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POSTED: 13 MAY 2010 Libby Hathorn (editor) & Cassandra Allen (illustrator), The ABC Book of Australian Poetry: A Treasury of Poems for young People ABC Books | 192pp hardback | $29.99 Reading poetry to children is one of life’s greatest and most indulgent pleasures ... both for the sheer joy that it reveals in their eyes as they escape into their own fantasy world and for the escape it provides yourself as you momentarily return to the innocent escapism of an oft-forgotten childhood. Libby Hathorn has compiled a wonderful collection that combines classic Australian poetry by the likes of Banjo Patterson, C.J. Dennis, and Dorothea Mackellar, with more contemporary contributions from poets such as Les Murray and Gwen Harwood. It’s strung together with the theme of “All Along the River” and certainly lives up to Hathorn’s ambitions: “I have been concerned that works of certain classic Australian poets may be slipping out of sight, while the fine works of poets of our time may never be heard or read by young people. This anthology gave me the opportunity to invogorate classic works and highlight contemporary Australian voices, using the metaphor of the river of life for each section, and reflecting so aptly the phases of our history.” Beautiful illustrations by Cassandara Allen complete a tome that I’m sure can take a treasured place on any child’s bookshelf ... a tome that they will thoroughly enjoy listening to and later to delving into themselves. |
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