Author Description

Poetry has been here from the beginning. It is the vehicle we board that will take us to faraway lands, or to simply make us feel good, or to express the best and the worst that is in us. Yet it is much more for the child. Poetry allows the child to experience the very magic of words. Even when a child does not understand those words, when he is exposed to the sound and rhythm of language, he becomes sensitive to even the smallest sounds of speech. It becomes the foundation that builds for him a genuine love of reading. But there are other elements found in poetry that contribute to the magic. One of them is metaphor. Here is a book of poetry that is bursting with the exchange of one thing for another; and like two complementary colors placed side by side, this book sings. Examples: "The sun is a yellow lollipop! The moon is an orange slice!" from the poem Dreaming In The Land Of Nice, and "Spring put on her bonnet. Miss Lady Bug came to town!" from the poem Spring Put On Her Bonnet, and lastly, "The raccoon wouldn't go to sleep. His coat was in the field." taken from the poem Autumn Magic-- they all show the resemblance of one thing to another in a most delightful way. Another important element needed to engage a child is imagination. Every normal child comes fully equipped with an imagination to one degree or another. It is the poet's job to unlock that imagination and set it free. Here is a book where the imagination can soar to great heights. I Love To Chase My Shadow comes alive as the shadow takes on a life of its own and as the boy goes after him in the poem. Kindness went out to play all on a summer's day. This poem presents kindness as the friend we all should be. I the tooth fairy am watching your care. Here the Tooth Fairy is presented alive and responsive and children respond in kind. They love it. Their imagination is fueled. They are fired up. In the poem The Kite, the kite is not some static feature. It is alive. It speaks. It tells the child exactly