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Poems for the Very Young
Illustrated by Bob Graham
Poems for the Very Young is a wonderfully varied collection of poems, chosen by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Bob Graham. Its contents range from the hilariously funny to the thought-provoking, from playground rhymes and nonsense verse to poems by favourite writers, classic and modern.
Imaginative and entertaining, this is an inspiring first poetry anthology for children and grown-ups to share.
Poems for the Very Young is a wonderfully varied collection of poems, chosen by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Bob Graham. Its contents range from the hilariously funny to the thought-provoking, from playground rhymes and nonsense verse to poems by favourite writers, classic and modern.
Imaginative and entertaining, this is an inspiring first poetry anthology for children and grown-ups to share.
77 pages, Hardcover
First published September 30, 1993
About the author
Michael Rosen
502 books485 followersMichael Rosen, a recent British Children’s Laureate, has written many acclaimed books for children, including WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, and I’M NUMBER ONE and THIS IS OUR HOUSE, both illustrated by Bob Graham. Michael Rosen lives in London.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
December 21, 2012
‘Poems for the very young’, selected by Michael Rosen, is a collection of a variety of poems, written in many different styles and based on a range of different topics. The collection contains nursery rhymes and nonsense poetry, as well as humorous and inspirational poetry by a range of poets. There is a poem for every child in this book, with topics including family, friends, animals, transport, routines and games.
This collection is extremely enjoyable and teaches children that poetry comes in many forms and can be written about almost anything. Not alone is the collection bright and colourful, there is an image, or series of images, to accompany each poem which helps with children’s understanding of what the poem is about.
I would recommend this book for children up to 8 years of age. While very young children would benefit from the poems being read aloud to them by a teacher, children in Year 2 and Year 3 would enjoy reading this collection for themselves.
This collection is extremely enjoyable and teaches children that poetry comes in many forms and can be written about almost anything. Not alone is the collection bright and colourful, there is an image, or series of images, to accompany each poem which helps with children’s understanding of what the poem is about.
I would recommend this book for children up to 8 years of age. While very young children would benefit from the poems being read aloud to them by a teacher, children in Year 2 and Year 3 would enjoy reading this collection for themselves.
August 26, 2010
Some are Anon. Some are traditional. Some are by big people. This, my favourite, is by Ki Ellwood-Friery - Age 8.
The moon out
There.
The sun out
There.
The world out
There.
The whole galaxy out
There
and me stuck in my bedroom.
The moon out
There.
The sun out
There.
The world out
There.
The whole galaxy out
There
and me stuck in my bedroom.
August 27, 2012
This book compiles a range of poetry for children of all ages ranging from themes such as difficulties in getting dressed, to memories of childhood games, to the completely and utterly nonsensical rhymes such as Ping-Pong: an onomatopoeia poem depicting the physical interaction between four playful canines in a park until a much larger dog intervenes and scares the brood off.
Michael Rosen’s selection of poems keeps the reader entertained for hours. Some of the poems are not rhythmical at all, which for a young reader negates the idea of the book being solely about poems. This then opens up the child's mind to all possibilities and interpretations of various texts, poetic or not. I for one was fascinated with the concept and immediately I begun attempting my own versions of poems.
I would utilise this book during a KS2 English lesson to encourage children to write their own poems based on a topic of interest, for example; poems related to the highly televised events of the London 2012 Olympics. This would not only encourage children’s English language skills but would also make children aware of what is taking place in the media at present, subsequently encouraging them to become more active.
‘Poems for the very young’ is not a book just for the very young as the title implies, but for people who are young at heart!!!
Michael Rosen’s selection of poems keeps the reader entertained for hours. Some of the poems are not rhythmical at all, which for a young reader negates the idea of the book being solely about poems. This then opens up the child's mind to all possibilities and interpretations of various texts, poetic or not. I for one was fascinated with the concept and immediately I begun attempting my own versions of poems.
I would utilise this book during a KS2 English lesson to encourage children to write their own poems based on a topic of interest, for example; poems related to the highly televised events of the London 2012 Olympics. This would not only encourage children’s English language skills but would also make children aware of what is taking place in the media at present, subsequently encouraging them to become more active.
‘Poems for the very young’ is not a book just for the very young as the title implies, but for people who are young at heart!!!
January 20, 2013
Wider reading focus (book 11): poetry
No book recommendation list would be complete without mentioning Michael Rosen and the key role he has played in making poetry fun and accessible to all. His style could be described as zany, back to front, rhythmic, inside out, real, highly addictive, but boring-never! In Poems for the Very Young Michael Rosen pays tribute to some of his favourite poets for children in the 3-6 age range. This book contains a beautiful selection of poems dealing with everyday life from waking up, the noisy dustbin man, to others such as the mundane task of getting ready for school and visiting the barber. The poems have been carefully selected to appeal to the younger audience focusing on sounds, tones and rhythms. The subjects of these poems deal with everyday life events which children encounter, meaning they can relate to the material quite easily. A great book to use as a starter to read aloud in class and as a group recital in keystage 1.
