Poetry Books

This book should be handed out to every man,women and Child This book has inspired me in so many ways I can't simply explain.The Arthur of this book has shown me pure genius in his words and wisdom. I pray that one day that I can achieve a fraction of his wisdom and intellect.God has called on this man to continue his works and I can't wait to read the next one.May God continue to bless your soul Mr.Ivory.

Totally outstanding would be the best way to describe "The Ivory Tower," do hope to read more of Mr. Ivory's work in the coming future.

Gerald G. Morrison

As a fellow poet, I can definitely tell you that Mr. Ivory composes his work not just from his heart, but from way down deep in his soul. This is a brilliant work of art from a truly gifted spirit. I look forward to his next piece with great anticipation.

I have witnessed this man move mountains of fellow poets and this books is a condensed version of HOW & WHY he is able to do so!

From the day to day struggles of life 2 the awesome power stemming from above...JLIvory is a Tower to be reconned with.

The ability to Educate...listen...learn...Empower...Challenge...Applaud...Instill. This book is able to fill an individual with so much.

I owed it to myself as well as JL to let YOU KNOW That This BOOK must be included in all library's that hold beautiful inspiration! Not to mention that fact that this man can Relate to me!

Big Brother, Father figure, Nephew, Son...He is all!

I thank you for blessing me with your mind!

I have witnessed this man move mountains of fellow poets and this books is a condensed version of HOW & WHY he is able to do so!

From the day to day struggles of life 2 the awesome power stemming from above...JLIvory is a Tower to be reconned with.

The ability to Educate...listen...learn...Empower...Challenge...Applaud...Instill. This book is able to fill an individual with so much.

I owed it to myself as well as JL to let YOU KNOW That This BOOK must be included in all library's that hold beautiful inspiration! Not to mention that fact that this man can Relate to me!

Big Brother, Father figure, Nephew, Son...He is all!

I thank you for blessing me with your mind!

I collect children's books, and this one takes the cake! It's simple, fun to read, Adrianne Johnson does some Fantastic illustrations. Roger Eschbacher takes rhyming to a whole new level!

My son has been reading this book (OK, I've been reading it to him) ever since he was a "little kid" of 3 - now he's 5. His favorite kid is Bob with his knob. He (me son, not Bob) recently took it to school with him, and all the kids loved it. I can't wait to read "Road Trip." You go, Roger! XO

This picture book is full of senseless fun. Escabacher taps into the joys of being a wild and verbally restless kid filled with energy and meaningless chatter. With little delay, he turns those words into a winner for all ages. He uses the names of twenty-six kids of every age who together reveal the excitement of writing a poem based on their name. There's Kyle who meets a crocodile; Moss who doesn't know what to do with a ton of applesauce; Uz scooping up fuzz and Ty the human fly. Most of all there is Xerk who gets paid to lurk, he loves to sneak and do detective work. To complement the silly poetic text is Johnson's silly outrageous illustrations. Cartoon characters fill the pages making sure you see their simple silly faces. Some eyes closed some opened some with and without noses. The colors used might not entice younger ages, but silliness outweighs the color schemes. For ages 3 -7.

OK, I am confused. Do the "professional" reviewers not have kids? My daughter loved this book. We read it often (no offense to the author, I can't read any book every night and stay sane). She loves the rhymes and then we of course start a silly game where we have to make up a rhyme with her or her friends names. This is truely my only complaint. Have you ever tried to rhyme Jessica or Jacqueline!? Anyway, this book is a great vehicle for immagination. My daughters kindergarden class all made up rhymes for their names because of it. I really think the reviewers are out of touch with what kids like. Of course, how many times have you seen a movie that you and everyone you know loved, but the critics hated. Anyway, trust the kids, the book is great!

This clever and charming book gets two thumbs up from my husband and me. Having written and illustrated childrens' books ourselves, we're always checking out new releases. We found "Nonsense, He Yelled" to be original, whimsical and a lot of fun --and that's no nonsense!

This book received many great reviews in education journals. My students love this book and it is very popular. I highly recommend it - who can pass up this puppy?

We saw this book featured on our local news station's "Success by 6" children's reading program and loved it! I ordered it as a gift for my two year-old niece but had a very hard time parting with it when it came. The illustrations are fabulous, the accompanying "stories" are charming, anyone who loves dogs will thoroughly enjoy this book. It exceeded my expectations.

My daughter and I are beginning our forever-long study of poetry and I found this unexpected and beautiful book about dogs (her favorite animal). The language and style of Once I Ate a Pie flows with such an obvious love and mastery of word usage and consideration of subject. The poems are blank verse but the word choice is juicy and deliberate. Really stunning paintings compliment each piece. I found myself brought to tears at least twice and really humbled by the talent of the authors.

