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Poetry for Young People
Rudyard Kipling
"Twenty-eight poems (or parts of poems) reverberate with Kipling's compassion for his fellow humans....introduction details the events of his life and their relationship to his work. With dedication to the structure, rhythm, and rhyme of his craft, Kipling created poetry that, when read aloud, sings to its audience in every phase. Sharpe's exquisite paintings illustrate the exotic quality of the verse, whether of animals in the jungle or ships at sea. Vibrant colors reflect the strong emotions of each poem...The faces of children show humor, trust, curiosity, and moodiness. Familiar lines from 'If' and 'The Ballad of East and West' demonstrate the poet's universal appeal. As in other books in this series, each poem is preceded by background information, and difficult or unfamiliar words are defined...A worthy addition."-- School Library Journal .
48 pages, Hardcover
First published March 31, 2000
7 people are currently reading
257 people want to read
About the author
Rudyard Kipling
6,975 books3,621 followersJoseph Rudyard Kipling was a journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist.
Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888). His poems include Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919), The White Man's Burden (1899), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".
Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, at the age of 41, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."
Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. On the night of 12 January 1936, Kipling suffered a haemorrhage in his small intestine. He underwent surgery, but died less than a week later on 18 January 1936 at the age of 70 of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Kipling's death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."
Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888). His poems include Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919), The White Man's Burden (1899), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".
Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, at the age of 41, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."
Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. On the night of 12 January 1936, Kipling suffered a haemorrhage in his small intestine. He underwent surgery, but died less than a week later on 18 January 1936 at the age of 70 of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Kipling's death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
October 20, 2024
We are loving this series at our house, and how our family poetry time is enhanced by these beautiful editions.
June 1, 2025
Poems from one of my favorite book's author Rudyard Kipling, when I was young and when I read it to my Grandsons, The Jungle Book.
The book is laid out different with an introduction to explain what the poem is about. Which could be helpful for some that are not familiar with events in history.
The Elephant's Child: why the elephants have trunks
The Absent-Minded Beggar: about a wounded and stubborn solider
How the Camel Got His Hump: lazy camels and karma
If: character, values and moral standards. This one has always been my favorite. Kipling wrote it for his son John. Telling him how to go through life with humility, integrity and self composure and not let things go to your head. Do not dwell on the past just move on. Just be a man about it good or bad. Take it in stride!
An excellent way to introduce a form of art known as poetry to your children or grandchildren. If you read it to them they are sure to enjoy if nothing else the illustrations look like paintings!
The book is laid out different with an introduction to explain what the poem is about. Which could be helpful for some that are not familiar with events in history.
The Elephant's Child: why the elephants have trunks
The Absent-Minded Beggar: about a wounded and stubborn solider
How the Camel Got His Hump: lazy camels and karma
If: character, values and moral standards. This one has always been my favorite. Kipling wrote it for his son John. Telling him how to go through life with humility, integrity and self composure and not let things go to your head. Do not dwell on the past just move on. Just be a man about it good or bad. Take it in stride!
An excellent way to introduce a form of art known as poetry to your children or grandchildren. If you read it to them they are sure to enjoy if nothing else the illustrations look like paintings!
April 20, 2016
Enjoyed this. Some of his stuff is strikingly good. At the same time, I do have trouble deciphering his use of dialects.
July 16, 2022
I needed to screen this book to see if it could go on our Little Free Library shelves at work. It's ok? But not the best poetry I've ever read. It's also aimed at kids, but I would recommend an adult read with them as there are some ideas that need further explanation.
July 27, 2010
It's probably socially incorrect to feel affection for Kipling anymore, but when I was young and read this book, I was smitten by the exotic language and talking animals. I still love the Road-song of the Bandar-log:
Here we go in a flung festoon,
Half-way up to the jealous moon!
Don't you envy our pranceful bands?
Don't you wish you had extra hands?
It goes on, and the Bandar-logs, of course, being monkey-types, never stop chattering, swinging, and moving. I credit this book for helping to create my overly empathetic view of animals. Now, when I see a bear leaping over my camp stove to get to me, I feel like Mowgli and smile at him in happy anticipation of a big hug. Ha.
