightful addition to any library.

[Alexandrea Howard]

I really love this Robert Louis Stevenson and I can not remember how, but I am actually related to him. His poems are so good and these ones for children I think they will love.
I would keep this in my library and suggest it to children who like poetry. I might even read some odf his poems out loud to my students.
This is a poetry book/picture book.
Originally published in 2000.