Julie Andrews' Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies

by Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton, Jim McMullan (Illustrator)

Overview

In this comprehensive collection, coauthors Julie Andrews and daughter Emma Walton Hamilton share a diverse assortment of their most cherished poems, songs, lullabies, hymns, and more.

Featuring a wide range of beloved classics from William Shakespeare, Emily Dickenson, and Robert Frost to playful poems by Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein, this is the perfect collection for families to share throughout the years. Julie and Emma additionally contribute a number of their own poems and reveal the stories behind some of their family favorites. James McMullan's stunning watercolor paintings bring each page to glorious life with his spectacular vision and artistic point of view.

The Collection, now featuring a brand-new cover design, is packaged with a special CD featuring mother and daughter alternately recording twenty-one poems, some of which are recited together. This special keepsake anthology is one that readers of all ages will return to and treasure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316040495
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	10/06/2009
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	8.54(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.96(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Julie Andrews is one of the most recognized figures in the world of entertainment best known for her performances in Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music and, more recently, The Princess Diaries. Julie is the author of many beloved children's books, including Mandy and The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, and her recent bestselling memoir, Home. Visit the Julie Andrews Collection online at www.julieandrewscollection.com.

Emma Walton Hamilton is a bestselling children's book author, editor, educator and theater arts professional. She has co-authored and published 16 books for children and young adults, four of which were New York Times bestsellers. Emma is the coauthor of the I Can Read! DUMPY easy readers series with her mother, Julie, and illustrated by her father, Tony Walton.

James McMullan is an award-winning illustrator whose work has appeared in a variety of books for adults and young readers. He has been internationally recognized for his seventy posters for Lincoln Center Theater.McMullan received the New York Times Best Illustrated Book award in 2002 for the picture book I Stink!, and was also awarded with the Society of Illustrator's prestigious Hamilton King Award.

Editorial Reviews

Introducing children to poetry is the wish of nearly every parent, but in the age of video games and text messaging, not a wish easily achieved. Beloved actress Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton make that task easier with a carefully selected anthology of 150 poems, songs, and lullabies, chosen especially for children. The verse includes an eclectic mix of time-tested classics and modern favorites; the authors include not only Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost but also Jack Prelutsky, Shel Silverstein, and Rodgers & Hammerstein. To engage youthful audiences, mother and daughter have created a CD containing 21 playfully read poems.

Julie Andrews and her daughter’s selection of material for children contains works by figures as diverse as Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Rodgers and Hammerstein, A.A. Milne and Shel Silverstein, as well as offerings by Andrews and Hamilton. McMullan’s paintings express the sometimes silly, sometimes melancholic temperaments of the pieces, which together form a tapestry of human emotions and experiences, grand and small. The broad potpourri of voices, given a modern yet comforting flair by the artwork, is bound to become a favorite. An audio CD with poems read by Andrews and Hamilton is included. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 2 Up—Through sections entitled "All Things Bright and Beautiful," "Accentuate the Positive," and "Leisure" (the proper pronunciation rhymes with pleasure), Andrews relates her lifelong love of poetry and how she and her daughter, co-selector Hamilton, share this passion. Andrews and Hamilton also contribute several poems. The generous collection includes a nice range of old favorites by Robert Louis Stevenson, Rachel Field, and Christina Rossetti. Recent poets include Frank Asch, Nikki Grimes, and Jack Prelutsky. Many of the songs hail from theater and movie musicals: "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'!" and "My Favorite Things," "Talk to the Animals," and "Feed the Birds." A CD featuring Andrews reading 21 poems is included. This is a warmly sentimental collection, leavened with humor and poignancy, and though it appears marketed toward adults who will purchase it for their home collections, educators and librarians will also embrace it for its sincere advocacy of reading aloud. McMullan's lush watercolor paintings add to the overall appeal of this well-crafted anthology.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA

School Library Journal

Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma, narrate a collection of their favorite poems. Arranged by theme, such as the sea, friendship, laughter, and leisure, the poems come from both traditional and modern poets, as well as from Andrews family members. Andrews's signature elocution, shared by her daughter, and their gentle British accents are easy on the ear and, at times, carry the recording. One sometimes listens to their lilt and cadence at the expense of the poem. Vibrancy triumphs at moments when the pair read in tandem or present the unique—such as a poem about a Welsh town with a very long name. The recording provides a PDF file of the James McMullan paintings included in the print book. A.R. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2010 - AudioFile