Rose, Where Did You Get That Red?: Teaching Great Poetry to Children

By Kenneth Koch

First published to enormous acclaim in 1973, this book became a classic that revolutionized the way children are taught to read and write poetry. The celebrated poet Kenneth Koch conveys the imaginative splendor of great poetry--by Blake, Donne, Stevens, Lorca, and others--and then shows how it maybe taught so as to help children write poetry of their own. For this edition, the author has written a new introduction and a special afterword for teachers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9780307765109

Kenneth Koch

KENNETH KOCH is a Senior Partner with Corporate Training Solutions International (CTSI), a Human Resource/Training and Development firm that offers an assortment of human resource outsourcing services designed to improve the business and increase net revenue. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business and a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management. He resides in Akron, Ohio and also spends time in the Norfolk, Virginia, area as well as traveling internationally as an HR/Training and Development education specialist.

Reviews for Rose, Where Did You Get That Red?

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So, would a teacher accomplish the title goal of this book if guided by Koch's strategy? Hm. I guess it depends on exactly how the goal is defined. If it means helping children and teens see that grown-up poetry (as opposed to the kind of pap from Prelutsky that is most often shared in schools) is accessible and interesting, and if the teacher is passionate about the subject himself, sure. It is not a guide that can be used to work miracles, though. And in fact many time Koch himself focuses on less important aspects of the poem because they're the aspects most relevant to the students.

If the goal is to get children to think creatively, and to write expressively, well, again, an inspired and inspiring teacher will have some success. The goal was probably not to help a housewife of a certain age better appreciate certain poems, but that is what it succeeded at best, imo. If you're looking for similar help, this is a pretty good book. Lots of poems and suggested writing ideas - 10 full lessons with kids' works and an anthology of more poems with brief lesson ideas.

Meanwhile, here are some bookdart marked passages -

Inspired by Blake, a 6th-grade student, Jeannie Turner, wrote:

Oh Daffodil, I hope you never die but last forever.
Oh Daffodil, live until the sun turns read and the moon turns black."

Two of Federico Garcia Lorco's poems prompted Andrew Vecchione to write:

*The World Under Green Mist*

Under the moon's green mist lie dreams of beauty and wonder
There are beds of fur from a fox
The warmth of the fireplace glows sparks of wonder
With the peaceful dark of the night lie fire bugs flickering their lights
Oh under this world with green mist lie the dreams of every person
Hidden from them until they die.

and Sedley Alpaugh to write:

*As I Sailed*

The sea was amarillo
With waves of rojo
The sun azul
And the sky gris
This was all this
As I sailed
In my verde boat.

Btw, my edition is the one from 1974, and it has a slightly different cover."