The Orchard Book of Poems (Poetry & Folk Tales) Book

As Adrian Mitchell reminds us in her introduction, back in the days "when everyone lived in caves or forests...long before writing was invented" people were making up poems. "They all needed poetry" she goes on to say--"love poems, hate poems, poems to make the crops grow or the rain fall." But along the way poetry got left behind, and these days lots of us live without it. What The Orchard Book aims to do is re-introduce poetry into our verse-deprived lives. "Pick a poem, any poem, and read it to yourself," she urges. "If you like it, try reading it aloud. If it sounds good, learn it by heart. It'll stay in your heart and you can use that poem whenever you need it." By including everyone from Anon to Yeats, including the Beatles, John Clare, Dylan Thomas, Walt Whitman, and lesser knowns like the wonderful Meryn Peake, Mitchell makes it easy for children young and old to track down cherished poems and discover new favourites as well. A smattering of line drawings by the talented Chloe Cheese lends enticing warmth to this most cosy collection. "Poetry is your mind dancing / To the drumbeat of your heart," Mitchell writes. The poems she's chosen more than prove this true. --Martha SilanoRead More