World Famous Comics: A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers
A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers
By: Nancy Willard Publisher: Voyager Books Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Voyager Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 48 Publication Date: October 29, 1982 Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Inspired by William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, this delightful collection of poetry for children brings to life Blake’s imaginary inn and its unusual guests.
Poetry for Children I became acquainted with Nancy Willard's poetry when I found a review for "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" in the listing of another Amazon reviewer. The present book, copyright 1981, won the John Newbery Medal for tne most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. I would hesitate to recommend an age group. I turn 70 next week, and I enjoyed the poems. The poems can be read to younger children, or read by older children. There are large, full color illustrations. There are 34 pages of text and illustrations (starting on page 12), including the introduction and the closing page with Blake's Advice to Travelers.
The best inn ever This book is so funny because of the character's attitude. It even has strong words, like "makintosh".But I like it best because it has poems that rhyme.
Willard captures the essence of Blake's poetry This book contains a collection of poems written to honor poet William Blake. The setting is an inn run by Blake and Willard captures the style of Blake in her poems. Two dragons that cook and bake, two angels that do the housekeeping and a rabbit that escorts the guests to their rooms manage the inn. Illustrations accompany each poem and they are excellent, the inn is a splendid place to spend the night. The guests include the Man in the Marmalade Hat, the King of Cats and sunflowers who request a room with a view. This book is subtitled, "Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers" and in it we are taken on an imaginative journey that will delight all readers. An image of Blake appears in nearly every illustration and he is clearly enjoying himself.
FANTASTICAL SALUTE IN VERSE Readers, here is your chance to be transported to a world of poetic delights, inspired by "the fearful symmetry" of William Blake's writings. Author Nancy Willard interprets his poems in the marvelous 'stage setting' of "William Blake's Inn"...an imaginary, very British hostelry. It is inhabited by a "man in the marmalade hat" and the King of Cats who breakfasts among the chimney pots of London.
Willard's own verse does cartwheels, lifting the reader out of stodginess into the stratosphere of Imagination - or at least as high as those London roof tops pictured by Alice & Martin Provensen. Their award-winning artistry beckons readers to cut the ties of convention and truly accept fantasy in color and phrasing...Explore the stars while "Blake leads a walk on the Milky Way" and enjoy the sunflowers that "took root in the carpet where topaz turtles run."
This book says "ENJOY" and I say Thank You, Nancy Willard, for the world you have revealed to us in your FIVE ***** BOOK! To rephrase your words: "If WE should dream before WE wake, may WE dream of William Blake."
You must be this old to understand this book In this book, the author has written a collection of poems about William Blake and a magical inn he runs. This book was read to me when I was a child and I hadn't felt any need to look at it since. This is probably due to the fact that as a kid I just couldn't get into the story. Hoping to see what my nine year-old self couldn't, I decided to give Ms. Willard another go. Rereading it now, I can see where my frustration came from. The plot is very loose, the poems nice but unconnected, and the pictures beautiful but flat and without motion. Frustrations I experienced as a child included things like seeing the Man With a Marmelade Hat illustrated with a hat that clearly wasn't the color of marmelade. Also, I was quite certain that the poems in the book MUST have been written by Blake. Confusingly, they are actually written by the multi-talented Nancy Willard with nary a Blake quote in sight. Though a winner of both the Newberry Medal and a Caldecott Honor, I get the feeling that this is a book that adults would enjoy much more than children. Undoubtedly there will be some children out there that prove me wrong. But I feel this book is meant to be read by adults for adults. It is beautiful and nice to look at. Just make sure you're over 15.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