** If you happen to check it out, Mr. Beefy is my favorite ;).

This is my grandson's favorite book. Is wonderful and a lot of fun. He has always had Pugs.

This book makes me feel like a kid at heart. It's great fun to read it giving each animal it's own voice since you can really sense the different personalities from each drawing and story. I also think it's a good lesson for children because, let's face it, some of these dogs are totally neurotic! I think it's a good way to show kids that everyone, including animals, have their own little personalities and behaviors and some of them are a little odd!

I just stumbled across this book in the Birmingham Museum of Art and what a delightful surprise! What a showcase of Alabama women's writing talents. From silly to serious, this book covers it all, from crib to cradle. It left me asking when's the next one coming out and where can I get it!

What an excellent display of the talents of Alabama writers! Alabama is often the brunt of "good ole boy" jokes, skipping over the intelligence and versatility of the abundance of talent found in Alabama. Anyone can relate to this book---from grandmothers and grandfathers and "hard times" which are displayed profusely. Hats off to the contributors to this book and for the editor for taking the time to introduce these poems to America!

Ordinary and Sacred as Blood makes me feel at home among writers--Alabama women writers who have shared their inmost thoughts from every cranny of the state. The variety of their experiences and the ways they have chosen to express them are appealing--poetry, memoir, essay, story. I'm still reading, and I've enjoyed every one--from our wonderful just-retired poet laureate Helen Blackshear to Helen Norris to Susan Murphy and Nabella Shunnarah, from Anne George to Natasha Tretheway to others whose voices are new to me. I look forward to the next chapter from this group.

Alabama authors have stepped forth to share short stories, poems and quips that will lift the heart of the reader. Ordinary & Sacred as Blood, authored by Alabama women, will trigger your every emotion. It truly promises and delivers something for everyone. You'll treasure this book forever. Delightful, thoughtful way to remember those on your gift list.

wonderful, folksy reading with home folks. Alabama Christmas by Charlotte Miller very sweet.Mamie was a Slave by Helen Blackshear gives insight into other days.

I own this book, and even purchased a copy for the use by my Alma mater University for their children's collection of books.
This book is the FINAL published book of poems by 13 year old Mattie Stepanek, who died on 22 June 2004 from a rare form of muscular dystrophy: Dysautonomic Mitochondrial Myopathy. He was a genius by intellect, but as sweet as a boy could have been. I recommend this book because of Mattie's keen insight into major human issues such as LOVE, PAIN, SUFFERING, FRIENDSHIP, SICKNESS, LONLINESS, FULFILMENT, DEPRESSION, AND IMPENDING DEATH. By late Autumn of 2003, I believe Mattie surmised that not only was death possible but was probably imminent.

By Dec 2001, Mattie and former US President Jimmy Carter became close friends, and this undoubtedly had an impact on Mattie's later poems. You actually SENSE Mattie becoming a Peacemaker like his childhood idol, Jimmy Carter. This book is more than simply GOOD poetry, but the plethora of photos from his mother's collections give the reader a visual biography of a boy who ROSE ABOVE his fatal sickness and who proved to be an angel in disguise for millions upon millions of people, when the day was Done! A MUST BUY Book.

Mattie's writings have touched my spirit like no other. His wisdom beyond his years and how his books make us look at life, especially our own, in a different light, has to be from God, therefore, making Mattie an "Angel Among Us" in my book.

This book is a must-read for all adults, and older children. The amount of suffering this child endured, and yet could find a reason to grasp life to the fullest, is a lesson for all of us. Mattie had a special gift that only comes from God, with messages that are profound. And yet, the messages are delivered in utter simplicity. It will absolutely change your life.

I got this book last year from my grandmother and really enjoyed it. The poetry was nice, even if most of it didn't rhyme, and the color photos were excellent. This book was an awesome collection of Mattie's poetry from when he was really young, to his last words before he died in 2004. The only thing I wish was in the book was more information on Mattie's brothers and sister, so everyone could know about them as well as Mattie.

If anyone wants to learn about courage I would suggest this book. What a remarkable person Mattie Stepanic was, his poems will pull at your heart strings as they did mine. It will be a book to treasure all my life, and reread.
Betty Blake
Book lover in Vermont

My son loves this book so much that when it started falling apart, I bought another one! He asks for this book every night. Highly recommend!!

This book is beautifully illustrated. The vibrant colors invited my students to be actively engaged while we were reading it together. The rhyme scheme of the book made my students laugh and learn at the same time. Humor is always a good way to learn. I would reccomend this book to anyone.

This book has been a favorite in our home since we got it over 8 years ago. The pictures are beautiful and fun. The rhymes are great. It is one of the few books that I do not tire of reading over and over and over again to the kiddos.