No book recommendation list would be complete without mentioning Michael Rosen and the key role he has played in making poetry fun and accessible to all. His style could be described as zany, back to front, rhythmic, inside out, real, highly addictive, but boring-never! In Poems for the Very Young Michael Rosen pays tribute to some of his favourite poets for children in the 3-6 age range. This book contains a beautiful selection of poems dealing with everyday life from waking up, the noisy dustbin man, to others such as the mundane task of getting ready for school and visiting the barber. The poems have been carefully selected to appeal to the younger audience focusing on sounds, tones and rhythms. The subjects of these poems deal with everyday life events which children encounter, meaning they can relate to the material quite easily. A great book to use as a starter to read aloud in class and as a group recital in keystage 1.
November 18, 2013
This book is an anthology of poems. It is full of various types of poems which are both funny and thoughtful. There are a wide range of poems which meet almost every aspect of poetry which makes this book a brilliant introduction into the poetry topic in literacy for year two children.
The images in this book enable the reader to visualize the story being told within the poem.
This book is also a good independent reader for children, especially those that have difficulties reading for longer periods. However, some of the words or language used may need explaining bu an adult.
I would definitely recommend this book to any teacher as a resource for their literacy lessons.
The images in this book enable the reader to visualize the story being told within the poem.
This book is also a good independent reader for children, especially those that have difficulties reading for longer periods. However, some of the words or language used may need explaining bu an adult.
I would definitely recommend this book to any teacher as a resource for their literacy lessons.
April 30, 2018
In honor of National Poetry Month, a special reading was held at the library in April. My friend, Maureen and her little dog Roxy stopped in to read these poems aloud. There are traditional verses, nonsense rhymes, and poems by Jack Prelutsky, Stevie Smith, A.A. Milne, Eve Merriam, Margaret Mahy, Michael Rosen, and many more in this collection. Some poems are even authored by children.
One anonymous poem, “Man Fat,” was a favorite of the listeners. The illustrations (by, Bob Graham) contribute greatly to each poem’s presentation. For instance, Man fat / Top hat / Fell flat/ Squashed hat … showed a rather large man lying across the bottom of a two-page spread. Next to the flat-on-his-back man was a flat-as-a-pancake hat. It is the sound of words, rhyming and repeating, that makes them so appealing to listeners and readers.
Maureen even discovered a poem that she uses all the time on her husband, Tom. And she didn’t even know it was a poem! “Go to bed Tom,” is in fact an English nursery rhyme. As for Maureen, she uses this phrase fairly often when Tom falls asleep in front of the TV at night. She used a loud, annoyed tone of voice when reading this poem. With hilarious hind-sight, we later discovered that this rhyme has a very sweet melody.
Roxy enjoyed all kinds of attention from the children at her debut poetry reading. She brought along “magic rocks” (crystals) to give everyone who attended the event. This collection, although targeting the very young, is fun for adults too. Especially when reading aloud with children!
One anonymous poem, “Man Fat,” was a favorite of the listeners. The illustrations (by, Bob Graham) contribute greatly to each poem’s presentation. For instance, Man fat / Top hat / Fell flat/ Squashed hat … showed a rather large man lying across the bottom of a two-page spread. Next to the flat-on-his-back man was a flat-as-a-pancake hat. It is the sound of words, rhyming and repeating, that makes them so appealing to listeners and readers.
Maureen even discovered a poem that she uses all the time on her husband, Tom. And she didn’t even know it was a poem! “Go to bed Tom,” is in fact an English nursery rhyme. As for Maureen, she uses this phrase fairly often when Tom falls asleep in front of the TV at night. She used a loud, annoyed tone of voice when reading this poem. With hilarious hind-sight, we later discovered that this rhyme has a very sweet melody.
Roxy enjoyed all kinds of attention from the children at her debut poetry reading. She brought along “magic rocks” (crystals) to give everyone who attended the event. This collection, although targeting the very young, is fun for adults too. Especially when reading aloud with children!
November 28, 2017
This poetry book, perfect for grades kindergarten-3 has cute little pomes that ultimately tell different stories page by page but are all written by different authors. I love the way the book is pieced together and comes together in the end to have special themes on each page. I read this book to my niece before she went to bed and she kept begging me to read more and more poems because she just could not get enough and that made the book even better for me.
October 23, 2017
Genre: Poetry
Recommended Grade Level: Early Primary/ Primary
With over 60 pages filled with poems and bright illustrations, I can see this book being used over and over again. Included are poems of different lengths, styles, and reading abilities. I also liked that there was a section with poems about different holidays/seasons. I would use this book to do a poem a day in my classroom.
