A Child's Calendar

Rather than twelve short poems, this book is really more like one long poem in twelve parts, as each transitions naturally to the next (sometimes explicitly referencing what's come before), painting one picture as a unified whole. And the poetry is pretty good, though not great---there are some nice turns of phrase and unusual but evocative imagery (as well as appeals to the other senses!). I especially enjoyed the October poem.

But some parts are pretty bland, and there are some missed opportunities. For example, for the month of July, Updike discusses Independence Day with this stanza: "America / It makes us think / Of hot dogs, fries, / And Coke to drink." Now, I realize this book is for kids, but really? That's all he's got to say show more about what America means...hot dogs, fries, and Coke? That's just weak, in every respect. On the other hand, that month ends with this cute and clever wordplay, quasi-metaphor and part pun: "And Tabby dozes / In a pool / Of fur she sheds / To keep her cool." But a lot of the other months are similarly given to conventional references to church, and God as the author of nature, and so forth. Not that that wouldn't appeal to most of the book's audience, but it struck me as rather trite and meaningless.

The illustrations are nice, interesting to look at, and complement the poems---and one even made me laugh out loud: in August, Updike writes, some people "go to seaside / Bungalows / And take off nearly / All their clothes"...and the accompanying picture shows a rear-view of a boy at the beach who has in fact removed even his bathing suit, arms proudly upraised, as his mother rushes toward him to correct this faux pas.

The accompanying CD narrated by Updike is also pretty good, but something about his voice and intonation or something is at times eerily reminiscent of a creepy clown, or Mormon "prophet" Thomas S. Monson (same difference)...but maybe that's just me. On the whole: cute, and possibly a good way to teach kids about the months of the year...but it could have been better. show less

A lovely book about the months of the year with poems that should appeal to grade school children, and illustrations that will delight older readers. The marvelous watercolor illustrations are what bumped this up to a four-star read for me.

There are three reasons that I liked the book “A Child’s Calendar” by John Updike. First, I liked how this book was organized. This book contained poems about each of the twelve months of the year. Starting with January and ending with December, each page had a poem about a different month with the page next to it containing a descriptive illustration that went along with the poem. I believe that the organization of this book is what makes it so good.

Next, the poems that encompassed each page were written beautifully. Each of the twelve poems, one for each month of the year, were all a lovely description of the weather, activities, and the passing of seasons that happens with each month. The rhymes that the lines contained made show more the poems all flow very well. Although the poems contained very descriptive words, they were still very easy to read and understand. An example of the descriptive, yet beautiful poems that encompassed this book is a passage from the month of august: “The sprinkler twirls/the summer wanes/the pavement wears/popsicle stains.”

Finally, the illustrations Trina Schart Hyman went along with each months poem very well. The illustrations contained the same family throughout all twelve months. They pictured what each of the months would look like for that family with just enough detail for the reader to imagine himself or herself in each month. In addition, the watercolors that Hyman used were wonderful. They were very vibrant and definitely caught my attention. show less

The poetry and accompanying illustrations are brilliant. Children's poetry, that which captures a child's mind with beauty and simplicity, without condescension or insipid imagery, is rare. I'm glad Updike took the time to write these.

A Child’s Calendar by John Updike is a collection of 12 poems, one for each month of the year. Each double-page spread contains a poem, a full-page illustration, and a small illustration that shares the page with the poem. The poems are between four and five stanzas. I love the rich vocabulary used throughout the book. The illustrations are perfect and allow the children to see the seasons change throughout the book. The illustrations do include diverse children and families. This book received the Caldecott Honor in 2000.

Hyman illustrates fantasy better than the everyday, in my opinion. And the verses were rather sing-songy and superficial. That said, the book is appealing and worthy. I liked the interracial blended family implied by the drawings - and the youngest boy is such a scamp!

A Child’s Calendar is a collection of lyrical poems about each month of the year. Each poem details the weather, activities, and holidays of each month. One particular poem illustrates the month of October. It paints a picture of the tress as their leaves turn, of migrating birds, and all hallows eve.

I really enjoyed this collection, but I found that the months don’t quite match the seasons in my area of the country. However I would still use this book to illustrate lyrical poetry. All of the poems are written in the same way, and would provide a good source of examples for children to look at.

A very easy way to use this book in the classroom would be to have a "poem of the month". For each calendar month, I would post a show more corresponding poem with the classroom calendar. Another idea would be to create a book of poems that match the months and seasons of the classrooms location. The class could work together to write a poem for each month as we get to it. show less