An ideal gift book for children and adults, this beautiful keepsake volume is the essential collection of classic poetry. Poetry provides the best introduction to the marvels of the English language. This volume, collected by award-winning author Michael Rosen, presents a glorious selection of classic poetry, chronologically arranged from the seventeenth century to modern day—poems by such celebrated poets as William Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Emily Dickinson, Carl Sandburg, and Langston Hughes— complete with biographical sketches of the poets, information on individual poems, and notes on poetic forms. Paul Howard's full-color illustrations illuminate some of the most brilliant poems of the English-speaking world with stunning breadth and beauty. A book to be treasured, Classic Poetry belongs on every shelf—every child should know these poems and keep this book with them as they grow. In so many classic poetry selections, you'll find old favorites, but no information on the creators themselves. In Michael Rosen's hearty, well-designed, 160-page anthology--with strikingly diverse illustrations by the talented and chameleonic artist Paul Howard--readers will find a portrait and short biography of each poet accompanying his or her work. Not only that but the selections are arranged chronologically, from the 17th century to the modern day. William Shakespeare's "All the World's a Stage" from As You Like It begins the classic collection, then readers are introduced to William Blake, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edward Lear, Emily Dickinson, Lewis Carroll, Langston Hughes, and many, many more. Poet, storyteller, broadcaster, and children's book author Rosen says of his treasury, "There are so many ways to enjoy poems. This book is a way of offering new insights into poems, poets, and the relationships between them. It also offers a springboard to children and adults wanting to find out more and explore the world of poetry." And illustrator Howard should take a bow for his successful efforts to explore different techniques and artwork styles that complement the moods and historical context of each poem so perfectly. We welcome the chance to revisit Lear's "The Jumblies," Longfellow's "Paul Revere's Ride," and other well-loved poems in such a beautiful package. (Ages 9 and older) Grade 5 Up-Thirty-eight poets, from Shakespeare to Judith Wright, are represented in this handsome, chronological collection. Rosen's introduction defines classic poetry very broadly as "poems that have lasted for many years...many people have thought these poems say important things in an exciting and memorable way." Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, and Yeats keep company with Ella Wheeler Wilcox and Australia's Banjo Paterson ("Waltzing Matilda" and "Mulga Bill's Bicycle"). Several selections are by poets who are traditionally included in anthologies for children-Robert Louis Stevenson, Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll, Walter de la Mare. Most of the pieces, however, will be most comprehensible to young adult and adult readers. A generous table of contents offers a complete overview of the anthology with small portraits and titles of the poems for each entry. Entries for each poet include a small portrait heading a sidebar of biographical information and soft paintings of variable size facing one to four poems. There are concluding notes for some of the poems, a page of definitions of poetry terms, and a title and first-line index. Somewhat eclectic in its selection, this collection is an inviting, durable introduction to a broad range of poetry. Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Gr. 6^-8. This handsome edition introduces major poets through works accessible to young people. Each section begins with a portrait of the author and a short summary of his or her life, followed by one or two poems or parts of poems. Each spread includes at least one illustration evocative of the tone of the poetry as well as the times of the poet. Some paintings take up entire spreads, while others appear as small vignettes next to stanzas of verse. Illustrator Paul Howard's gifts are not diminished by the smaller size of some pictures, for some of his best work here is in miniature. The book's only real drawback is that it doesn't always indicate when a particular selection is not the entire work. For instance, a reader meeting Poe's "The Bells" here for the first time would have no way of knowing that this selection is only one stanza of a longer poem. It would have been preferable to include only whole poems or, at least, to note when lines were taken from longer works (as in fact Rosen did in the selections from Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning). This is a small point, however, because few anthologies for this age group include such a fine selection of works from beyond the childhood classics, introduce the poets so vividly, or provide such a ric