Recommended Grade Level: Early Primary/ Primary
With over 60 pages filled with poems and bright illustrations, I can see this book being used over and over again. Included are poems of different lengths, styles, and reading abilities. I also liked that there was a section with poems about different holidays/seasons. I would use this book to do a poem a day in my classroom.
February 24, 2019
Some of them don't feel very appropriate for the "very young" as the title suggests. The layout of the book and illustrations were good though. It was overall a disappointing poetry anthology, maybe because I expected more substance from Rosen.
May 4, 2019
This book is a compilation of many poems. The poems come from various styles and stories. Children could read one or many and find themselves exploring different topics.
Traits: Word Choice, Presentation
Reading Levels:
AR- 3.9
DRA - 38
Traits: Word Choice, Presentation
Reading Levels:
AR- 3.9
DRA - 38
November 9, 2019
Genre: Poetry Grade: 2-5
I liked this Poetry book by their was a lot of rhyming for each poem. It had involved repeating words within and I had noticed it using differences between one another to have the poem flow more together.
I liked this Poetry book by their was a lot of rhyming for each poem. It had involved repeating words within and I had noticed it using differences between one another to have the poem flow more together.
September 1, 2021
3.5 stars
I’m not normally one to pick up a poetry book, but this one was lovely with fun rhymes and rhythm and diverse authors. I also like how it was explained at the beginning that poetry is especially good for kids because they “play with language”
I’m not normally one to pick up a poetry book, but this one was lovely with fun rhymes and rhythm and diverse authors. I also like how it was explained at the beginning that poetry is especially good for kids because they “play with language”
March 31, 2018
An adequate book of poetry for children. Read it out loud to the kids.
November 20, 2019
This is a great book to have to read and re-read. The children love the poems.
December 19, 2021
Lots of repetition. Short poems.
February 16, 2022
fun poems!
April 23, 2023
What a great book
Read
August 28, 2011‘Poems for the very young’ is an awe inspiring anthology of poems, not only for children, but also for adults. It contains a range of different poems from rhythmical poems to hilariously funny poems, from inspirational poems to poems for the very young, hence the title of the book.
These poems are not only poems for school aged children; they are also geared towards pre-school. This is what is unique about the book.
In total, Michael Rosen has selected 167 poems in this book. This is a tremendous amount of poems for young children to read! Nonetheless, all 167 poems has not failed to deliver exceptional poems of which some of them are classic poems by Robert Louise Stevenson and A.A Milone.
The illustrations by Bob Graham are rather quite wild and creative. The illustrations aid the young readers further in understanding as well as thoroughly enjoying the poems.
These poems are not only poems for school aged children; they are also geared towards pre-school. This is what is unique about the book.
In total, Michael Rosen has selected 167 poems in this book. This is a tremendous amount of poems for young children to read! Nonetheless, all 167 poems has not failed to deliver exceptional poems of which some of them are classic poems by Robert Louise Stevenson and A.A Milone.
The illustrations by Bob Graham are rather quite wild and creative. The illustrations aid the young readers further in understanding as well as thoroughly enjoying the poems.
April 23, 2013
Week 13: Poetry anthology
Comprised of poems about almost everything, "Poems For The Very Young" will capture the attention of young readers. "There are traditional verses, nonsense rhymes, and poems by Jack Prelutsky, Stevie Smith, A.A. Milne, Eve Merriam, Margaret Mahy, Michael Rosen, and many more." All poems are brilliantly paired with illustrations that young children will love.
"Poems For The Very Young" is appropriate for ages 3-5.
As a young reader, one of my favorite books was "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein. I instantly connected with the humor and illustrations connected with each poem. I was expecting this book to have the same effect but it did not. Perhaps I was expecting to much. I found the poems very simple and void of humor. I think these poems will appeal more towards children who are beginning to read.
Comprised of poems about almost everything, "Poems For The Very Young" will capture the attention of young readers. "There are traditional verses, nonsense rhymes, and poems by Jack Prelutsky, Stevie Smith, A.A. Milne, Eve Merriam, Margaret Mahy, Michael Rosen, and many more." All poems are brilliantly paired with illustrations that young children will love.
"Poems For The Very Young" is appropriate for ages 3-5.
As a young reader, one of my favorite books was "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein. I instantly connected with the humor and illustrations connected with each poem. I was expecting this book to have the same effect but it did not. Perhaps I was expecting to much. I found the poems very simple and void of humor. I think these poems will appeal more towards children who are beginning to read.
