Reviews

The Death of the Hat: A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects by Paul B. Janeczko, Chris Raschka

bgprincipessa's review against another edition

2.0

A few poems that I enjoyed and think would be good for kids, but mostly I was completely lost - and I assume most kids would be too. Further confirmation that I am not and never will be a poetry person. Great illustration work though.

froggylibrarian1's review against another edition

4.0

Another collection of poems by Paul B. Janeczko. As is typical with me and poetry collections - I liked some and there were some I didn't like. What I thought was unique was how they were grouped by era which would make for an interesting poetry unit or discussion.

amandabock's review against another edition

3.0

I really enjoyed the previous poetry collaborations of Janeczko and Raschka. This one is an ambitious addition. As many have noted, this collection is probably for older kids than A Kick in the Head et al.- more middle school than elementary, and probably for those who are already interested in poetry (and not just Silverstein and Prelutsky). I enjoyed the poems, although I'm not enough of a poetry reader to comment on the selection. I love the illustrations; Raschka's impressionistic and abstract watercolors are just made for poetry. I really wish that the introductory information had been incorporated into the body of the book, linking each poem together. I think many readers will skip over the four pages of small type and skip to the poems, thereby missing the point of the collection.

Poetry for children tends to be either A Child's Garden of Verses or funny rhymes. There's nothing wrong with either, but young readers who are interested in poetry often have no choice but to dive into adult collections. I think this book might provide a helpful bridge.

karistubbert's review against another edition

5.0

What a great collection! I found it in the kids section of our local library, set up front for National Poetry month. It was wonderful to read with my preschool and elementary age children, introducing them to some of my favorite poems.

antlersantlers's review against another edition

3.0

First let me say that reading through this book was a pleasure. It's a fun concept that is an interesting and structured way to introduce younger readers to poetry. Lots of interesting new language, lots to talk about. The book starts with the early middle ages and works all the way up to contemporary poets. Chris Raschka's illustrations add a really lively element to these poems and are always so beautiful.

Second I should say that the lack of diversity in the poems is really stark. There are 8 poems by non-western poets, all of which are pre-1600s. There is one single modern poem that wasn't originally written in English. There are 11 female poets included and 13 poets of color. I really like all of the poems featured, but the book is a (brief) history of poetry. I don't think it has to be so very, very narrow.

rainbowbookworm's review against another edition

4.0

As with every anthology, there are some poems that are winners and others I was not a fan of. However, Chris Raschka's stunning illustrations alone make this a must in any teacher's poetry collection.

bgprincipessa's review

2.0

A few poems that I enjoyed and think would be good for kids, but mostly I was completely lost - and I assume most kids would be too. Further confirmation that I am not and never will be a poetry person. Great illustration work though.