The
Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry
Edited
by: Bill Martin Jr. with Micheal Sampson
Illustrations
by: Steven Kellogg, Lois Ehlert, Chris Raschka
©2008
Simon & Schuster
171
Pages
This
book is a collection of poetry from famous poets. The poems were collected by
Bill Martin Jr., the author of Chicka Chicka
Boom Boom, and his editor Micheal Sampson. The book was not released until
after Bill Martin Jr.’s death, so the book opens with a foreword from Eric
Carle and a dedication to Martin’s memory. This collection of poems is arranged
into the following categories: Animals, World of Nature, Around the Year,
People and Places, School Time, Me and My Feelings, Family and Home, Food for
Me, Nonsense, and Mother Goose. Some of the most famous authors of poetry are included
in this work. They include: Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Robert Louis
Stevenson, and many more.
The
illustrations are unique to each poem. Some famous illustrators have
contributed to this book to really make the collection come to life. Some of
them include: Steven Kellogg, Lois Ehlert, and Chris Raschka. Some of the
illustrations use watercolor and ink and there are some that use collage. I
would have to say that any medium that an illustrator has ever used is used to
illustrate this collection of poems. The individual art for each poem really
shows just how different each poem is. The illustrations really make this book
interesting and appealing for students.
This
collection of poetry would appeal to students of any elementary age. Some of
the poems are easy to read and comprehend while some are hard to comprehend.
The pictures would definitely help a younger audience comprehend. A teacher
could use these poems when teaching syllables, rhyme, or grammar in Language
Arts. A teacher could also use the Animal category to read a poem to the class
when introducing a new animal to study about in Science. The teacher could also
use a poem in the book to produce a writing topic.
This
book has not won any awards but the editor, Bill Martin Jr., has an award in
his honor given out once a year to an outstanding children’s picture book.
If you would like to know more about the author, click here.
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