Omni Daily Crush: "Julie Andrews' Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies"

There's just something about Julie. If you were a kid in the '60s or '70's you surely saw The Sound of Music in the movies or on t.v., or perhaps danced around the kitchen with an umbrella after a home screening of Mary Poppins?  It was hard not to break into song; Andrews didn't just make all those memorable songs hers, she made them ours, too. One of the keys to her uncanny gift is her deep appreciation and mastery of poetry.  From her early childhood, Andrew's father instilled in her a love of verse, which she developed and shared with her own family. Andrews communicates the lyrics because she really understands and takes joy in words and feelings they express.  As she herself observes:  "I'm always aware of the natural music in poetry.  I'm also drawn to the words and the meanings in a song, and I feel that many lyrics are poems in themselves."  

In her new book for young readers, Julie Andrews' Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies, co-written with her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton (herself an accomplished author and educator), Andrews shares her joy of poetry and music. The two exchanged poems since Emma's childhood, reading them to each other, and over the years building a shared experience of poetry in its many forms--the written word, song lyrics, and of course, lullabies. Selections range from classics by Robert Louis Stevenson, Emily Dickinson, and Robert Frost to contemporary works from Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, and Emma Walton Hamilton, herself.  Her poem "Bartholomew Blue"  frames illustator James McMullan's endearing watercolor of an indecisive and "confounded" boy upon whom birds alight and build a nest.

This rich and beautifully illustrated collection includes more than 150 works carefully selected by mother and daughter. Slipped into the back of the book, there's even a CD featuring 21 poems read by the two. The recording works is a natural for the book, and can be used by new parents and grandparents to move kiddies towards dreamland, it is also perfect for introducing preschoolers to poetry, and early readers to the joys of listening and reading along.  Hopefully, readers will be prompted to memorize some of the verses and recite them aloud.  Another way to enjoy the book is by the authors' choice of themes--each selection is assigned to sections on bedtime, growing up,  the sea, laughter, and the wonderful things of this world (from animals to skyscrapers).

The best gifts are personal.  Julie Andrews' Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies is nothing short of personal.  It's a book that was truly created from the heart, and meant to be shared.   --Lauren

Recommended for the kids' bookshelves alongside nursery rhymes (Mother Goose)  and more contemporary poetry collections including Jack Prelutsky's Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young, and Jane Dyer's Animal Crackers: A Delectable Collection of Pictures, Poems, and Lullabies for the Very Young.