David Frampton

Frampton, David. Mr. Ferlinghetti's Poem (Original Poem by Lawrence Ferlinghetti). Story and Woodcuts by David Frampton. Grand Rapids: Books for Young Readers, 2006.

Mr. Ferlinghetti’s Poem was written for children 5 years and up. It comes with beautifully designed woodcut illustrations that appeal to small children. It is a simple poem/story about what life was like in Brooklyn New York a long time ago. Ferlinghetti remembers simple things—how he and his friend were hanging out on a hot show more summer day when, fortunately, the fire department came to hose down their neighborhood. Kids and even adults danced around in the cool showers that brought great relief. This is a great, simple story that celebrates the simple things in life that people find joy in. show less

This is a very sweet and nostalgic poem about a young boy in Brooklyn's daydream that one hot summer day all the firemen come out to play with the local children by splashing the firehose.

This is such a cute book for young readers. This is an alphabet rhyming book. Everything just connects, a letter of the alphabet to an animal to things that animal does. Each page has a letter, an animal, and an earthy colored picture of that animal! This would be a great book for a class library, poetry, and art lessons!

I chose this book almost entirely for the attention-grabbing woodcuts that Frampton used to illustrate his work. He has written short background introduction of Mr. Ferlinghetti as a child, when his poem was written, and them completes the book with the poem in its entirety. The poem itself is a non-rhyming, very observational poem with a shingled appearance, from the childhood years of a lifelong poet. The color-washed woodcuts are simple yet stunning, and reflect the setting in a 1920s show more Brooklyn street on a hot summer day in a very enhancing way. show less