Poetry for Young People - Edgar Allan Poe

Poetry for Young People - Edgar Allan Poe

Author: Edgar Allan Poe; edited by Brod Bagert

Illustrator: Carolynn Cobleigh

Grade Level: 8

Genre: Poetry 

Awards: none

Summary: This book is a collection of thirteen poems and eight prose from larger works of Edgar Allan Poe.  Some of the poems include Poe's more popular works such as "The Raven," "The Bells" and "For Annie."  This book also includes sections from "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Pit and the Pendulum."  The illustrations along with the poems make this book unique and engaging.  "For Annie" tells the story of a dying man who says goodbye to the world.  He assures his brokenhearted lover that her memories of him will live on forever.  "The Tell-Tale Heart" is about a man who meticulously murders a man and hides him under the floorboards of his home.

Evaluation: If you are introducing your class to Poe, I highly recommend this book.  The works themselves are already impressive.  What makes this book stand out are the illustrations.  Even though they are simple, they help paint the picture Poe is describing in his poems.  This is a book I plan to use in the near future. 

The grade level appropriateness, for any of Poe's works, begins at eight grade.  By this age, most students will be ready for his unique and dark works.

I plan to use this book when I introduce my class to Edgar Allan Poe.  I think this book will help my more visual learners see the story that is being painted by words of poetry.  This book might help them better understand the work.