National Poetry Month: Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies

April is National Poetry Month. Started by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National poetry month is when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and writers across the United States come together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture.

At the Hop Spot, we’re going to celebrate National Poetry Month by reviewing some of our favorite poetry books, and suggesting fun activities that will get your kids’ writing some poems of their own. After all, some of the most beloved children’s storytellers, from Dr. Seuss to Mother Goose, would always find the time to rhyme!

To kick off our month-long celebration, we wanted to draw attention to one of our favorite poetry books at Grandrabbit's. If you’re looking for a beautiful and extensive volume of poems, we can’t recommend Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies highly enough. The nearly 150 poems were selected by Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton, and represent a wide range of writers such as Emily Dickinson, Shel Silverstein, Robert Lewis Stevenson, Ogden Nash, Emerson, Robert Frost, Shakespeare – and, of course, Broadway songwriters like Rogers and Hammerstein. Original works by Andrews and Hamilton are also featured. The poems are accentuated by James McMullan’s gorgeously lush watercolors, and the collection also features a CD with 21 poems read by Andrews and Hamiltion.

Each section is divided into themes, such as Sea Fever, Talk to the Animals, and Laughing Song, and features introductions by Andrews where she shares family stories and memories associated with the poems. It makes the collection feel very personal, and Andrews’ passion for the written word and its ability to bring families together, especially through reading out loud, is apparent.

We thought we would share this portion of an interview Andrews and Hamilton did with the good folks at Reading Rockets. It features readings of A. E. Housman’s “The Loveliest of Trees” and John Masefield’s “Sea Fever.” You can check out the full interview here.

This book would not only make a wonderful edition to your personal library, but also make a great gift. Stop into Grandrabbit’s and check it out!