Only draw-back is that it is permanately stuck in my head. Can't go to the zoo without finding myself saying the rhymes. Oh, who am I kidding, that's not a draw-back...it is kinda fun! hee hee

This book has been loved by all of my children, every one of my children old enough to talk have this book memorized.

This is such a cute book. Bright and colorful pictures to look at, with a story that isn't too repetitive. Readers will not mind reading time and again to children

This book features fairies and is in the children's fantasy genre, but it is about much more. It has relevance to yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and I believe it could appeal to anyone who ever loved great children's stories, of the kind that make you think as well as carry you away.

The importance of this book is both small and large, and I don't just mean the fairies as opposed to the ogres in the story. The smaller message is "use your head, appreciate simple things, and learn to live with less." The larger message is "something really terrible can happen if you don't." That "something" is pretty horrible and could destroy the Earth and humanity. I hope this book has the effect on others that it has had on me. I couldn't stop thinking about it after I read it. The writer of this book mixes a fun story with a message that really hits home in our modern world. For myself, I plan to pay more attention to what I actually need versus what I want.

I did enjoy the storyline of fairies going on a mission, solving puzzles, discovering new things, completing a scavenger hunt, writing poetry, etc... But I also can't stop thinking about my impact on the world, even though I am just one person. Along with a great story, this book contains classic-style illustrations (looks like a variety of media-ink, watercolor, acrylic) and fun activities in the back. The activities in the back are designed mainly to appeal to children, but the book itself is geared to everyone. I think the message might mean different things to different people depending on our ages and experiences, but it is definitely relevant.

My daughter and I loved reading this book. After we read it, she talked about it so much that we decided to read it again.

The scarecrow is a nice character in this book, friend to the Princess of Haiku and guide to help the fairies in finding her. The ogres are also good characters and somewhat funny, playing marbles with coconuts and hopscotch with giant river stones.

The adventure has the fairies solving puzzles, going on a scavenger hunt, and writing poetry to free the Spirit of Simplicity (aka The Princess of Haiku) from an evil spell. The scavenger hunt was particularly wonderful because they were looking for things like the whisper of butterfly wings and the smell of rain and music in the water.

What really drew me to this book was remembering the fun and games from my childhood. My daughter wanted to know more about string games and handclap games, and she asked me about getting a kite. I hope she continues to show an interest in these things instead of so much focus on the handheld games and other electronic type stuff.

This is a good book and I do recommend it.

This book stresses choices and particularly making wise choices. When the fairies are asked to choose between a pebble and a giant ruby, they must choose the pebble because they are looking for simplicity. Their problem solving must also seek the simple solution. A door with many keys (the fairies can only choose one key and can only try one time to unlock the door) is already unlocked and does not require any of the keys - in other words, the simple solution. Fortunately, the clever fairies are using their heads in this story and do make the right choices

You'd think a story about a princess would be all frilly, but this is not at all. It is about poetry, simplicity and learning about what's really important in the world. The fairies learn simple and valuable lessons on their journey. While they are on their fairy mission, even when faced with a serious task, they take enjoyment in simple pleasures surrounding them. One of the things I liked most about this book was the fact that I was never able to predict what was going to happen next. Over and over again I was surprised by what was happening, and this made me want to keep reading. My ten yr. old niece loves this book, I am reading it aloud to my own children and I will be recommending this fairy tale to friends.

How the whole thing started is important. That's what I think is so interesting. Sure, the fairies go on an exciting mission, but the whole thing started with a book of poetry being destroyed. That's the larger message of this book. Human beings recognizing that even our smallest actions can have gigantic consequences, like the butterfly effect. I liked the way this story was put together. It's like I was tricked into enjoying it so much because it's magical and fun, but I was reminded of how serious even our littlest mistakes can be.

This is a wonderful 1st Bible for infants and toddlers! I've purchased it twice because the 1st copy was so "well loved" and showed it. The short rhymes that make up each story and colorful pictures are perfect for a young child with limited attention span. My son is 2 1/2 and has enjoyed hearing the stories since 18 months. My daughter started with this bible as well, and was able to remember many key Bible stories by the time she was old enough for Sunday school, simple because of the rhymes she had heard.

My 2-year-old loves having her very own Bible and reads stories from the book every night. The rhymes are simple, yet thoughtful and humorous at times, and the sing-song cadence allows toddlers to quickly memorize the stories. My daughter's favorite story is about "Noah's boat," as she says, and after a few weeks was able to recite the story herself. We even bought her a toy ark to reinforce the story. She has now memorized several of her favorite stories.

It's been such a joy to see her, at an early age, enjoy reading about God, Jesus, and the lives of His followers.

