This was actually very enjoyable! As an adult, it was a bit lacking, but children would love it and it would be great for an child who is interested in writing poetry. While I didn’t necessarily agree with the nearly spelled out definition of poetry, I do think it makes it easier for younger audiences to be able to categorize. It’s way to read, and not too long. I would have loved to have it when I was younger.

My thanks to Netgalley for this free ebook in exchange for my honest review.

The beloved author of We're Going on a Bear Hunt compiles the findings of his research as to what is poetry, insights into his poem writing, and inspiration for the young reader to start writing his or her own poems.

Michael Rosen starts with posing the question in the book’s title – ‘What is Poetry?’ and proceeds to explain what poetry can do to help answer that question. It has the power to suggest, to capture a moment forever, to play with words, make sense of nonsense and other-sense, and lots more.

‘A poem is a poem if the writer and the reader agree it’s a poem.’ – Michael Rosen

He moves to explain what readers can do with a poem, so much more than just reading it (and reading it in so many ways too!). I loved this fun chapter!

Using his own poems as examples, he explores the poet’s thoughts and goes behind the scenes of poems. This will definitely help a new poet of any age look at reading, and writing poetry with (renewed) confidence. He says – “Poems are a midway point between poets and readers. The poet pours in one set of meanings. The reader picks up the poem and puts in another set of meanings, and the two meet somewhere in the middle. That’s what reading a poem is all about. It’s a conversation between two sets of thoughts: the poet’s and the reader’s.”

The next two chapters introduce the reader to many ideas that will help get the creative juices flowing, and then writing the poem itself. He encourages the reader to find ideas in the familiar and in the nonsensical among other avenues to explore, letting us know that ideas are everywhere.

Teaching the technicalities of poetry, as well as tips and tricks to get the actual poem written is something Rosen does with the ease of an experienced poet-educator. What can you do once you have written a poem? Well, Rosen gives you ideas for that as well.

(I especially loved the idea of having a ‘volcano page’ – similar to having an earthquake kit in the Bay Area – one kit where you have all the essentials in case of disaster. So in addition to those things you would really want for survival – not just the practical things, put down also those most precious memories, hopes, fears, dreams, et al.)

Also included all across the book are a variety of poems by poets from Thomas Hardy to Lewis Carroll. Michael Rosen uses these poems as examples to illustate points he makes in each chapter. I was truly glad to read these poems as I have now discovered more wonderful poems and poets. Thomas Hardy was always a favorite writer but I had never read his poems until now:-(

In Summary:
This book is an excellent, accessible, fun introduction to reading, writing, and understanding poetry for all ages. It is a book for just about anyone who has asked themselves or someone else ‘What is Poetry?’

Disclaimer: Thanks to NetGalley for a digital review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Candlewick Press and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

This was a great book, aimed at teaching children about poetry, but perfect for anyone wanting to read poetry for the first time.
I picked up this book to as an adult who has not read much poetry in recent years and enjoyed the refresher on what poetry is.

It was lovely to be reminded that anything can be poetry.

Michael Rosen has created a marvelous tool to make poetry (the reading and writing of it) accessible to people of all ages (but young people in particular will enjoy his book). Poetry is a marvelous form of self expression and a way to explore thoughts, feelings and ideas in a creative manner.

Rosen writes in a very engaging, kid-friendly manner--no boring lectures here! The first part of the book convinces the reader of the awesome things that poetry can do such as:

-Suggest things
-Play with words
-Be personal
-Borrow voices
-Capture a moment
-Be ironic
-Flip reality
-Give an impression
-Be symbolic

I LOVE how Rosen makes poetry come alive by sharing examples and giving insight into what a poem can communicate and relay through words. Rosen goes on to discuss what people can do with a poem (other than the obvious--read it). He teachers his audience to ask questions, look for connections, commit it to memory or use poetry with other forms of art like putting a poem to music or painting a picture to go with a poem.

