It’s poetry month. I’ve recently written about literature that can interest boys. And one of my very favorite childhood memories addresses both of these subjects.
My parents couldn’t read Longfellow’s Hiawatha to me enough. This is poetry that is meant to be read aloud. It’s trite, but the use of language here is truly music to the ears. The addition of the beautiful sound of Longfellow’s words adds a whole new dimension to reading aloud to your child. It offers a whole new way of appreciating reading and stories and literature. Giving your child this extra dimension to grab onto as they learn literacy is always beneficial.
Longfellow’s Hiawatha is an epic home, meaning there’s a real story here that the kids can sink their teeth into. It’s a story about Native Americans, a subject kids naturally seem to be interested in. Like all epic poems, Hiawatha is about conflict and good versus evil. In other words, the subject matter here will keep the interest and attention of boys as well as girls.
Since we’re already on the subject of my childhood favorites, I have to recommend the other book of poetry that I adored as a child: Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses. My version was beautifully illustrated with pen and ink drawings that really brought the short children’s poems to life for me.
I recommend both Hiawatha and A Child’s Garden of Verses, not just for other kids birthday gifts but also for your own home library. They will give much joy, and of course the gift of literacy.
[DISCLOSURE: If you purchase a book through the link on this page, I make a commission from Amazon. Seems reasonable to me…..]
We’re always looking for kids birthday gifts for you that go beyond the plastic toys.
