(3) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Henri Sorensen. After an introduction that emphasizes Frost's New England roots, his early struggles to support himself and his family, and the universality of his poems, Schmidt presents twenty-nine Frost favorites, divided into sections by the four seasons; each has a brief explanatory note providing context and aiding readers' engagement with the poem. Like Frost's poetry, Sorensen's earthy paintings evoke the natural world. Ind.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue. After a four-page introduction about Angelou's life and work, twenty-five of her poems are presented, each with a few explanatory sentences preceding them. Some selections are heavy, resonating with the penetrating philosophical stance from which Angelou views the world; others show a lighter side of the world-renowned wordsmith. Dark abstract paintings create mood and atmosphere. Ind.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Alessandra Cimatoribus. After an introduction that focuses on Blake's life, talents, and forward-thinking vision, Maynard presents selections primarily from Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. Each poem includes a brief introductory note; difficult words from the poems are defined in the margins. Luminous illustrations in blues, greens, and golds employ strong shapes and unusual angles. Ind.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Robert Gantt Steele. Serio collects twenty-five of Stevens's poems into a picture book format, with illustrator Steele offering pretty if unimaginative watercolor interpretations of each selection. Each poem is introduced by a few explanatory sentences that too often dumb down the poems; below each poem are brief definitions of some of the words employed. Ind.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(4) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Simona Mulazzani. Thirty-four poems "written across four centuries, in North America, Europe, and East Asia" include works by Robert Frost, Edward Lear, May Swenson, and Christina Rossetti. Hollander's five-page introduction is informative, and helpful comments precede each poem; unfamiliar words and phrases are defined on each page. Unfortunately, the book's tiny type, printed over the attractive illustrations, is often difficult to read. Ind.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Allen Garns. These are informative introductions to the lives of the two poets. Williams discusses his childhood, education, and influences and includes thirty-two poems, such as "The Red Wheelbarrow." Tennyson emphasizes the connections between his personal life and what he wrote; most of the thirty poems included are from longer works but stand well on their own. Handsome paintings interpret the verse. Ind. Review covers these Poetry for Young People titles: William Carlos Williams and Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. This anthology contains twenty-six poems that highlight the diversity and grandeur of America. Drawn from the oral repertoire of song and ballad, as well as from the written repertoire of lyric poetry, the selections in this anthology are at once grand and pompous, patriotic and sentimental. The book is accompanied by atmospheric illustrations.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(3) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Robert Crockett. These are informative introductions to the lives of the two poets. Williams discusses his childhood, education, and influences and includes thirty-two poems, such as "The Red Wheelbarrow." Tennyson emphasizes the connections between his personal life and what he wrote; most of the thirty poems included are from longer works but stand well on their own. Handsome paintings interpret the verse. Ind. Review covers these Poetry for Young People titles: William Carlos Williams and Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Glenn Harrington. Each of twenty-six poems is preceded by a brief explanation (written by the editor, a Yeats scholar) and has unfamiliar words and phrases explained at the bottom. Large paintings, stylistically reminiscent of John Singer Sargent's, accompany each poem. Occasionally, the paintings make metaphor too concrete, but overall they are evocative and help make this a very attractive collection. Ind.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke

(3) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by James Muir & James Muir. These accessible introductions to two Romantic poets begin with an engaging overview, including some critical commentary, of each writer's life and times. Their most famous verses are represented, including Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" and Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud"; a line or two of explication and definitions for unfamiliar words accompany each poem. Handsome paintings complement the tone of the poems. Ind. [Review covers these Poetry for Young People titles: Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth.]

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Harvey Chan & Harvey Chan. These accessible introductions to two Romantic poets begin with an engaging overview, including some critical commentary, of each writer's life and times. Their most famous verses are represented, including Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" and Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud"; a line or two of explication and definitions for unfamiliar words accompany each poem. Handsome paintings complement the tone of the poems. Ind. [Review covers these Poetry for Young People titles: Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth.]

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith. Beginning with a succinct, analytical introduction to the life of Lear, the volume then presents some of his best-known work, including the nonsense poems "The Owl and the Pussy-cat" and "The Jumblies," as well as a fistful of limericks that begin with the line "There was an Old Man...." Brightly colored, whimsical illustrations nicely complement the humor and energy of the poems.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Eric Copeland. More than twenty-five poems, including excerpts from the Alice books, showcase Carroll's inimitable flair for nonsense and his impatience with the pedantic children's verse of his time. An informative introduction sketches Carroll's life and accomplishments; brief notes help to elucidate the poems. Watercolor illustrations handsomely depict the wacky people and animals populating Carroll's classic verse. Ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Joel Spector. A brief biographical sketch of Browning begins an accessible overview of the work of one of Victorian England's greatest poets. While many of Browning's poems are famously difficult to read, judicious excerpting and brief explanatory notes help readers appreciate the dramatic verse. Pastel paintings illustrate selections from works including "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" and "My Last Duchess." Ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Mike Bryce. The stilted four-page biographical introduction focuses on Millay's childhood while Millay's poems compose the rest of the book, aided by word definitions placed below. Although the design of the book lacks inspiration, the soft-wash watercolor illustrations in muted tones help set the mood without getting too literal. Ind.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) K-3 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Lucy Corvino. A rushed and perfunctory four-page biographical introduction heads this volume of poems. Although the text doesn't mention it, most of the poems can be found in A Child's Garden of Verses. Nearby definitions help with unfamiliar words, and light-toned, gently cartoonish illustrations reinforce the child-centered themes. Ind.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Jim Sharpe. An introduction to Kipling's verse showcases his remarkable poetic imagination. An explanatory sentence or two precedes each inclusion. Most poems are excerpts from longer pieces, but a few appear in their entirety; together they reveal the humor, romance, excitement, and courage contained in his work. The oil paintings are handsome, but the small type size is off-putting. Ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Glenn Harrington. Twenty-seven selections from Shakespeare's plays and poems include soliloquies, orations, and monologues from Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, and As You Like It. The accompanying oil paintings exude a dramatic, theatrical air, but the small type size is off-putting. An introduction provides readers with a sketch of Shakespeare's life and accomplishments. Ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Chad Wallace. A brief biographical note precedes twenty-seven of Longfellow's best-known poems (including excerpts from longer poems) that provide snapshots of nineteenth-century life in America. Muddy-colored paintings are often stiff but still convey the quintessential New Englander's spirited views of people and places. Ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute