Poetry for Young People - Carl Sandburg

Poetry for Young People - Carl Sandburg 

Author: Carl Sandburg

Illustrator: Steve Arcella 

Grade Level: 4-6

Genre: Poetry 

Awards: none

Summary: This book includes poetry selections of Carl Sandburg.  This book includes works such as "Fog," "Arithmetic," and "Buffalo Dusk."  The poem "Fog" beautifully describes the incoming fog as a cat, quietly looking into the city and moving on.  "Buffalo Dusk"  tells the sad story of the buffalo.  The poem describes how not only are the buffalo gone, but the ones who saw them roam by the thousands are gone as well.  The buffalo and the memory of them are gone, lost forever like the fading day.

Evaluation:  Steve Arcella does a wonderful job illustrating the poems of Carl Sandburg.  The reason I chose the poems I did are mainly because of the beautiful artwork that went alongside them.  I see myself using this book in my classroom.  I think the students will not only enjoy the poems, but they will enjoy the illustrations as well.

This book is appropriate for grades four through six.  The poems in this work deal with themes appropriate for those grade levels. 

I plan to use this book when I introduce poetry.  I think students would enjoy the short, simple poetry works of Sandburg in this collection.  The artwork in this book would also stand out to them, increasing the impact of the poems themselves.