When I started reading this book I was disappointed. I was expecting an anthology and instead read a picture book about a girl enjoying a spring day. This book is more than it appears at first glance as all the words from the story are actually quotes from the "great poems and writers from the past." The author includes the original poems in the epilogue which makes this a must have.

This is a simple children's poetry book but a beautiful one. The illustrations done by Kristin Blackwood are really great and colors used are just beautiful.

This is a story of a girl named Ivy waiting for the spring, after dark winter. The idea of this book was very unique - It took lines from some poems from famous authors and combined them to create a single poem about spring.

At the end the author has also given the full excerpts of the poems from which the lines were taken, as well as the author details. This way you can also read some famous poems of known authors. I think this book is very much suitable for children and they will love the artwork.

This is a lovely way to share classic poetry with children. This story opens with Ivy inside a somber room, frustrated by the gray smudge of winter. She is looking forward to the colors of spring! She goes out on a cold, cloudy March day and sees the signs of winter still around her. She is even anxious for puddles and finally April comes and “Spring arose from its wintry rest.” Ivy's world comes alive with color.

Somehow I thought there would be poems shared with whimsy illustrations. Rather than full poems, and more appropriately for children, there are one or two lines or phrases enhanced with delightful illustrations. The lines are familiar and some I knew the poet. (Several of the poets are mentioned in the blurb.) Thankfully, at the back of the book the poems and poets are shared with the line from Ivy’s world highlighted. This makes the book a fun way to share classic poetry with younger children.

The fully illustrated pages are wonderful – not overly complex but full of energy and fitting to the text. Most of the poetry lines blend smoothly although one or two seemed a bit forced. Still, it is a delightful experience and learning tool. I look forward to sharing this with my granddaughters. I recommend this to others who would like to share the joy of poetry with children.

I received a digital copy of this book through NetGalley.

It was book about a girl thinks about spring and also posses some thoughts of her about other months.

This was a good concept, but it didn't feel very cohesive. Kids will love the pictures though. The art is amazingly wonderful and the poems themselves are good. They just don't go together well.

This book of poetry was AMAZING! I could read these over and over and over again.

This is such a cute little book! The illustrations are amazing and I love how at the end of the book it shows where the words from the book are from.

Ivy in Bloom by Vanita Oelsclager is about Ivy , a little girl waiting for spring. The art is simply exquisite, and I praise Kristin Blackwood for her beautiful imagination. A creative and colourful way to introduce readers to classic poetry. If you’re familiar with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Walt Whitman and Robert Frost, you will recognise many phrases.

The illustrations are colorful and cute. They really brought the book up in my opinion. As for the actual poem itself, I thought it could have been better. I felt like some of it flowed very well while other bits of it were sort of choppy and felt discombobulated to me.

The illustrations show a little girl overwhelmed with the heavy grey of winter and longing for spring. Off she goes in her boots for a tramp and visits the frozen delights of winter, still hankering for sunshine and warm weather. We watch her progress through the seasons to enjoy the sun and flowers.

The words are bits and pieces from apt poems cleverly linked by the author to describe the different months and seasons.

I received this ARC from VanitaBooks, LLC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It is a cool concept to put on classic poems there that is all about spring. The illustrations are beautiful and will surely catch children's attention. Great way to introduce poems to kids.

Let me start by saying this was cover inst-love. I requested this book mainly because of the cover. It's stunning! Secondly I thought the premise was wonderful. I loved the idea of introducing poetry from those great poets. The illustration inside were beautiful too, However, I giving this book 2.8 stars because I wished the execution would have been differently. The composition fell a little incoherent.

This is the second illustrated book from Vanita Oelschlager that I have read so far, and I must admit that she is a great storyteller.

Ivy in Bloom is emotional and original in the sense that it incorporates bits and pieces of poems written by world renowned authors.

First, you get a beautiful children’s book that you can read to your children. Then, you have a more adult section in the last pages. The author included the full poems that inspired her. You get to see the “borrowed words” in the original contexts. Witty and unique, right?

