Independent Reading Level: Grades 4th-5th grade
Awards: Christopher Award (2009), National Council of Teachers of English Excellence in Poetry for Children Award (2009)

A vividly illustrated collection of poems about pilgrims coming to the New World; a slave ship; the voyage of the St. Louis; Vietnamese boat people; the Mariel boatlift; and the current migration situation in the Mediterranean. Includes Notes, About the Poets, About this Book.

A haunting collection of poems surrounding the sea and those brave enough to voyage it.

Traveling the Blue Road is a collection of ocean-oriented poems curated by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Each poem-voyage is pair with stunning artwork. These poems range from Columbus’ travels, the Mayflower voyage, and the Irish potato famine, to slave ships and modern day refugee flights, among other topics.

While I greatly appreciated the beautiful poetry and artwork, my middle-of-the-road rating is due to the synopsis and marketing. It is billed as “a carefully curated collection of kid-friendly poetry about the ever inspiring subject of the ocean” and “a collection of poetry for children on the themes of the courage, beauty, and promise of sea voyages.”

No, son. This is not 'kid-friendly’. Most of the poems do not emphasise beauty and promise, and even the ones that do are darker in nature. Many of the poems deal with weighty topics like slavery and refugees fleeing terrible conditions. Instead of the ‘8-12’ age range, I feel this collection is more appropriate to young adult and adults, beginning around age 12.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing/ Seagrass for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. ( )