I'm not sure I could read "The Jungle Book" or "Kim," again; but I'm positive that these kinds of stories helped to fuel my imagination.
Here we go in a flung festoon,
Half-way up to the jealous moon!
Don't you envy our pranceful bands?
Don't you wish you had extra hands?
It goes on, and the Bandar-logs, of course, being monkey-types, never stop chattering, swinging, and moving. I credit this book for helping to create my overly empathetic view of animals. Now, when I see a bear leaping over my camp stove to get to me, I feel like Mowgli and smile at him in happy anticipation of a big hug. Ha.
I'm not sure I could read "The Jungle Book" or "Kim," again; but I'm positive that these kinds of stories helped to fuel my imagination.
December 1, 2017
The editor, illustrator, and designer make a good case for the importance of Kipling's legacy, and do much to help the reader understand the popularity of his poems when he was alive. But I am not persuaded to like many of them much. Too strident, relentless, and, of course, the imperialistic viewpoint is too ugly from this 21st C. viewpoint. And to think that he was among the most thoughtful and careful men of his time & place....
September 23, 2022
I love this series. This one contains 28 poems by Kipling. The poem "If" gave me chills; I had forgotten how powerful it was.
November 5, 2022
The illustrations were so beautiful, and went so well with the poems. I especially liked Mandalay -- so much so that I looked up the complete poem, which is really touching. This series is great, as it has a good-length biography in the beginning, and a fair number of poems representative of the poet's oeuvre.
June 3, 2023
This is one of the Poetry for Young People Series.
I enjoy the brief write-up at the beginning of each of these books telling about the poet's life. I am not as crazy about the summaries before the poems and the dictionary definitions after each poem. I would prefer to have the dictionary reference at the end. Having the definitions at the end of the poems distracts from the poem and pulls me out of the experience of the poem. I would also rather have the write-ups about each poem at the beginning of the book. Perhaps incorporated in the table of contents? I would rather just have the art and poem on the page for a full experience without distractions. With art, presentation is so important and the artistic value here is of such quality I want to enjoy it without the distraction of other information on the page trying to teach me. If the purpose of the book is to introduce young people to poetry and have them enjoy it, let them. If the purpose is to educate don't bother with the beautiful presentation and cram it down their throats in a sterile environment. Oh wait, I think my experience with poetry in school just came out. ;)
The art in this book is spectacular and reason enough to check it out. I also enjoy the poetry of Rudyard Kipling.
I enjoy the brief write-up at the beginning of each of these books telling about the poet's life. I am not as crazy about the summaries before the poems and the dictionary definitions after each poem. I would prefer to have the dictionary reference at the end. Having the definitions at the end of the poems distracts from the poem and pulls me out of the experience of the poem. I would also rather have the write-ups about each poem at the beginning of the book. Perhaps incorporated in the table of contents? I would rather just have the art and poem on the page for a full experience without distractions. With art, presentation is so important and the artistic value here is of such quality I want to enjoy it without the distraction of other information on the page trying to teach me. If the purpose of the book is to introduce young people to poetry and have them enjoy it, let them. If the purpose is to educate don't bother with the beautiful presentation and cram it down their throats in a sterile environment. Oh wait, I think my experience with poetry in school just came out. ;)
The art in this book is spectacular and reason enough to check it out. I also enjoy the poetry of Rudyard Kipling.
December 21, 2021
A nice little introduction to Rudyard Kipling's poetry. Most of the poems are excerpts from longer works. A paragraph before each provides useful context and a short list of definitions follow each poem to help readers out with older words. The painted illustrations are beautiful but the book design leaves much to be desired: the small (12-point) text frequently runs into the illustrations, making it very difficult to read the words, including one full-page spread with a barely-lightened block for text that is barely legible.
So, beautiful to look at, useful for old-poetry and Kipling beginners, a good selection that wisely leaves out some famous but problematic works, but not perfect as a physical book.
So, beautiful to look at, useful for old-poetry and Kipling beginners, a good selection that wisely leaves out some famous but problematic works, but not perfect as a physical book.
