[.ca] Kingfisher Book of Children's Poetry (ISBN 0862727847)

Shocking Book of Poems for Children Needs Warning Sign:
Note: I would have given this book zero stars, but the Amazon review form will not print a review without a star rating. In a day and age when violence in schools is a major issue across America, I was shocked by the inclusion of so many poems focusing on themes of death and violence. As a third grade teacher, I was particularly appalled at a poem entitled "The Lesson",written by Roger McGough. The poem tells the story of a teacher teaching a lesson the students will never forget. Indeed, who could forget a poem that has a teacher hacking off fingers and toes, choking students, and taking aim with a gun? The poem goes on to tell of the headmaster's arrival with a grenade in hand. Vividly violent language pervades the poem and left me feeling numb. With so many wonderful poems, old and new, to choose from, it is incomprehensible that Michael Rosen would select such works for this "children's" volume. Another example of the inappropriate selections included in this anthology is "A Case of Murder", by Vernon Scannell. Here, the subject is a nine year old boy's brutal killing of a cat.I actually won a copy of this book in a contest sponsored by Kingfisher Books and Time For Kids Magazine. Thank goodness I previewed this book before adding it my third grade class' poetry collection. I believe the editors at Kingfisher have some explaining to do.

One Star is Too Many:
As an elementary teacher who loves poetry, I am always looking for collections to share with my students. This book is awful. It's full of strange obscure poems about animals getting slaughtered. Here's one of Rosen's "gems" Ravens gnawing men's necks blood spurting in the fierce fray hacked flesh battle madness blades in bodies acts of war heroes felled hounds cut down horses mangled tunics torn the earth drinking spilt blood. I almost think this book is a spoof or a joke, there are so many poems similar to this one in this collection. The previous reviewer is correct--one star is way too much for this piece of offensive, cruel, insensitive, horrible collection.

good challenges for thinking:
The British have done it again! This is a collection for children who have enjoyed nursery rhymes, played with rhyming humor, laughed at Prelutsky and Silverstein and now are ready for more meaty poetry. Students are expected to understand personification, simile, metaphore and ever so much more on standardized tests. Here is a collection that will give them the material in which to find those styles embedded in meaningful thoughts. My fourth graders begin with "Knock at a Star" edited by Kennedy and then use this collection in the spring. I've bought class sets of both of these and the students are well ready to be led into understanding the deeper thoughts and feelings that poets embed in their poetry. Don't sell them short.