As an American kid, I knew Ted Hughes only from his superb children’s story The Iron Man (later animated by Brad Bird as The Iron Giant). I loved that book, but I was only vaguely aware that Hughes was also a poet, a great poet. Later, his work for adults captivated me. And soon I discovered his poems for children (or written “within hearing” of children). Moon-Whales is my favorite of his many collections, and I return to this otherworldly book again and again. These poems have sorcerous, incantatory, transformational power. I recently wrote the first part of an essay about speech sounds and rhyme in Hughes’s children’s poetry.

P.S. Don’t miss Julie Danielson’s interview with J. Patrick Lewis about his laureateship at Kirkus Reviews.

As a suburban kid growing up in New England in the 1970s and 1980s, I thought of this book, first published in 1956, as a packet of letters from an exotic land (called “Chicago”) when I first discovered it. Yet its rhythms and repetitions have stayed with me. And in “Mexie and Bridie,” I found some of my favorite lines: “It’s out within the weather, / Beneath the clouds and sun. / And pausing ants have peeked upon, / As birds and God have done.” 

I would recommend this anthology to anyone over age 12 who wants to write (or simply read) great poetry. Heaney and Hughes make some surprising choices that might not suit every taste, but the poems range across multiple centuries and aesthetics. Its companion book, The School Bag, is also excellent.

P.S. Two great links that came my way today:

• Joyce Sidman talks about why she writes poetry at School Library Journal
• Betsy Franco talks about poetry packing a punch in the world of teen acting
• Plus: Greg Pincus features me at 30 Poets/30 Days (had to throw that in!)

Helen Frost is one of the few authors who truly deserves the title “verse novelist.” Crossing Stones is narrative poetry, and poetic storytelling, that rises to an enviably high level. From the vivid and finely nuanced voices of her free verse to the elegant structure of her cupped-hand sonnets, Frost delivers heartfelt historical fiction that speaks to teenagers and adults alike.  

In real life, I’m quite a coward when it comes to scary stuff. But in books, I’ve long been a lurker in the darker places. I was two when Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep by Prelutsky and Lobel arrived, so too young to enjoy it new. At six, I shivered as my school librarian read aloud this bold book of bad dreams.

Without a doubt, this is my favorite collection of children’s poetry of all time. I love this book for every possible reason: its careful concision, its recombinant rhymes, its ordinary-meets-extraordinary observations. And Natalie Babbitt’s pen-and-ink pictures are the perfect complement to Valerie Worth’s poems.

As we head into April, National Poetry Month in the USA, I want to recognize some recent and upcoming efforts spearheaded by our PACYA members:

• Congratulations to Ed DeCaria and all the participants in the first March Poetry Madness! The Final Four features two pairings: Susan Blackaby vs. Stephen W. Cahill; and Debbie LaCroix vs. Greg Pincus.
• Congratulations also to Sylvia Vardell who has released a phenomenal new book, The Poetry Teacher’s Book of Lists.
• Sylvia and her students will launch the 5Q Poet Interview Series for April: 30 Poets/30 Days starting tomorrow.
• Greg Pincus will offer his own 30 Poets/30 Days feature, now in its fourth year.
• Jama Rattigan shares a wealth of other links for National Poetry Month.
• Renée LaTulippe has invited 11 poets to make videos of themselves reading one of their own poems. These will appear Mondays, Fridays, and some Wednesdays throughout April, and include written interviews with each poet.
• Here at the Poetry at Play blog, I will feature 30 poetry books that I will carry in my memory and on my bookshelves for the rest of my life.
• Please comment here or email stevenwithrow(at)gmail(dot)com with other exciting April features.
  • Steven Withrow, PACYA founder

After reading the sad news about the passing of poet Adrienne Rich, I was gladdened by watching Kenn Nesbitt’s lively vidcast interview with poet and performer Eric Ode at Poetry4kids.com. Click here to watch and hear their conversation!

Kate Hosford continues her excellent series of interviews on children’s poetry at the Cynsations blog with a wonderfully in-depth conversation with poet Laura Purdie Salas. Lots of great information and insight for everyone!

Three links of particular interest to me today:

• Carol Rumens’s Poem of the Week: “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod” by Eugene Field
• In Defense of Performance Poetry
• 10 Questions for J. Patrick Lewis | TIME For Kids

In other news, my posting pace has slowed because of an especially busy spring, but PACYA is still going strong. I welcome your ideas for contributions: reviews, interviews, essays, etc. Please email me at stevenwithrow(at)gmail(dot)com.