April 27, 2024
This book is a collection of poems, with a biography of the author, explanations and history of the poems, and a list of vocabulary words per poem that might be unfamiliar to the reader. It also has pretty illustrations (watercolor sketch style). I was particularly intrigued by Kipling's poems, especially because of the flak he has received in recent years. Much of what he's been accused of is just flat out false (his poem "Recessional" proves he wasn't a blind imperialist as so many claim he was). These books are introductory, not complete, and many poems are excerpts, not the full poem. It is a great start for someone wanting to get into poetry and become familiar with a particular poet's style without committing to a full collection.
December 22, 2020
In the Poetry for Young People series, Scholastic aims to breath new life into the work of classic poets by making their poetry more accessible to a younger audience. The book includes a biography of the original author as well as a carefully selected series of poems accompanied by illustrations. The Poetry for Young People series also includes a glossary to help define new words that readers may come across.
The illustrations featured in Rudyard Kipling's edition of this series are not the most engaging-- the colouring is dull and bleak. That said, Kipling's work is very engaging and curated poems would likely resonate with a younger audience. I first read this book as a child and it was my first introduction and to this day, my most substantial interaction with Kipling's work.
The illustrations featured in Rudyard Kipling's edition of this series are not the most engaging-- the colouring is dull and bleak. That said, Kipling's work is very engaging and curated poems would likely resonate with a younger audience. I first read this book as a child and it was my first introduction and to this day, my most substantial interaction with Kipling's work.
May 14, 2021
This was a new book to add to my poetry book collection. I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would but will read it again...and probably again. Poetry is often that way for me, especially poems that are new to me...and many of the poems in this book were new to me.
March 4, 2022
This was a collection of parts of Rudyard Kipling's many poems. With snippets of various poems, there are definitions of some words provided for each, as well as a brief summary/interpretation of it as well.
November 28, 2024
We’ve used the Poetry For Young People for years during our tea + poetry time. I really enjoyed this one. If you’d read some of Kipling’s work some of these will be familiar but many of them I had never read like If, Benefactors, and Recessional.
February 14, 2018
Kipling's verse is pretty well suited to this format. I like the illustrations a lot, though some of the people look a bit off occasionally.
May 11, 2018
The illustrations were blah and the poems didn't even hold my attention, let alone my kids'. Maybe I'm just not a fan of Rudyard Kipling poetry? I like his books though....
March 8, 2017
For some reason, Kipling's style didn't seem to translate well for me into poetry. I'll have to revisit him some other time!
March 4, 2017
I think that Kiplings poems are really dry and not interesting.
September 28, 2012
"Poetry for Young People: Rudyard Kipling" contains 28 of Kipling's poems. Sharpe's vibrant paintings illustrate the verse, whether of animals in the jungle or ships at sea. The emotions in all of the characters whether human or animal are conveyed very well by these illustrations. Each poem contains background information at the top of the page and unfamiliar words defined at the bottom of the page. The introduction gives details on events of Kipling's life and their relationship to his work. I felt that many of the poems were related to nature and animals which most likely inspired his most famous book; The Jungle Book. I would recommend this book to any age group. I would suggest that a teacher use these poems as read-aloud's to the classroom, and as an assignment to accompany the poems, define difficult vocabulary words with the class ahead of time and have them find the words in a word search.
September 27, 2012
I have been a life-long fan of Rudyard Kipling and was read many of his poems by my parents as a child. I grew up on "Barrack Room Ballads" and "Just So Stories" (I can still recite Gunga-Din by heart), and this compilation is perfect for young readers. The illustrations help to give a visual representation of the poem itself, which is important for children who are reading poetry. Poetry can create a reality for the reader, but children may have trouble understanding metaphor and thus may misinterpret the poem. These illustrations help them to put the words they read into context. Each poem is accompanied by a quick explanation before it and an explanation of terms after it. The choice of poems is appropriate as it mixes some smaller poems with portions of longer poems that may intimidate early readers. and I think this compilation is great for introducing children to Rudyard Kipling
September 1, 2009
Kipling's poetry is astounding. I was reminded of how wonderful his writing is when re-reading some of these incredible, concise poems wherein each and every word is used wisely. There is a rhythmic lint and tone in each sentence that conveys sharp, immediate images.
