Come to the Great World: Poems from Around the Globe

Publishers Weekly

An international mix of poets contribute works to Come to the Great World: Poems from Around the Globe, edited by Wendy Cooling, illus. by Sheila Moxley. Traditional Maori and Inuit chants, as well as works by Caribbean, Asian, Australian, American and European poets make for a well-rounded collection that offer a taste of exotic fruits (quite literally, in "Fruits" by Jamaican-American poet Opal Palmer Adisa). Moxley's illustrations, such as the painting for the Trinidad-Canadian poet, Dionne Brand's "Skipping Rope Song" vibrantly represent the array of cultures and scenes, emphasizing both their unique qualities and the universal experiences of childhood. (Mar.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

The poems collected here bring us into the world of children, how they "play, talk and sing." Not only will kids see themselves, but they will also come to appreciate the differences in others around the world who are their age. Several of the poets are quite well known, such as Shelia Hamanaka who writes about the varieties in skin color and hair as she describes kids of all colors in her poem, "All the Colors of the Earth." Shelia Moxley's illustrations, such as the one that accompanies this poem, are both fanciful and reflective of the central message. She does depict children of various hues, but in an interesting and eye-catching style. Grace Nichols of Guyana and England gives a look at what it is like to have kinky curly hair in her poem: "Granny, Granny Please Comb My Hair" that echoes a pretty universal theme about the care of a grandmother versus that of an overworked mother. The young girls asks her granny to comb her hair, because she knows that granny will do it nice and slow and use coconut oil to make it easy to comb and give it a nice sheen. A couple of classic poets are featured, such as Robert Louis Stevenson with his "Paper Boats" and "The Swing.' These poems illustrate playtime as do others that feature kite flying, singing, and even children's favorite foods. The fact that some children live in pretty unpleasant circumstances is not ignored and there are two poems about children who live in poverty. At the end of the selections, there is a two-page spread that provides readers with brief information about the featured poets. This is another attractive collection for teachers and librarians seeking out books for National Poetry Month or just for the pure pleasure ofreading poems. 2004, Holiday House, Ages 4 to 10.
—Marilyn Courtot

School Library Journal

Gr 1-5-This collection of poems and traditional chants is sure to delight and entertain children. The carefully chosen selections focus on common issues and concerns of youngsters everywhere. As stated in the introduction, the poets, who hail from many different countries, "-ask us to think about the world-its richness and its inequalities-and leave us with a sense of hope for the future." This sense of hope is evident throughout the book, and allows readers to see that they are responsible for taking care of their planet. The offerings include Sheila Hamanaka's "All the Colors of the Earth," Grace Nichols's "Granny Granny Please Comb My Hair," Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Swing," and John Agard's "I'd Like to Squeeze." Each poem is unique in its rhythm and sound, figurative language, and imagery. The vibrant illustrations evoke the countries and the cultures from which the selections come. The print is attractively arranged and adds to the pleasing layout. A list of the authors with brief statements about their backgrounds is appended. A colorful and appealing anthology.-Margaret R. Tassia, Millersville University, PA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Moxley's distant, restrained depictions of children at play strike appropriately dispiriting visual notes for this uninspired gathering of poems-billed as coming "from around the world," though all were written in English, and over half by poets living either in England or North America. Aside from Sheila Hamanaka's "All the Colors of the Earth," Rabindranath Tagore's "Paper Boats" (both previously published as solo titles for children), and a passionate screed from pseudonymous South American Teresa de Jesus-"When I see food / tossed into the garbage / and a poor man poking around in case / it isn't rotten yet / it makes me furious!"-the entries are largely bland, prosaic observations about trees, seasons, hair, or the sky; jump-rope rhymes; or two chestnuts from Stevenson's Child's Garden of Verses. Capped by biographical notes so skimpy that two contributors aren't even mentioned, this also-ran isn't likely to reach readers the way James Berry's Around the World in Eighty Poems (2002), Floella Benjamin's Skip Across the Ocean (1995), or any number of similar offerings with an international focus have. (Picture book/poetry. 7-9)