I checked this book out of the library. My daughter generally gets easily distracted when I read to her. After reading several books with me feeling like I was reading to myself instead of to her, I pulled this book out. She looked at every page, every picture, as I read the rhymes. We finished the Old Testament. I asked her if she wanted to put it aside for the next day. She asked me to keep reading--we read the whole book in one sitting! Amazing. The rhymes are simple and accurate but leave out the "bad" things. It is a very happy book. This would be a great introduction to the Bible for baby and toddler up through age 4.

We got this Bible years ago for our oldest daughter (now 4, we started when she was 1). As we read the stories, we dated the corner of the page. Now we are reading it to our younger daughter (now 2). She askes for Bible each night as part of our bedtime routine and loves to "read" it throughout the day. My four year old now reads this Bible independently and I love to listen to my oldest read the stories to my youngest. I have given several of these to friends with young children.

My entire congregation loves this beautiful book. It's now a tradition that our ladies' group gifts one of these to every baby baptized at our church: we used to give bibles which an infant would have no immediate use for. It's beautiful illustrations grab even the smallest child's attention and it's stories are captivating -- mothers even tell me they've read each so often that they have it memorized and their child is big enough to turn the pages while Mom recites the words while driving or making dinner!

This short book should be required reading for all politicians. While there may be valid reasons for starting a war, the unintended consequences are not always considered, including the impact on families and the innocent. We should all temper our patriotism with a little dose of reality.

No other book has ever hit me this hard with its message in so few pages like Twain's The War Prayer. In our troubled world today, this book should be read by everyone. The book portrays the unspoken side of a war prayer, the consequences of victory and conquest. This dark tale of Twain is bound well into a small book that is accompanied by illustrations. The drawings here (just look at the cover page) are eloquent as they are haunting and accompany the grimness of Twain's piece absolutely beautifully. A buy you will never forget. After you read it, buy a few more copies, and give this to family and friends. To ignore such a book with a powerful message, bound in a beautiful edition with illustrations as melancholy as the story itself, would be a sin.

Twain's _War Prayer_ is a classic piece of anti-war literature. Written during the Spanish-American war, the sentiments Twain expresses are still relevent today. As a combat vet, I always struggle with those who invoke the name of religion, morality or righteousness with war. War is obscene - Twain's vivid poem illustrates what that is. The power of Twain's words are supported by the drawings of John Groth, which fit the tone and time of the story.

As a previous reviewer has noted, the printing quality of the book leaves something to be desired; with that said, I strongly recommend this powerful piece.

This short narrative is simple and to read an understand. It gives the dramatic account of a blindly patriotic church service being interrupted by a "messenger of God," who proceeds to reveal the unspoken prayer of the congregation as heard by the ears of the LORD. It is, to put it breifly, a caution against self-centered prayer and/or a reprimand against needless bloodshed. This should be standard reading in schools and churches across the globe, especially here in the good 'ole war-mongering USA.

OK - A note from a middle american man on the War Prayer. This book should be read every morning at schools rather than the pledge of allegiance. It takes the american psyche of war and turns it on its ear, with no need for the author's typical wit. I have bought and given away many copies, but more importantly always have a copy hanging around somewhere in your house where visitors or your kids might come across it. They might pick it up, and to pick it up is the same as to read it for the ten minutes it would take anyone to get through it. If more and more people read this book, our culture could perhaps find a more humane view of what warfare truly is. Are you truly willing to pray that your enemies children will be left wandering, wounded, trying to find enough food to survive? I sure hope I know your answer.

Just what I wanted, the only problem I encountered, wasn't with the book but with the delivery of the item. I ordered it on the 7th and it arrived on the 24th. Amazon was very helpful in solving my problem. I will continue to place orders with them. Thanks again , my granddaughter loves her book.

I grew up in New Orleans and my dad would read this to me every year. After many years and many moves, we lost our original. I was thrilled to find this on Amazon and I purchased it for my dad as a Christmas gift. What a wonderful sight to see him reading it to my two sons this Christmas Eve!

This book has been a Christmas tradition in my family for many years. We are Cajuns and love this story. The illustrations are well drawn and bring this story to life for people of all ages.

My husband and I saw this book when we toured New Orleans a couple of years ago, but I couldn't justify the price they were asking for it in the stores there in New Orleans. However, when I saw the price through Amazon, I had to have this book. It is definitely a lighthearted story that old and young would enjoy.

I purchased this book for my two grandsons, ages 7 and 4. I was born and raised in Louisiana as was my daughter and the Cajun history is part of my grandsons' legacy though they were not born there. The grandsons were reduced to laughter and delight at grandma reading the book to them in the Cajun "accent". The 7 year old has tried his hand at reading as well and thoroughly entertains his younger brother. This will definitely become part of our Christmas traditions here in Illinois. The best part of all, it keeps my grandsons inspired to read!