Gr 5 Up-Since little material on Coleridge is available for this audience, this title will fill a gap in middle school collections. An overview of the poet's life and work opens the book, followed by 18 selections. Students will appreciate the few lines of text that introduce each poem and the definitions of unfamiliar words that follow. Paintings in gold, brown, and red tones illustrate the book. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Coleridge may seem like an unlikely poet to choose for inclusion in a "Poetry for Young People" series, but editor Engells, a poetry professor at Harvard, brings his enthusiasm for the quintessential Romantic poet to this volume for young adults and may well draw some readers into Coleridge's work. A lucid introduction tells of the poet's troubled life, his genius, and his ill health leading to laudanum addiction, all of which contributed to his restlessness and life as an "adult orphan." Engells provides the reader some clues to understanding the selected poems-the obsession with nature and the creative spirit, and their relationship to human life-and offers the good advice that reading the poems aloud is the best way to enjoy them. While some students may have encountered The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (included in its entirety) in school, it's still the most compelling work, rewarding through many readings. The mystery of "Kubla Khan" isn't explained (or explainable), but the hypnotic beginning casts its spell. Included are a number of haunting shorter poems that will appeal variously to different readers through their vivid, but fluid imagery. Especially moving are excerpts from "The Wanderings of Cain," "Time, Real and Imaginary," and "Something Childish, but Very Natural." Enhancing the verse with glowing browns, rich golds, and smoky blues are paintings by Harvey Chan, an award-winning Canadian artist. Readers who take the time to listen to Coleridge's evocative words may find themselves on a rewarding journey into time and dreams. 2003, Sterling, Ages 12 to 18.

The Poetry for Young People series adds two renowned British Romantics: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, ed. by James Engell, illus. by Harvey Chan; and William Wordsworth, ed. by Alan Liu, illus. by James Muir. The first title features excerpts from some of Coleridge's most famous long narrative poems, such as "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," along with shorter works, such as "Answer to a Child's Question," which begins "Do you ask what the birds say? The sparrow, the dove,/ The linnet and the thrush say, `I love and I love!' " Wordsworth is organized around topics such as "Nature" and "Children and Young People," and includes famous works such as "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." The poet's love of nature shines throughout, as in the opening lines of "It Is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free": "It is a beauteous evening, calm and free,/ The holy time is quiet as a Nun/ Breathless with adoration." As befits each poet, the artwork for Coleridge tends toward the more mystical and fantastic, while that for Wordsworth focuses on realistic and natural scenes. Copyright 2003 Reed Business