Poetry Book Review #1

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 1976. Good morning to you, Valentine. Ill. by Tomie de Paola. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Lee Bennett Hopkins combines poems dealing with love, cards and other relevant subjects having to do with the season of Valentine’s in his anthology, Good Morning to You, Valentine. This creative collection includes several anonymous poems and also works from Shel Silverstein, Aileen Fisher and even William Shakespeare, to name a few. The poems are short, catchy and presented in a various and entertaining ways. Some are integrated into the art work, others are placed in playful form and then there are those that are unusually structured. One that I particularly enjoyed after attempting to read it many different ways before finally understanding it is called “Read See That Me” by Anonymous (p. 16):

READ SEE THAT ME

Read see that me

up will I love

and you love you

down and you and

The distinctive illustrations from Tomie de Paola are all done in the meaningful and symbolic color, red. The images extend the language within the poems. Even the text is red, which adds to the overall experience, mood and style of the collection.

Hopkins chose a variety of rhyming poems that leave the reader deep in thought, laughing, reflective, sentimental and filled with many other feelings. Although different genres of poetry make up this anthology, the common and universal theme of love ties the poems together. The poetry appeals to everyone, especially children because it reconnects them with the excitement and sweetness of past Valentine’s Days and Celebrations filled with parties, cards and most importantly candy!

There are many different ways to incorporate this poetry book into a classroom, library or school. Good Morning to You, Valentine could be used to inform students of the popular holiday that is approaching or the individual poems could be used to show that feelings can be expressed through poetry. Lee Bennett Hopkins’ collection, Good Morning to You, Valentine, effectively portrays poetry in an engaging and entertaining way to audiences of all ages.