Rosen then helps the reader get started writing poems by offering suggestions on how to get creative juices flowing and also ideas for topics to write about. I would recommend this book to any classroom teacher--from elementary through high school. This would be also be a great resource in a school or home library to serve as a continued reference for poetic exploration. There are so many ways I could recommend using this book:
_Start a poetry club at school or the local library
_An activity for programming for seniors in independent living
_Summer activity to keep language skills sharp
_Family guide to enjoying and creating poetry
_Special activity for a parent and child or a parent and grandchild

Grab a copy of What is Poetry? and experience the mystery and wonder of poetry! Whether you read or write it, poetry is an important part of our history and culture.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of What is Poetry? from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

Students tend to think they dislike poetry. This book is a bridge between hesitancy and embracing the art.

I cannot say enough positive things about Rosen's book! From the opening line, "A poem is a poem if the writer and reader agree it's a poem," to the concluding belief that however you answer "What is poetry?" then that is the right answer. Rosen takes the reader on a fantastic journey through what poetry can do as demonstrated through sample poems and discussion. This is a fantastic book for anyone interested in poetry or intimidated by those who believe that poetry is a set idea.

Thank you NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.

For a full review, please see my online review at: https://hwbookreviews.wordpress.com/2018/12/21/what-is-poetry-review/

What Is Poetry?: The Essential Guide to Reading and Writing Poems
The Essential Guide to Reading and Writing Poems
by Michael Rosen

Candlewick Press
Candlewick
Children's Nonfiction
Pub Date 08 Jan 2019


I am reviewing What Is Poetry The Essential Guide to Reading and Writing Poems through Candlewick Press and Netgalley:


Michael Rosen a celebrated poet as well as critic takes readers on a tour that explores what poetry is and what poems can do.


People have been writing poetry for thousands of years but explaining what poetry is can be difficult. Michael Rosen has spent years thinking about poetry and what it is and shares his insight, his humor and knowledge of poetry for today’s children the children of the 21st Century.



This book would make a great teaching tool for the classroom but woils also be great for Children who just want a better understanding of poetry.


i give What Is Poetry five out of five stars!



Happy Reading

This book is a great introduction and overview to poetry for kids, teens, and even adults. Michael Rosen engages readers with many different forms of poetry. Thankfully Rosen is not snobbish about poetry. He encourages readers to find poetry and inspiration in the things that are important to them. This book would be great to work through with a small group of tweens or teens to begin writing poetry.

I recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“What Is Poetry? The Essential Guide to Reading and Writing Poems” by Michael Rosen is a wonderful handbook to introduce poetry to children. I wish I had had this as a child; it would have influenced me to read and enjoy poetry so much more!

I find the Publisher’s Note especially helpful, so I’ll quote that now while awarding this very helpful text a 5/5:

“Celebrated poet and critic Michael Rosen takes readers on a whirlwind tour exploring what poems are, what they can do, and the joys of reading and writing them.

“For thousands of years, people have been writing poetry. But what is poetry? Award-winning wordsmith Michael Rosen has spent decades thinking about that question, and in this helpful guide he shares his insights with humor, knowledge, and appreciation — appreciation for poetry and appreciation for twenty-first-century children embarking on their own poetic journeys.

“Young readers are invited to join him on a welcoming exploration of the British poetic canon, replete with personal insights into what the renowned poet thinks about as he writes and advice on writing their own poetry. When he’s finished, readers will be able to say with confidence: this is poetry. Included in this accessible handbook are writing tips, analyses of classic poems, and an appendix of poets and useful websites.”

Pub Date 08 Jan 2019

Thanks to Candlewick Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#WhatIsPoetry? #NetGalley

If Michael Rosen couldn't teach you how to write poetry, then little will. This wonderfully readable book – as child-friendly as all his books of child-friendly verse – starts with the expected failure to define poetry, then asks us what we should do with it, and how we might write it, and to what effect. There's a little awkward division in the book between how we get inspiration and how we write, which seems to have as many examples of impetus as the preceding chapter, but there's little to quibble over really. Great use of example – his own, and that of other canonical White Englishmen – really gets you assured of many a concept, and ready to take the plunge. So he can write accessible education as well as verse – but at least he's given us all we need to follow him in the latter.