It’s refreshing to discover such pieces of work that can address both the very young and the adults! You can expose your child to great literature in a fun, child-friendly way, as well as talk about important topics like nature.

What a better way to expose your child to beautiful prose and poems? You never know, it might inspire some new great writers.

Appropriate story for the age range and beautiful illustrations that compliment the text.

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The illustrations were gorgeous and I loved how they fit the poem.

The poem, however, I thought needed some work. I loved the idea of using phrases from classic poetry to create a larger poem, but it didn't always work out. The first few pages were the best, in my opinion, because the lines actually scanned and the language was of a similar level and style -- these were also the pages that the author write herself without pulling from other poets. Unfortunately, by using lines and phrases from other poems, it felt disjointed and there wasn't a cohesive voice or style.

I loved the art more than the writing. I found the illustrations catchy enough to keep me through till the end.

Truly one of the most stunning books I have ever seen. The seamless way that the poetry was included as well as the fantastic illustrations had my attention from the get go.

I picked ‘’Ivy in Bloom: The Poetry of Spring from Great Poets and Writers of the Past’’ because of the marvelous cover that speaks of spring, the idea of introducing children to poetry (which is a big love of mine!), and the topic of the changing seasons, which is rarely explored in children’s literature (yet it is part of their life too).

I must say this book didn’t disappoint me. At all. It is a fun take on poetry for children what with an introduction by Ivy, the main character, and writings from great poets and authors. The poems rhyme, which make it all the more amusing, and they’re easy to understand. The pictures help clarify the meaning if there is some confusion. It tells a story many children live through as they wait for winter to end and spring to arrive so they can play outside and have some real fun. This book achieves it by combining sweet poems with pictures, which are pleasant to look at and cute. The emotions are portrayed by Ivy are easy to identify thanks to the pictures. As for the mood and setting, they are well conveyed.

Even though one of its two main topics is the weariness of winter, the book is quite colorful and filled with beautiful images. One can clearly see Ivy is bored, but without becoming as such ourselves thanks to the entertainment the colors and poems provide us! Moreover, Ivy is a likeable everyday girl who goes from bored to hopeful to happy. I think she is realistic and we can’t help but wish spring to arrive soon too!
I really love how the author credited the great poets and authors at the end of the book by including a short biography of each one and the works from which the lines (in green) were used. I find it highly respectful. Plus, the fact that they described the illustrator’s process in the biographies is interesting. The book is short, yet it delivers its content well.

Although, there’s only one thing I wasn’t comfortable with: one line of poetry talks of God. I know the author probably wanted to convey how everything is going well, so they mentioned God and Heaven. While I think it’s okay for people to believe in God, I am not sure it belongs in children’s literature the way it was presented as we are all different and not all religions believe in a single God. The author could have chosen a better line of poetry to express this.

Besides that, the read of ‘’Ivy in Bloom’’ was entertaining and I consider this book an inventive way to introduce children to poetry and help them expand their knowledge! It is also a lovely addition for those who already love it at a young age (I’m sure I would have dived right in was I still a child!). I decide to give it a 5/5 and I greatly recommend it.

This is a lovely little children's poetry book telling the story of a little girl named Ivy and her excitement about spring. The book features excerpts of poetry from the greats Longfellow, Cummings, Dickens, Frost and Whitman to form a narrative poem. What really stood out for me was the illustrations. They were simplistic but very detailed and the book reminded me of many graphic novels I love. This will definitely be a good addition to any child's poetry collection and a fantastic introduction to some of the most famous poets in English literature.

*I received an advance reading copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Read this short and beautiful illustrated poetry book meant for kids. The book talks about a little girl who is weary of the Winter and is awaiting the spring. The illustrations are pleasant with a beautiful way of expressing the feelings and the weather of the place. However , the poetry was a tad disappointing . Some of the lines lacked connection , and where just scattered along with the illustrations. Somehow the poetry was more relatable to the art it came with , than with the other lines in the book.
Overall : A beautiful book to look at , but just an average one when it comes to the poetry.