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.)

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

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