Mary Ann Hoberman (1930–2023)

This is more clever and educational than many classics of kids' writing for the same age group. Very entertaining and witty, with rich illustrations that might cause some adults to go "whoa, creepy", but I loved this sort of psychedelic art as a kid. An easy book to dismiss, but I'm totally hooked on it.

Prolific children's author Mary Ann Hoberman gathers fourteen poems celebrating our human uniqueness and connection in this picture book anthology, with each poem accompanied by the artwork of a different illustrator. Each poem offers a reflection on the poet's self—who they are, the songs they sing and music they make, the way they interact with the world—with contributors ranging from well-known classic authors such as Langston Hughes and A.A. Milne, to more contemporary ones (usually show more children's authors) such as Jack Prelutsky, Michael Rosen, and Ruth Krauss. The book closes with a section giving more information on each contributing author and illustrator...

I initially sought out My Song Is Beautiful: Poems and Pictures in Many Voices because I have recently been enjoying the artwork of illustrator Yoriko Ito, who is one of the contributing illustrators here. Her acrylic and mixed media painting, accompanying In a Hermit's Cottage by Kim Soo-Jang, was quite lovely. That being said, I ended up enjoying all of the poems and illustrations here, most especially Mary Ann Hoberman's You and I, illustrated by some of the young students she worked with in a Brooklyn school, Langston Hughes' Birth, illustrated by Ashley Bryan, and the Toltec poem My Song, translated by Toni de Gerez and illustrated by Andrea Arroyo. The latter, in particular, made me want to track down more of the work of translator (especially in this vein) and illustrator. Recommended to young poetry lovers, and to picture book readers exploring issues of the self, and of self-expression. show less

While promising poems for language lovers, this collection goes beyond. It adds a pinch of humor, which will make even less enthusiastic language learners smile, at least, a time or two.

Not only does this collection promise poems surrounding language, it holds poems with titles to cover every letter of the alphabet. There are almost 60 poems in these pages, and while many do directly dance around things such as assonance or punctuation, others simply endear or poke fun. Word play meets show more clever twists and silliness, and still, there are even a couple deep thoughts in store. Each one is listed in a table of contents at the beginning of the book for easy search purposes.

Each page holds a poem with a fitting illustration. These are drawn in a manner, which keeps light-hearted thoughts near and helps to make the poems clear. The illustrations are simple, bright and bold, letting the poems themselves shine and stay at the forefront of each page.

Most of the poems are short, clever, and many poke fun. They are easy to read and digest, which makes them nice for even reluctant-poetry readers. While I wasn't a total fan of the very first poem, the rest were entertaining...which shows that there's something for everyone, and of course, not everyone will like every one. (No play on words intended) It's a light read, makes a nice read-aloud, and is a great way to add a bit of fun poetry in a class setting or for individual fun. I received an ARC and enjoyed this one quite a bit. show less

Everything under the sun is either a house, or something that lives in a house, in this delightful rhyming story, originally published in 1978: "Cartons are houses for crackers. / Castles are houses for kings. / The more that I think about houses, / The more things are houses for kings," declares the narrator at one point. Hoberman's rhythmic text - which makes for the best sort of read-aloud selection - is accompanied by Betty Fraser's vintage artwork, with its attention to detail and many show more clever little allusions.

One of those titles I would probably never have thought to pick up, were it not for the recommendation of a friend - thanks, Chandra! - A House Is a House for Me is the best sort of "concept book." It introduces children to the idea of relationships - between different objects, between creatures and objects, and creatures and creatures - and how they "fit" together, in the big picture, but it does so in an entertaining and thought-provoking way. It "educates," in the sense that it prompts one to think about things in new ways. The artwork is just as successful, sneaking in many clever tributes to classic children's books - I liked the scene in which the boy is reading Munro Leaf's The Story of Ferdinand, or the one in which the girl finds herself having tea with the Mad Hatter, and the other characters from Alice in Wonderland - and successfully retaining the reader's attention.

All in all, a charming picture-book, one I would recommend to young readers who appreciate a rollicking rhyme, or detailed illustrations! show less