As a huge fan of poetry and middle grade books, I could not prevent myself from requesting this book through Netgalley.
And I'm so glad to have discovered this book, now I'll buy the physical copy of it! It's so sweat, the words are well choosen.
Besides, it deals with one my favorite season: spring! I fell in love with the drawings! They are sooo cute! I spend most of my time admiring them before even reading the poems!
As for the poems, I did enjoy most of them! According to me, it's a great introduction to poetry!

This short book is the perfect one for hiding under covers with hot chocolate on a December night! (Yes I know, it's weird since it deals with spring)
I totally recommand it!

Wasn't quite what I was expecting but I was pleasantly surprised.

The author uses text from well known poems and pieces them together along with her own creativity to tell a story about a young girl and Spring.

I really loved the inclusion of the full poems used at the back of the book and that the text used is highlighted. I think it would be a great inclusion on a study or look at poetry for elementary - middle school aged children.

Lead character is a little girl waiting for spring! The text might be difficult for the younger demographic to really grasp, but I think the pictures and color would be enough to entertain most kids!

Because the text is based off poetry, I think having a parent read it aloud to a child would really display the musical quality of the prose.

I enjoyed this, but not as much as I thought I would.
I’m not sure I really connected with the writing, but it was well illustrated.

"Ivy in Bloom" is made up of words and lines from classic poems and literature, blended together to form a story that depicts a young girl's anticipation and adoration of the spring season. Parts of this book feel a bit out of place or choppy, however I enjoyed the overall concept of this book and its beautiful illustrations. Also, the proceeds of this book are said to be donated to numerous charities, which gives me an even greater appreciation for this book.

"Ivy in Bloom" is a lovely book to introduce young children to the art of poetry.

This is a wonderful idea for a book.
Initially it is the creative writing of poet Vanita Oelschlager, she writes about a little girl through whose eyes we will hopefully see the change of seasons. "I'm Ivy Van Allsberg. I'm waiting for Spring."
After a few lines, setting the mood and tone, beautifully illustrated by Kristin Blackwood the magic of this children's book escapes. They will be enthralled by Ivy, her bright eyes and black hair who not only stares out of he window but then acts as our guide outside in all weathers and outfits.
The special dimension to this book and the unfolding story is the borrowing of other great writers words and phrases; to reveal the full richness of a Spring long awaited. The skill has been the editing of these poems and sentences to give a flavour and a depth to the piece.
All the writers are credited, with a brief biography of their work, this is highlighted in the bibliography section. I reckon with a familiar ear and new found skills to read any child will grow to love this part of the book best as it is a window upon some great writers and poets. The child can then take a similar journey as the author and research these historic figures. Then seek out their work and develop a love of these wordsmiths for themselves.
Meanwhile at age this book will be a hit and well received for its words and pictures.
"April prepares her green traffic light.
And the world thinks go." 'Christopher Morley (5 May 1890 – 28 March 1957). He was an American poet, novelist, journalist and playwright. This comes from John Mistletoe, written in 1931.'

Breathtaking pictures!!!! I liked the way they used poetry from all different poets. The different seasons were all so beautiful!

I love finding books like this that allow us to introduce classic authors in a fun modern way. Ivy in Bloom is on my list of recommendations!

I really enjoyed reading Ivy in Bloom. I probably wouldn't have requested it on NetGalley because it was listed as being for children (a category I never check) if I didn't need a spring themed book for the Spring Fling read-a-thon. However, it surprised me and it's further proof that I shouldn't judge a book based on its listed age group. Teenagers and adults can most definitely appreciate this sweet little book as well. 

Ivy in Bloom was an adorable illustrated children's poetry book that used excerpts from famous poems to highlight aspects of spring. The drawings were fantastic! The poetry snippets could have been longer in my opinion, but since it's for children, it's perfect because it provides them with a snapshot of some classic poems by authors such as Emily Dickinson and E.E. Cummings. It acts as a good introduction to poetry for children and even older people who haven't explored the genre before.

I think the book is perfect for people of all ages, but especially children 4 years old and up. The blending of images and parts of poems was wonderfully done. It made me smile and want to pick up the full length poems of the authors featured. I highly recommend it! :)

I would definitely recommend this to anyone in search for an introductory children’s picture book on poetry classics.

I thought Ivy in Bloom was very clever and creative! The author combines poems from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Charles Dickens, E.E. Cummings, and a few others. Pieces from their individual poems are layered together to create one comprehensive story.

Even though I know why it didn't flow well (people have different writing styles), the book was smooth in some places and choppy in others. I do think the author put a lot of research and work into this book, and the illustrations are gorgeous. They really brought this story to life and kept me turning the pages. There was also an unexpected reference to God at the end that didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the spring theme, but it didn't actually detract from the overall story.

I enjoyed reading this one, and I like that the author breaks down the individual poems at the end. It shows us where they came from, who wrote them, and how they fit together.

I was kindly sent a digital copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Reading this from the perspective of a 10-year-old, I would definitely give this book 4 stars. I think it is a brilliant way to get children into poetry -classical poetry-, and the drawing are so beautifully done that even if you don't like the poems, you have to appreciate the drawn art.
The poems are nothing out of the extraordinary -they are short and simple, but I think that is what may appeal children. I also think that the fragments of the poems were really carefully chosen and, in the end, made for a beautiful short story about a little girl awaiting spring.

I had some trouble getting this to download on my computer. Then I tried my phone and it worked but it was small.
This is such a cute book!! If I had kids, I would buy it! I might still do it. The art is just amazing and probably my favorite thing about this book. I think kids would really enjoy this book. The one thing that I didn't like as much was that because they were inserting snippets of a several well known authors, the writing was a little inconsistent. I loved the additions at the end of the book though.
Thank you to the publisher, VanitaBooks, LLC for a PDF of this book!

Adorable illustrations. Simple story with classical poetry woven into the plot. A great way to get children interested in poetry and then to be able to expand on these particular poems and poets.

Cute, lighthearted poems. Perfect for younger children in this time of the year.

That's a good book, albeit very short, but I love the concept of creating a new poem by compilation of classical literature poems, it's great for kids and also has very cute illustrations,

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

This was an absolutely adorable picture book using excerpts from great works of poetry to create a brand new poem about spring. The illustrations were beautiful as well. It would be a great addition to any child's library.

This short picture book is beautifully illustrated. It's lyrical enough that you get swept away in the descriptions but the words are not so complicated that the imagery becomes abstract. The story follows the ennui of a young girl as she struggles with overcoming this boredom (which could possibly be construed as the seasonal affective disorder). She manages to do so with the arrival of spring. This book teaches young children to be grateful for nature in all its splendor and promotes the idea of happy children who are in touch with the natural world. The only issue I have with the book is that there is a sudden pace in the rhyme and meter of the poem lines.

Great little book to introduce kids to poetry. And the connection to nature, along with the art, was beautiful.

Summary: Follows Ivy Van Allsberg as she waits for spring. Through pieces of poetry from different poets we go through her time as she waits.


A great read for kids ages between Pre-k to 3 either for poetry or for weather lessons.



Illustrations are fun and beautiful.