What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

Side by Side: Poems to Read Together
This topic is about Side by Side
25 views
SOLVED: Children's/YA > SOLVED. Children's Poetry Anthology book. Each poem has 1-2 pages of full-color illustrations in the same style throughout. "Three Little Kittens", "The Walrus & the Carpenter", etc. Read 2000-2005. [s]

Comments Showing 1-10 of 10 (10 new)    post a comment »
dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by L (last edited Jan 12, 2021 06:08PM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

L Walrath | 8 comments read: 2000 - 2005, unfortunately no idea when it was published

Children's poetry anthology, in which every poem got a full page or two of illustration. All of the illustrations are in the same style/by the same artist; they don't change from poem to poem. I remember them being very smooth, full color - lots of children and anthropomorphic animals.
The only two specific poems I remember being in it are Three Little Kittens and The Walrus and the Carpenter. Other illustrations I more vaguely remember are a kid doing ballet, possibly dancing behind a sheet to show their silhouette. Some of the characters from the poems show up later on, like the kittens.
The book seemed large to me at the time, though I was a kid so it's hard to tell. It was a smooth hardcover book, somewhere around 10 - 12 inches tall.


message 2: by Kris (new)

Kris | 55012 comments Mod
L, you mentioned the illustrations are full-color and done by the same artist. Are the illustrations: simple or detailed, realistic or cartoon-like, painted watercolors or bold graphics? Do they remind you of a similar illustrator or picture book author?


message 3: by Val (new)

Val H. | 25 comments Do you recall whether it had a dust jacket or was the cover illustrated (i.e. the hardback cover printed) in the same style as the illustrations within?


message 4: by Val (new)

Val H. | 25 comments And do you remember whether it was an American or British imprint?


message 5: by L (new) - rated it 5 stars

L Walrath | 8 comments Kris wrote: "L, you mentioned the illustrations are full-color and done by the same artist. Are the illustrations: simple or detailed, realistic or cartoon-like, painted watercolors or bold graphics? Do they re..."

They were detailed, well rendered, kind of between realistic and cartoon. Nothing was too bold; if I had to guess from memory it seemed more like colored pencil or maybe pastels - very soft and smooth. To a degree Beatrix Potter comes to mind (though it's definitely not her work) - same kind of gentle quality, though with more full backgrounds and shading. The style is the main thing I wanted to see again, since I remember it so fondly (and I'm hoping that it holds up once I do find it).


message 6: by L (new) - rated it 5 stars

L Walrath | 8 comments Val wrote: "Do you recall whether it had a dust jacket or was the cover illustrated (i.e. the hardback cover printed) in the same style as the illustrations within?"

I'm not sure if it had a dust jacket, but the illustration on the cover was definitely the same style as the rest inside. I don't remember the book having any interesting texture itself.

I don't know if it was American or British, unfortunately. I'd guess American?


message 7: by Jon (last edited Jan 13, 2021 06:10AM) (new)

Jon Duckworth | 171 comments Hi, some suggestions - based on your description of the vintage (some of these are actually older but have been reprinted) and the illustration style - that might help...

Hilda Boswell's Treasury Stories Poetry Nursery Rhymes by Hilda Boswell

Hilda Boswell's Treasury Of Poetry by Hilda Boswell

The Boswell books certainly have Beatrix Potter-style anthropomorphic animals and I'm sure one of them contains The Three Little Kittens.

Read-Aloud Poems for Young People Readings from the Worlds Best Loved Verses by Glorya Hale

A Child's Book of Poems by Gyo Fujikawa

The illustrations by artist Gyo Fujikawa are certainly rich and detailed.

A Child's First Book of Poems by Cyndy Szekeres

This one certainly has Beatrix Potter-like mice.

The Golden Books Family Treasury of Poetry by Louis Untermeyer

The Golden Books Family Treasury of Poetry is possibly one of the most enduring of children's poetry anthologies.

The Children's Classic Poetry Collection by Nicola Baxter

The Baxter collection is popular in the UK and has been reprinted many times.

New Treasury of Children's Poetry by Joanna Cole

The Macmillan Treasury Of Poetry For Children by Charles Causley

Maybe one of the covers might ring a bell...


message 8: by L (last edited Jan 13, 2021 10:53AM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

L Walrath | 8 comments Jon wrote: "Hi, some suggestions - based on your description of the vintage (some of these are actually older but have been reprinted) and the illustration style - that might help..."

Sorry, I might've been a bit misleading saying Beatrix Potter - it definitely wasn't vintage, it just had a similar soft feel to it. To me, the style (from what I remember) definitely feels like it could've been from the '90s to the early 2000s (but no later than 2005). None of those seem right to me...


message 9: by L (new) - rated it 5 stars

L Walrath | 8 comments My mom found it! The book is Side by Side: Poems to Read Together by Lee Bennett Hopkins (illustrated by Hilary Knight).

Thank you everyone!


message 10: by Kris (new)

Kris | 55012 comments Mod
Glad you found your book, L. Here's the link - Side by Side: Poems to Read Together by Lee Bennett Hopkins.


back to top