June 16, 2015
Poems for the Very Young is a great collection by one of the most recognisable children’s poets- Michael Rosen. Ranging from silly, to serious, these poems come under a range of themes- animals to the playground- and are a mixture of rhyming, nonsense and other. I like it, because many poetry books that I have seen for children are patronising or boring. This collection manages to combine interesting descriptions and rhymes with topics that children are interested in. As an initial foray into poetry, this is a great stimulus for EYFS children. The poems are fun, and many are easy acted out, making them perfect for a carpet session. The shorter ones tend to work best for younger classes- short attention spans and long poems clearly don’t mix, but it is good as a stimulus for children to go and independently write their own poem on a theme, or as a focus group.
June 10, 2016
This book is not much fun for adults. I really thought I would love it, but, at the halfway point I'm just not wild about it. I like silly, but, this book isn't really silly. The word 'fat' gets thrown around quite a bit in it. I could excuse this if it was at least amusing, but, it really isn't.
There are a couple gems in it, some rhymes I'd forgotten that used to be part of clap games I once knew. It's not total rubbish. My 5 year old likes it and contentedly sat through half of the book in one sitting. Maybe she would have sat through the whole thing, but, I needed a break from this book.
I could probably read a whole Shel Silverstein poetry book in one sitting, but, I couldn't read this one all in one go.
Updated to add:
Finally gave up on finishing it with Kairi. Sometimes a book is just not for you. She just couldn't be talked into sitting back down for this one.
There are a couple gems in it, some rhymes I'd forgotten that used to be part of clap games I once knew. It's not total rubbish. My 5 year old likes it and contentedly sat through half of the book in one sitting. Maybe she would have sat through the whole thing, but, I needed a break from this book.
I could probably read a whole Shel Silverstein poetry book in one sitting, but, I couldn't read this one all in one go.
Updated to add:
Finally gave up on finishing it with Kairi. Sometimes a book is just not for you. She just couldn't be talked into sitting back down for this one.
June 19, 2013
Growing up I remember having books full of poems and other stories. I enjoyed these books very much and I was hopeful this book would be similar. It was not. The poems seemed off, very few were familiar, and some talked of things such as dead butterflies (page 17) or consuming wine (page 20), which is just out of place for "the very young" as the title calls the intended audience. The illustrations were fun, but not especially eye-catching. There seemed no real cohesiveness to this book and frankly some of the poems were so silly they weren't even worth a read.
Stick with the tried and true poems or read a little Dr. Seuss if you are looking for that playful cadence. This is not a very good selection.
Stick with the tried and true poems or read a little Dr. Seuss if you are looking for that playful cadence. This is not a very good selection.
Read
March 12, 2016I liked that ethnical diversity was a natural part of the illustrations. I also liked the doublespreads which integrated all the different poems into one big illustration (for instance page 10/11 and 30/31), and the reference to the fable about the lion and the mouse on page 16. My favourite poem was 'The Moon' by Ki Ellwood-Friery (age 8).
I did not like the lack of cohesion between the different doublespreads and poems. However, I realize that the aim of the anthology is to introduce children to poetry and playful language that increases their metalinguistic awareness and inspires them to play with language themselves. In that way, this diverse anthology is a great introduction to different kinds of poetry where any child is bound to find something that speaks to them.
I did not like the lack of cohesion between the different doublespreads and poems. However, I realize that the aim of the anthology is to introduce children to poetry and playful language that increases their metalinguistic awareness and inspires them to play with language themselves. In that way, this diverse anthology is a great introduction to different kinds of poetry where any child is bound to find something that speaks to them.
November 11, 2013
A Good Play
This poem brings back memories of the adventures my brother and I had as we built a world out of our of sofa pillows and kitchen chairs. Through symbolic play, we collected objects and imagined them to be whatever we wanted them to be. This poem is an excellent example of how children will always find a way to play. I miss those days.
This poem brings back memories of the adventures my brother and I had as we built a world out of our of sofa pillows and kitchen chairs. Through symbolic play, we collected objects and imagined them to be whatever we wanted them to be. This poem is an excellent example of how children will always find a way to play. I miss those days.
June 28, 2009
My favorite poem was anonymous and went like this:
Man Fat
Man fat
Top hat
Fell flat
Squashed hat.
Man Fat
Man fat
Top hat
Fell flat
Squashed hat.
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June 30, 2009POETRY
Cute, short poems kids can understand and mock in their own poetry.
Cute, short poems kids can understand and mock in their own poetry.
December 12, 2010
Great poetry book for young. Focuses on sounds, rhythms and tones and the physical side of language.
May 31, 2011
We read several of these poems every morning at the breakfast table. We all enjoy them, mostly the 1 year old and the 4 year old. We try to memorize the shorter ones.
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September 8, 2012This is one of the books I found in the warehouse on Thursday afternoon. Pulled this one to go into our Room 407 Poetry Collection. Would work well as a sample of simple and children's verse.
June 21, 2013
It was nice to see a lot of different poems instead of the same old stuff.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews