A Song About Myself: a poem by John Keats
$17.99
Hardcover
He was a naughty boy,
A naughty boy was he,
He would not stop at home,
He could not quiet be.
English poet John Keats is remembered for his great odes and sonnets — making this lighthearted, little-known poem a special treat. As written in a letter to his young sister when he was feeling homesick on a visit to Scotland, Keats runs his rhymes up and down and all around, leading the reader on a playful chase in and out of language and meaning while caricaturing both himself and what it means to be an aspiring poet. In perfect synchrony, the celebrated Chris Raschka illustrates Keats’s droll words with his signature vibrant, energetic watercolors.
John Keats was born in London on October 31, 1795. While he trained in medicine and was a licensed apothecary, he never practiced. Instead, he devoted his life to poetry, and his own poetic work is striking in its vivid imagery and use of classical mythology. He died of tuberculosis in 1821.
Chris Raschka is a two-time Caldecott Medal winner, for A Ball for Daisy and The Hello, Goodbye Window, written by Norman Juster. He is also the creator of The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra and illustrated four acclaimed poetry anthologies edited by Paul B. Janeczko. Chris Raschka lives in New York City.
*Raschka injects fresh whimsy into a bit of linguistic tomfoolery from one of the poet's letters to his younger sister...Visually boisterous, great fun to read aloud, and likely to incite some "wond'ring" along with the laughter. : Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
*Students can write their own playful poems about themselves, rhyming or not, after reading this delightful picture book. A lovely introduction to this romantic poet that will please readers of any age.School Library Journal
Raschka’s exuberant pictures and Keats’s playful nonsense poem make an irresist- ible combination from the very first page...An appended illustrator’s note details the origins of the Keats ditty, written (as part of a letter to his sister) almost two hundred years ago—and now revisioned as a joyful nonsensical experience for young listeners and readers. The Horn Book
Related Items
Before John was a Giant
Sold Out
paperback Synopsis Young John Coltrane was all ears. And there was a lot to hear growing up in the South in the 1930s: preachers praying,...
Out of Wonder: Poems celebrating Poets
Sold Out
Hardcover Synopsis Out of gratitude for the poet’s art form, Newbery Award–winning author and poet Kwame Alexander, along with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth, present...
Feel the Beat: Dance Poems That Zing from Salsa to Swing
$17.99
Hardcover Synopsis An irresistible book of poems about dancing that mimic the rhythms of social dances from cha-cha to two-step, by the acclaimed author of Mirror...