The International Youth Library (IYL), the world's largest library of international books for children and young adults, compiles an annual list of best children's books from around the world called the White Ravens list.The 2011 list includes 250 titles in 30 languages from 40 countries. Of these, I found 14 poetry titles-- from 12 different countries. I took pictures of each of the books and found volunteers to read selections from 7 of them for a short video. Here are two poetry books from the U.S. on the 2011 White Ravens list.
Sidman, Joyce (text)
Prange, Beckie (illus.)
Celebrating nature’s survivors
Boston [et al.]: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010. –  p.
Nature – Life forms – Survival
In their latest collaboration, Joyce Sidman and Beckie Prange continue the format of their award-winning “Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems” (2005). Delivering a combination of catchy poetry, informative science facts, and striking linocut illustrations, the author and illustrator let children in on the secret of successful survival on Earth during the past 4.6 billion years. Species as diverse as bacteria (3.8 billion years old), geckos (160 million years old), squirrels (36 million years old), and dandelions (5 millions years old) are gathered in this volume. Complemented by notes, a glossary, and a stunning timeline printed on the endpapers, texts and pictures provide readers with astonishing details about the most imperishable of our planet’s inhabitants. (Age: 5+)
And here is my friend and colleague, Linda Pavonetti, a professor in the Reading and Language Arts Department at Oakland University in Michigan, reading her favorite poem from Joyce Sidman's Ubiquitous-- in Italy!
Here is the other poetry book from the U.S. that made the White Ravens list.
Seibold, J. Otto (text/illus.)
Other goose re-nurseried, re-rhymed, re-mothered, and re-goosed ...
San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2010. – 69 p.
Nursery rhyme – Poetry
Mother Goose rhymes are probably the most widely-known nursery rhymes – not only in the English-speaking world. In his “Other Goose” collection, J.otto Seibold presents twenty-some of his favourite classics in awesomely illustrated new versions. From Humpty Dumpty and Little Bo Peep to the Cat with the Fiddle, Seibold’s “re-nurseried, re-rhymed, re-mothered, and re-goosed” variants include the same nursery-rhyme staff, but tell slightly twisted (or even completely mutated) tales compared to those with which readers may have grown up. The artist’s computer-generated, loudly coloured trademark illustrations show flat, goggle-eyed protagonists with distorted features. The pictures are brimming with witty allusions and amusing details that perfectly complement the quirky texts. (Age: 5+)
Image credit: SV;IYL
Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell © 2011. All rights reserved.