Friday, July 25, 2014

Poetry Friday




Poetry Friday is hosted today by Poetry for Children.

National Day of the Cowboy is Saturday, July 26, 2014.

 
So for this Poetry Friday my selection is "Cowboys: voices in the Western wind" poems by David L. Harrison with illustrations by Dan Burr.
 

Harrison's free-verse poems highlight the historic life of the American cowboy from ranch chores and roundups through trail drives with plenty of cowboy vernacular thrown in. Word pictures recreate the sights and sounds and offer readers a sense of stories shared. There's bravado, humor and a sense of forlorn longing for a romanticized past.

Burr's illustrations are detailed and colorful renderings that appear almost photographic in their quality.  The artwork enriches the language rather than merely providing a background for the written word. The scenes and characters will feel familiar to anyone who is a fan of the Western movie genre.

6 comments:

BJ Lee said...

I love this book by David Harrison. I won it, somehow, I forget where, and thought he really put the cowboy way of life across. It was very comprehensive!

Michelle Heidenrich Barnes said...

Thank you for spotlighting this terrific collection today, Janet!

Bridget Magee said...

I love David's Cowboy book of poetry! The poems capture the Old West (and living in Tucson, I've seen my share of Old West) and the illustrations are phenomenal. Thanks for highlighting this book today. = )

Anonymous said...

This looks like a fun book. And thanks for the heads up on National Day of the Cowboy tomorrow!

Heidi Mordhorst said...

Janet--Looks to me like you've got a starting place for your "Celebrations" Poetry Friday Anthology submission! I love this book too, except that it doesn't fit on any shelf...
Did you find David himself in the illustrations? Burr used life models for his pictures, and David's in there somewhere.

Janet Wong said...

This is one of those books that I have bought and given away and bought and given away several times. I vaguely remember that there is a cowgirl poem in there too . . . I need to buy a copy of that book again and reread it! Thanks for the reminder, Janet S--and I hope that you're having a festive Gingerbread Cowboy Day and giddy-upping to somewhere good!

The Gingerbread Cowboy Book Trailer