ODE TO A BOOK OF POEMS

If you ever happen to glance over to the sidebar, you'll see a spot somewhere in the middle highlighting the kids' favorite books. This month, it's Poetry Speaks to Children by Elise Paschen.

I came across it one day as I was browsing through Amazon, thought it sounded kinda cool and ordered one for a birthday gift and one for ourselves. Well, that was just about the best thing I've done since potty training, wouldn't ya know!

They just adore this book, and what's more...it comes with a CD, too!!! They've listened to that thing non-stop for two weeks straight now.

But it's wonderful, and not at all annoying [well, okay, some of the poems we all vote to skip over 'cause they're just unbelievably boring, but the rest are really great].

But they're poems by authors the likes of William Blake and Lewis Carroll and Ogden Nash. Poems I remember having to memorize in high school and interpret in college. And in some instances, it's even the actual author of the poems who's narrating. And it's just fascinating to see how the kids have reacted to this.

I mean, go ahead and roll your eyes. I know most folks don't give two sh*ts about poetry, but it's just a different form of story telling. It's grown up nursery rhymes and fairy tales. It's condensed adventures and experiences in memorable snippets with musical footprints. And I'm just head over heels in love with the fact that the kids are actually memorizing them, and asking me to help them interpret what's going on, and what does "hither and thither" mean, and "symmetry" and "gyre"? They're painting pictures in their heads of the words they hear, and you can almost see their imaginative world expanding.

Anyway...I'm beyond gushing, I know. But if you want to try something new, we highly recommend this book/CD combo. For any age group. You truly won't be disappointed. And honestly, how many more times can you really listen to "The Wheels on the Bus" before you literally go insane right there at the stoplight?

Click here or on any of the pics above to order your very own copy right this very minute!