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about friendship and the following piece was timely:
The Thousandth Man
One man in a thousand, Solomon says,
Will stick more close than a brother
And it's worth while seeking him half your days
If you find him before the other.
Nine hundred and ninety-nine depend
On what the world sees in you,
But the Thousandth Man will stand your friend
With the whole round world again you.
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about friendship and the following piece was timely:
The Thousandth Man
One man in a thousand, Solomon says,
Will stick more close than a brother
And it's worth while seeking him half your days
If you find him before the other.
Nine hundred and ninety-nine depend
On what the world sees in you,
But the Thousandth Man will stand your friend
With the whole round world again you.
June 11, 2012
I got this on the Kindle hoping it would have 'A Pilgrim's Way' in it, but it didn't. It is still a good collection skewed towards the 'Puck of Pook's Hill' end of Kipling's ouevre.
I have one serious grump, which is that from the notes Hewitt appears to not know the biblical story of Mary and Martha. :( This made me - probably unfairly- skittish about trusting anything in the notes. We used to be part of a classical and biblical literary tradition that went back 2500 years and all educated people could be relied upon to know: now it seems our net of subtle allusions and cultural references goes back no further than 'I Love Lucy'. O tempora! O mores! Here endeth the rant.
I have one serious grump, which is that from the notes Hewitt appears to not know the biblical story of Mary and Martha. :( This made me - probably unfairly- skittish about trusting anything in the notes. We used to be part of a classical and biblical literary tradition that went back 2500 years and all educated people could be relied upon to know: now it seems our net of subtle allusions and cultural references goes back no further than 'I Love Lucy'. O tempora! O mores! Here endeth the rant.
September 27, 2012
Rudyard Kipling is the man that wrote the famous book The Jungle Book, which was also made into a Disney movie. This book is a composition of his poems written. The poems were written in the early 1900s and you can tell. I don't think the material is something any children would actually understand now days. The illustrations are very interesting though. They are very similar to those of The Jungle Book. And actually, that is what came to mind whenever I saw the illustrations throughout the book. Kipling lived in India for most of his life, and you can see this in his writing and illustrations.
February 21, 2014
I really liked how there was a history given behind Rudyard Kipling at the beginning of the book. It allowed me to understand where he is coming from in his poems. I also liked how each poem has a description of what it was about and what the poem's purpose was. For those unfamiliar words to our day, I love how the definitions were included for several words found in the poems. My only problem with the book is that they included a portion of the poems and rarely did the full poem. Being able to read the full poem sometimes allows the reader to make sense of the earlier stanzas. For myself, I would love to see the entire poem and not just a small part of it.
January 22, 2015
A selection of 28 of Kipling's poems (or parts of poems) meant to introduce young people to the famous poet. There is an intro with a short biography of the author/poet.
I thought that this collection had a nice variety of Kipling's poetry. The editor did a great job of introducing the poems and explaining them for kids. The glossaries on each page of probably unfamiliar words are also very helpful. For the most part the illustrations served to enhance the poetry, there was only one of the pages the illustration actually made the poem hard to read.
I thought that this collection had a nice variety of Kipling's poetry. The editor did a great job of introducing the poems and explaining them for kids. The glossaries on each page of probably unfamiliar words are also very helpful. For the most part the illustrations served to enhance the poetry, there was only one of the pages the illustration actually made the poem hard to read.
December 27, 2010
Wow, this is a remarkable man. I grabbed his book of poems on a whim, and I loved his writing! Thoughtful and inspiring, and certainly beautiful. After reading the poems, I noticed at the beginning is a 3 page bio about him. He has a triumphant life story, and I am eager to learn more about him. Certainly eager to read more from him.
August 29, 2015
This series of poetry picture books is just excellent. I think we underestimate what kids can enjoy and understand. These are not all children's poems, but my young boys (ages 6 and 8) really have enjoyed them. Because they are in a picture-book format we read them over and over. Kipling may be the best author for boys between the ages of 4 and 8--both his stories and poems.
May 15, 2009
this book is ok but i don"t like poetry
March 29, 2010
Reading the Jungle Books for school. . . .
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews