Module 4: Here's a little poem: A very first book of poetry

Yolen, Jane and Andrew Fusek Peters. 2007. Here’s a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry.. Illus by Polly Dunbar. Candlewick: Cambridge, MA. ISBN 978-0-7636-3141-3.

This charming anthology of poems for the youngest children radiates joy and simplicity. All of the poems are centered on topics that young children can relate. Time for Bed, something children avoid, and Who Lives in My House?, the first people a child learns to interact with, are two subcategories of poems within the collection. In Mum is Having a Baby, a young child tries to understand why his mother is having a baby: /What’s she want another one for: / WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH ME!? Although every poem does not follow a strict rhyme scheme, each poem has a cadence and rhythm that will appeal to young children. Each poem is accompanied by a brilliant watercolor illustration. These illustrations will assist in the interpretation of these poems. The index of poems and poets will simplify the task of finding that perfect poem for a specific situation. Readers, young and old, will fall in love with poetry after reading the true to life rhythms.