Ivy in Bloom

The Poetry of Spring from Great Poets and Writers of the Past

by Vanita Oelschlager

You must sign in to see if this title is available for request. Sign In or Register Now

Pub Date 01 May 2009 | Archive Date Not set

Description

Ivy In Bloom captures the weariness of a young girl tired of a long winter. "I stare out the window," she says on the first spread of brown and gray, "looking for birds or flowers/or even warm showers/but I don't see any such thing." But then Spring comes when "March is out of breath...snow melting to flowery waters and watery flowers...spring rose from its wintry rest." And Ivy's "heart dances with daffodils." As these words also dance across each spread, Ivy's world erupts into a riot of color.
Ivy In Bloom introduces the poetry of Dickinson, Longfellow, Browning, Wordsworth, Frost and others. Excerpts from their writings, as seen through Ivy's eyes, will open up poetry as a way for children to express their own feelings about the changing of seasons. This book includes longer excerpts and brief bios
of each author.

Ivy In Bloom captures the weariness of a young girl tired of a long winter. "I stare out the window," she says on the first spread of brown and gray, "looking for birds or flowers/or even warm...

Advance Praise

It is a cold day in March, and Ivy Van Allsberg is wishing that spring would make an appearance. She is tired of "piercing" winter winds, "heavy and gray" clouds, and frost covered fountains. In vain she looks here and there for signs of spring. Then, at last, spring begins to send up shoots that are green and full of life. April brings showers and snowmelt, and flowers are encouraged to bloom. Little birds sing, Ivy's heart "dances" like golden yellow daffodils, and "all's right with the world!" In this unique picture book, Vanita Oelschlager combines her own poetry with sections of poetry written by Longfellow, Charles Dickens, e.e. cummings, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, and others. The resulting poetical picture is as fresh and exciting as spring itself. In the back of the book, the text is presented in full, showing readers how the opening section, written by Vanita, shifts into the section of the narrative that uses words written by "Great Poets and Writers of the Past." Here readers can see excerpts of the poems that Vanita used.

It is a cold day in March, and Ivy Van Allsberg is wishing that spring would make an appearance. She is tired of "piercing" winter winds, "heavy and gray" clouds, and frost covered fountains. In...