The Random House Book of Poetry for Children

It makes the peas taste funny, but it keeps them on the knife. - Anonymous And that is how I managed to search for and find this long lost book of great import for me as a child. This was the beginning of my love of the written word. We had a copy in the van when I was growing up, and I distinctly remember wearing it out, the cover snapping off in my hands. At six or seven, I probably had it half memorized. Like many things of youth, it faded away. Years later, in probably a dream or a stupor, that goofy little couplet about peas and honey occurred to me, and Google fetched it all back for me. All the bright lights are there. I buy a copy of this for every friend of mine who has a child. I've bought something like three dozen now. I keep a stack of three or four on the stairs just in case. If I could put a copy of this into the hands of every kid in the world I would, it is utterly indispensable.

An excellent book, especially for the price! This book would easily selll in a bookstore for $30 or more. The print and illustrations are very well done.

As a middle school reading teacher, I host an annual Poetry Reading Competition open to all 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. For the past several years, this book has been a prize, in addition to plaques for the first and second prize winners. The best review for this book is that the children use it, read it, and often select poems from it for their entry pieces. Even better, perhaps, is that I have had thanks from many parents for awakening an interest in poetry in their children, boys and girls alike. This volume of poetry offers a full range of poems, for short to long, humorous to sublime, and in a wide range of topics. While it is just one of a wide selection of books and poets I offer my students, it is one of the most versatile. Whether teaching rhyme scheme, simile and metaphor, slanted rhyme, figurative language, or stress, this is also an invaluable part of my teaching arsenal.

I so looked forward to the receipt of this book as I was purchasing it for a young friend who is aspiring to be a poet. When I was searching for exactly the right product I looked at many and decided on this copy of The Random House Book of Poetry for Children by Jack Prelutsky. The cover of the book-I purchased the hard copy-is just fun! The figure and the colors are intriguing and actually invite the prospective reader of any age to "come in". The quality of the paper used in the production of the book is excellent so I know this volume will have a long life of repeated turnings of pages. I, of course, read through the book enjoying the poems and noting that the choices were entertaining for all ages. I know if another prospective young poet comes along I will not have to search again---this is the ideal gift. Note: My young friend loves her new book!

Not every poem in this book is good, some are a little bit inappropriate for my child (reference to blood or dying), but none are wildly inappropriate. My kids tolerate them and I enjoy reading them 😄.

I think this is the third time I purchased this volume of poetry. I used this with my students during my 30-plus years of teaching at the elementary school level. It's an excellent general collection of poems for children. This book was often the resource for my one or two poem(s) of the week. With some of the poems, I had the opportunity to provide historical, geographic, and cultural contexts for them, such as "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," by Robert Frost. It doesn't snow where I taught, and I had to explain to the kids about living in snowy places and what a sleigh is, for example.

My granddaughter now grown with a child of her own. Loved this book as a child and carried everywhere. We have been looking for a copy of this book for years. Voila!!! We found it while doing casual perusing. A wonderful book for child that loves poetry

A wonderful gift for children

I would recommend this to primary teachers and children. I have used it for years with groups of children from 5-9 years old. There is always a poem to be found to suit any subject that is chosen. The poetry is enjoyed and easily learnt by the students,

It’s a good book and it’s a must to read it the nature topic was so good

The package came before time, that was wonderful. And when you have that book in your hands it's absolutely wonderful: the pictures, the selection of poems, the covers...it is great!

What great book! We read poems from this “treasure trove”, a few times a week to my 95 year old mom. Being a retired elementary school teacher. she loves hearing these touching, and sometimes comedic poems.

Old Fashioned but Classic family poetry book for all ages.