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Summary: The wonder of childhood
Review: Poems are perfectly chosen words which are a pleasure to read. Writing them is a true art and Robert Louis Stevenson is able to perfect this art by remembering his own childhood. These poems were written between 1881 and 1884. This is a selection from the most popular collection of poems about childhood in the English language. Each poem is accompanied by evocative paintings, which are as vibrant as the words in each poem. The paintings are impressions of color and light and show children and a few animals on beautiful canvases of cities, gardens, meadows and seas. The poems are about flying kites, cows which give cream to enjoy with apple-tart, flowers where fairies live, children sitting in the warm sun, children on a swing, children playing with toy boats and children playing in gardens who will never grow up as they are frozen in time in the beautiful pictures. Here is an example of part of the first poem in the book. THE WIND I saw you toss the kites on high And blow the birds about the sky; And all around I heard you pass, Like ladies skirts across the grass- What lovely poems to share with a child. Highly recommended!
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Summary: Excellent poetry for children
Review: Stevenson describes children's points of view very carefully and thouroughly...this book will make you smile. Though it is missing some of his best works, notice how, on the cover, it says "CHILDREN'S VERSES" OK?
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Summary: This is a must have book for the Children's library.
Review: Stevenson is wonderful and the children's rhymes in this compilation are timeless. This should be on every parent's and grandparent's shelf
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Summary: A Child's Garden of Verses
Review: Stevenson originally published these poems in 1885. The words and ideas are old-fashioned and a little dry. This book makes a worthwhile companion to others in a poetry study. Contains excellent color illustrations and will be of interest to teachers and students from K through the 4th grade.
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Summary: Beautifully done, but not complete
Review: This is a very lovely edition of Stevenson's "A Child's Garden of Verses." The paintings illustrating each poem are well chosen and quite beautiful. The print quality is also excellent. However, I was a little disappointed to see this selection not include some of my favorite poems from Stevenson's work, most notably "The Pleasant Land of Counterpane." What is included is exceptionally well done, but this is not the complete Garden of Verses.
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Summary: Beautifully done, but not complete
Review: This is a very lovely edition of Stevenson's "A Child's Garden of Verses." The paintings illustrating each poem are well chosen and quite beautiful. The print quality is also excellent. However, I was a little disappointed to see this selection not include some of my favorite poems from Stevenson's work, most notably "The Pleasant Land of Counterpane." What is included is exceptionally well done, but this is not the complete Garden of Verses.
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Summary: Beautiful edition from Caldecott Honor artist Diane Goode
Review: This lush new edition of the classic book features over seventy full-color and black-and-white images from Caldecott Honor artist Diane Goode. A January 1999 article in Book Links magazine entitled "Classic Books to Keep Sharing" praised this edition: "'You may see, if you look / Through the windows of this book / Another child, far, far away.' Although far away, Stevenson's words in this beautiful new edition continue to teach us a century after the book's first publication in 1885. Read 'My Shadow,' 'The Swing,' or 'Block City' and discover that child, his secrets, and treasures, all over again." This celebration of the wonders of childhood is the perfect way for parents and children to explore together the warmth and humor of the first years.
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Summary: Heirloom Edition of a Venerable Classic.
Review: This review is of the Chronicle Books edition (ISBN 0877016089). First published in 1885, Stevenson's marvellous collection of children's poetry has never gone out of print, and remains near the top of numerous "best book's for childen" lists. For example, Maurice Sendak, when asked to list books that he thought every child should have the opportunity to read, named this collection first. Harold Bloom, renowned literary critic (he has received more major awards from his peers than any other) and author of the thought-provoking and controversial "The Western Canon", included ACGoV in the list he furnished in response to an interviewer's request for a "Western Canon, Jr". Among the homeschooling set, everyone from "Unschoolers" to "Classical Christian Educators" recommend it.(It"s on the Classical Christian Support Loop's "1000 Good Books List"). The Chronical Books edition, containing all 64 of the poems that appeared in the original 1885 edition, is lavishly illustrated with more than a hundred pictures, many of them full page, by several of the most distinguished children's book illustrators of the late 19th and early 20th century. The book is well laid out, with a pleasing juxtaposition of art and text, and printed on high-quality paper. It was named one of the "Top Ten Picturebooks of the Year" by Redbook, was an American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists" in 1989, and was given a starred review in Booklist. Stevenson perfectly captures the child's world of sunshine, stars, dreams, toy boats, swings, apple tarts, fairies, flowers, and far-away places in simple, evocative language which remains just as accessable for today's children as it was for their grandparents. And I can think of only one poem that might offend modern "Politically Correct" sensibilities: "Foreign Children", wherein the speaker imagines asking various nationalities' children "O! don't you wish that you were me!" I guess the historical and socio-cultural context of this poem could be discussed with your child if you were so inclined. In short, this venerated work, and especially this glorious Chronical Books edition of it, belongs in every child's library. No other volume of children's poetry has been so well loved by so many generations. ...
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Summary: The Child's Garden: Sothing words for a child
Review: When I was younger, well 5 actually, I had the chicken pox. This was one of my mom's favorite books. The words in the poetry just soothed me. It seemed like the author, Robert Louis Stevenson, knew exactly what I was going through. You can't forget about the little toy soldiers (a poem) at your feet because when you are sick for days, you can imagine all kinds of things in your mind. The curtains billow like sails, the bedpost is your anchor. I sat there in bed and just floated away with the fun of having someone to share my illness. It seemed like a had a friend right there with me. I loved the pictures too. The little kids are old fashioned and it made me laugh because the boys wore silly clothes, but they fit the time period, my mom said. I love this book and keep it by my bed when I need to be relaxed. Hayley Cohen
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