A Child's Garden of Verses
Recommended. Age: 7+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
These poems give a child words for wonder. Swings, shadows, rain and bedtime become worth noticing, and the child in them says his prayers and thanks God for food. They are made for memorizing. The one reservation is 'Foreign Children,' a period piece in which the speaker pities children of other nations. Skip it or talk it through.
For parents
Read aloud from 3, independent reading from 7. Kolbe uses it in second grade. Pick one poem a week to learn by heart. Start with 'My Shadow' or 'The Swing.' Ask what the child in 'A Thought' is thankful for. With 'Foreign Children,' ask whether God loves those children less.