The Father Goose Treasury of Poetry - Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF

First, congratulations to the winner of the Finley: A Moose on a Caboose giveaway:

Erin Siska

Now, back to #PPBF. This week, I am so excited to feature this gorgeously illustrated collection of Charles Ghigna's 101 amazing poems! Soothing enough for a bedtime read, it's also full of wacky, thought provoking, and slyly humorous poems. It's a wonderful poetry resource celebrating the joy of language, wonder, and nature.

The Father Goose Treasury of Poetry: 101 Favorite Poems for Children

Author: Charles Ghigna

Illustrator: Sara Brezzi

Publisher: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. (2023)

Ages: 5-9

Poetry

Themes:

Poetry, joy of language, nature, wonder, and bedtime.

Synopsis:

In this stunningly illustrated treasury, Charles Ghigna, Father Goose®, has compiled 101 of his best, most-beloved children's poems to share with young readers as a first introduction to the joy of language and to the enchanted world of books. His poetry’s lilting rhythms and rhymes, and its short, simple sentences and clever repetition of key words and phrases he hopes will start children's eyes, minds, and hearts dancing along the rhythmical lines of poetry and into a lifelong love of lyrical language.

• Ideal bedtime story for young families

• Provides teachers and librarians with the perfect read-aloud book of poems to use in the classroom and the library

• Promotes language and literacy

Young readers and their families will gain an understanding of the wonder and joy of poetry, as well as a positive look at the natural world around them. In the words of Charles Ghigna, “It is the joyous power of poetry that turns listeners into readers and readers into writers.”

Opening Lines:

The Poet Tree House

Welcome to my tree house,

My free house,

My me house,

Where I come to ponder,

To wonder,

To look up at the sky,

Where I come to daydream,

To play dream,

To watch the clouds roll by,

Where the air is fresher,

No pressure,

Where treetops swish and sway,

Where I come to look at

The books that

Take me far away,

Where I come to travel,

Unravel

My thoughts out of the blue,

Where I come to write out

The night out

In poetry for you.

What I LOVED about this book:

Magic awaits the reader from the first minute they open this beautiful book. The ethereal, soft illustrations are amazing; these butterflies just dance across the page. [For the illustration of this opening poem, see Father Goose®'s interview on Monday (here).]

Text © Charles Ghigna, 2023. Image © Sara Brezzi, 2023.

The poems are organized into the seven themes of home, winter, spring, summer, fall, animals, and poetry. There's a deceptively, gentle lull to the poems, soothing and calm. Perfect for snuggle time or bedtime reading. But they are filled with thought provoking metaphors and enticing ideas - like a "Milky Way lagoon/Beneath the lighthouse of the moon" (image in Monday's interview) or that the variable weather we've been experiencing this spring, could be Mother Nature whimsically changing clothes.

Text © Charles Ghigna, 2023. Image © Sara Brezzi, 2023.

What will Mother Nature wear?

What will Mother Nature wear?

She always keeps us guessing.

With each new season of the year

She likes to change her dressing.

What will Mother Nature wear?

Green or gold or white?

She often likes to change her clothes —

Sometimes overnight!

Sly humor, as in "Thunder Bugs" (questioning if lightning bugs make thunder) or "Power Outage" -

Text © Charles Ghigna, 2023. Image © Sara Brezzi, 2023.

Power Outage

My house is as dark

As a midnight lake,

A party of candles

Without a cake.

Or the wackiness of Jack Prelutsky or Shel Silverstein like in the poem "I've Never Seen A Dragon Fly" or "My Very Own Monster Pet."

My Very Own Monster Pet

I would like a monster pet.

The kind that children never get.

Something mean and extra large

That likes to bite or squeeze or charge.

....

But if I can't have one of these

(No dogs or cats or goldfish please)

I'll take the pet I most adore —

I'll settle for a dinosaur.

Charles Ghigna is such a masterful poet. He's used various poetic forms throughout the book; creating a fun resource for teachers, librarians, and parents. In addition, the poems capture a child-like wonder and are really fun to read aloud; such as in "Honeybee" - "I wonder/ If she knows/ Her nose/ Chose a rose." or "A Poem is A Song" - "A song of color./ A rainbow of sound./ A locket of memory./ A future found." They encourage readers to slow, pause, and listen with their ears and their hearts to all the sounds and wonder nature has to offer. To enjoy the sounds of words and being silly.

I love the loose impressionistic and textured feel of Sara Brezzi's illustrations! The magical illustration of the silvery moon spreading moonbeams to watch over each of us, which accompanies the gentle poem "Mother of the Night," is simply stunning. As is the image accompanying the poem "Field of Butterflies." And as a bird lover, I adore all the Spring illustrations! And then there's the cat poems! Oh my gosh, there's no way I can show you (or list) all my favorite images or poems in this 128-page treasury; but hopefully this gave you enough of a sense of this magnificent poetic treasury that you'll go check out a copy for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

The subject and title indexes make it easy to relocate your favorite poems. Whether you're after a poem about a special animal or a particular season, a sense of curiosity or a bit of silliness, or just want to read some soothing poems, this is the perfect book. It is truly an auditory and visual treasure.

Resources:

- make an origami goose (easy) & (slightly harder).

- play "Ridonculous Rhymes" - kind of a poetry "Mad-lib."

- pick a poem in the book you like. Try to write your own poem on the same topic or in the same style. Then,

with various torn papers and textures make a collage image for your poem.

- try book poetry - using the titles of books, stack them so the spines make a poem.

If you missed the interview with Charles Ghigna on Monday, find it (here).

This post is part of a series by authors and KidLit bloggers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays. For more picture book suggestions and resources see Susanna Leonard Hill's Perfect Picture Books.