The Village Blacksmith

One of those poems we read in grammar school that sticks with us later in life. I must say Longfellow had a way with description "Under a spreading chestnut tree the village smithy stands. The smith, a mighty man is he, with large and sinewy hands, and the muscles of his brawny arms are strong as iron bands."

I can see this man, his environment, and recognize the labor he does. But it is the softer side that makes this poem immortal. It is the recognition of what the man feels and how he betters his community that makes me love it.

I would give this book five stars but it’s getting four because the illustrator added “BCE” to the description at the end.

Otherwise this is a fantastic illustration of the poem and we all enjoyed it.

Longfellow's poem about the village blacksmith is accompanied by richly textured illustrations by Karas. Through the illustrations, the blacksmith of old from the original poem is transformed to a modern town's blacksmith, still charming and unassuming, forging metal for all kinds of uses in the community.

This book is recommended for primary students. This book/poem depicts a blacksmith and the work and life he leads. In my future classroom, this book could be used to show how poetry can be used to create an overarching story.

This story about a village blacksmith offers a life metaphor as it talks about the seemingly simple life of this blacksmith and father. I would use this book in a 3rd-5th grade setting as an introduction into writing stories with poetry, but also in a middle school setting, maybe 5th-6th, to discuss literary devices such as imagery, similes, metaphors, and allegories.