A wonderful way to encourage children’s enjoyment of reading and being read to is to share poetry with them from an early age. My mother and I loved to recite poetry to and with each other, and we shared poetry together until her last days. In the last couple of years of her life, one of the books we turned to most often was this anthology, which has something for everyone.
Title: Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies
Compiled by: Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton
(Yes, that’s Julie & Emma on the cover)
Illustrator: James McMullan
Publisher: New York: Little, Brown & Co., 2009
Genre: Poetry anthology
Audience Age: Birth to death
Theme: (Based on the sections in the book) Nature, Optimism, Growing Up, Bedtime, Animals, The Sea, Laughing, Leisure, The Wonderful World
Synopsis: A collection of poems to be read silently or aloud, alone or with others.
Activities/Resources: Teacher Guide from the Julie Andrews Collection website.
Note: The book includes a CD of some of the poems, read by Julie and Emma. When I donated a copy of this book to the children’s unit in a local rehab hospital, the administrator told me that books with CDs are particularly appreciated there, as children can listen to the CD while looking at the pictures, and thus be distracted from their sometimes painful or tedious treatments. This was a bonus I hadn’t foreseen, and for which I was grateful.
Availability: Hardcover with CD of some of the poems, read by Julie and Emma, readily available.
Audiobook of most of the poems, read by Julie and Emma, available through iTunes.
P.S. Don’t forget the giveaway for two copies of Emma’s book, Raising Bookworms! Details are on this post.
I have the audiobook with all the poems on, bought through AUDIBLE, and it stays on my iPod always. I also have a hard copy and it is a book I have given away several times now. It is magical.
I, too, have the audiobook on my iPod (through iTunes). I have blogged many times about how much this book means to me, as you well know. it is, indeed, magical. Thank you, Joanna!
As someone who substitute teaches I see first hand how interested elementary school children are in reading. I feel like I’m on stage when I read them a book – they are so quiet and interested I’m amazed – because some like to cut construction paper rather than do math! Reading, stories, gets them interested in using their own imagination and what pictures they have in their own minds. Giving them positive experiences around reading and writing at a young age hooks them in for life!
Thanks, Kathy. I’d love to see/hear their reactions to the poetry in this book, as well.
(Um, I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I’d rather cut construction paper than do math, too! 😉 )
Love and have this book to with the cd. I love playing the CD when home alone. It is magical!
It is indeed. I have the book, the CD and have it in my Macbook and IPod from iTunes as well! I can’t get enough of these poems, especially read by Julie and Emma.
That looks like a great book. We’re recently become fans of audiobooks here 🙂 My kids listen to them at night while going to sleep.
Listening to audiobooks while going to sleep is such a good idea. I used to do that as a child, although fifty years ago they weren’t yet called audiobooks! I had several records with stories on them, like a condensed version of Black Beauty, as well as some fairy tales like The Selfish Giant, and I loved to listen to them while I went to sleep.