The Stone Soup Book of Poetry

By Children’s Art Foundation - Stone Soup Inc.

Stone Soup is the international literary magazine and website publishing writing and art by young people under the age of 14. Founded in 1973, we have published more creative work by children than any other publisher, selecting the very best from thousands of submissions every year.

The 120 poems in this volume were written b

• Language: English
• Publisher: Children’s Art Foundation - Stone Soup Inc.
• Release date: Dec 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9780894090738

Book preview

The Stone Soup Book of Poetry

Edited by Stone Soup staff.

Copyright © 2018 by the Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup Inc.

Previous editions:

The Stone Soup Book of Poetry

(Children’s Art Foundation, 2012), ISBN 978-0-89409-017-2.

The Stone Soup Book of Poetry eBook

(Children’s Art Foundation, 2013), ISBN 978-0-89409-029-5.

This edition brings together previous collections and additional material in a newly edited form.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher.

Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup Inc.

126 Otis Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

www.stonesoup.com

ISBN: 978-0-89409-066-0

ISBN: 978-0-89409-073-8 (e-book)

Book design by Joe Ewart

Typeset in Quincy CF and Neue Haas Unica

Printed in the U.S.A.

Cover: Lord of the Binder Rings by Ula Pomian.

Photograph published in Stone Soup, April 2018.

INTRODUCTION

SEASONS

FRIENDS & FAMILY

ANIMALS

NIGHT

NATURE

REFLECTIONS

ABOUT THIS BOOK

INTRODUCTION

The 120 poems in this volume were written by authors between the ages of four and 13, selected for publication in Stone Soup magazine. Since its beginning in 1973, Stone Soup has published art, poetry, and short fiction springing from the imaginations of young writers and artists. From the beginning, we have been moved and impressed by the thought-provoking and expressive poetry our contributors have composed.

To help the reader through the rich variety of this collection, we have organized it into thematic sections that reflect some of the classic subjects of poetry: the seasons, friends and family, animals, night, nature, and a broader category we describe as reflections. However, every one of those groupings includes poems that touch on deeper themes than the header might hint at—you will find reflective poems about animals, family, and friendships; nature poems as dark as night; and night poems as bright as spring or the dawn. In these poems our writers tell stories about their lives and experiences, they ponder the wonders of the natural world, and they express feelings both personal and universal on subjects from laundry to love. Join them for a refreshing, lyrical, and often profound look at our world, explored and revealed anew through the language of poetry.

THE EDITORS, STONE SOUP

NOVEMBER 2018

SEASONS

SPRING MORNING ON A FARM

LEVI CROSSLEY, 12

My black-and-gray rooster crows.

The sound of birds’ chatter

filters through the morning.

I open the icy gate

and walk the familiar trail.

A cool, damp haze

swirls around me.

I carry the rusty bucket

filled with a ton of feed;

It pours like sifting sand

into the concrete trough.

Cowbells reverberate

as they prance over the hill.

Stopping beneath my willow tree,

I watch them eat.

I turn around

to head home,

But first I pick the first

Wild buttercup.

FIREFLY SKY

JENNIFER HU, 13

The fields are a wonder in summertime:

Midnight black like the sky,

With twinkling lights like stars.

What are those lights?

Hundreds of fireflies flittering about,

Tiny and so nimble.

Their lights shine on and off,

Making the field like shiny sequins,

Like moonshine dancing off the sea.

I run out into the field,

The half-grown wheat scratching my legs,

The ground soft and damp,

The air humid and fresh.

The fireflies dart away from me,

Intimidated by my presence,

But I don’t mind.

I watch them from a distance.

They float above the wheat,

Like bright candles in the field.

Glancing up at the heavens,

I see the stars,

Bright candles in the sky.

This is the moment

When Heaven and Earth meet:

The stars in the sky are the stars on the ground.

How strange it seems

That something as small as fireflies

Can bring these two vast kingdoms

Together as one.

SUMMER WINDS

SAM BRANDIS-DANN, 11

The breeze tastes sweet and warm

of sun

of ripe fruit

and of grass

It ruffles my hair and

plasters my sweat-wet shirt on my skin

It blows doors shut

and wafts in windows to cool hot pies and

fill empty spaces

In the gentle lull of the wind

trees creak and shiver,

fresh cut grass is

tossed onto the walk

and the clouds are pushed

like cotton-ball puffs

across a blue-glass sky

At night the wind carries

fireflies on its wings

and sweet chirping songs of crickets

and frogs

When the breeze stops playing

with my hair

or creaking the loose gate

and begins

chafing my skin and

redding my nose and cheeks

making breath visible

You know the summer wind has left

But you remember its playful soul

SLIPPING ON RAINDROPS

ZINNIA SCHWARTZ, 10

It was a funny, sunny afternoon when

Something hit my cheek

A cloud of a loud boom

Came from above

Then dark splattered all over the park

Like black paint hitting white paper

I ran as fast as I could,

Reviews for The Stone Soup Book of Poetry

[jaxlynleigh · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The poetry in this book is outstanding. These are incredible young poets whose work is a model for any student.

[cvaughan0708 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Stone Soup Book of Poetry is a truly touching collection of poetry written by young authors ages 4-13. As an adult, I was particularly impressed with the expression of feeling and creativity found within these poems. To catch a glimpse into the mind of a child is a beautiful gift, and we all have something to learn from their perspective on life.

[shizz_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stone soup is an international literary magazine and website publishing writing and art by young people under the age of 14. Founded in 1973, it’s published more creative work by children than any other publisher selecting the very best from thousands of submissions every year. I am extremely grateful to Librarything for sending me this copy.This anthology of poetry is a diverse collection covering a variety of subjects. As might be expected from children their insights can often touch a truth that elude the wisest of adults! And it can be expressed so succinctly and with such feeling. ‘To live in this momentIs to be gratefulFor what I have and love and am’From ‘’Morning Walk’ by Mark Roberts 13What is astounding and humbling is the depth of emotion and mature perception expressed by poets of such tender years. It all but takes your breath away. Many an adult would be proud to have created something reaching half the depths of some of these works. ‘Leaving Paparesting in his gravemade me dispirited, made me despairing.I miss himListening to Louis Armstrong,Reading the poetry of Leopold Senghor, calling me his cherie.’From ‘Homesickness’ by Soujourner Salil Ahebee 10The 120 poems in this book were written by poets between the ages of 4 and 13. They were originally published in Stone Soup Magazine between 1988 and 2011. But for me they are timeless. The poems are fluidly arranged into thematic sections, Seasons, Friends & Family, Animals, Night, Nature and Reflections. ‘Alone is the homeless man looking at all the goodsin the grocery market that he cannot haveAlone is the refugees leaving all they ever knew behind,their friends, their housesAlone is the single pillarStanding in the rubble of a bombed buildingAlone is the Iraqi mother whose children have diedFrom lack of medical care Alone is the turban among a thousand baseball caps’‘Alone’ by Brendan Grant 11The temptation is to quote from every single poem so rich is the language and so pure the expression. What also amazed me was that reading through the poems it was impossible to guess at the age of the poet. From the youngest to the oldest there was imagination and a reverence and understanding for the power of language to express our innermost thoughts from the simple to the complex. There’s a celebration and respect for our natural world alongside the confusion surrounding complex emotions of loss and the dynamics of people.My heartfelt gratitude to the Stone Soup Foundation for giving me permission to quote from this anthology.