Everything Comes Next: Collected and New Poems

by Naomi Shihab Nye Narrated by Naomi Shihab Nye, James Patrick Cronin

Overview

Beloved and acclaimed poet Naomi Shihab Nye is the current Young People's Poet Laureate, serving until August 2021. This celebratory book collects in one volume her most popular and accessible poems from the past forty years.

Featuring new, never-before-published poems, an introduction by bestselling poet and author Edward Hirsch, as well as a foreword and writing tips by the poet,*Everything Comes Next is essential for poetry readers, classroom teachers, and library collections.

Everything Comes Next is a treasure chest of Naomi Shihab Nye's most beloved poems. From favorites such as “Famous” and “A Valentine for Ernest Mann,” to the widely shared “Kindness” and “Gate A-4,” this collection celebrates her term as Young People's Poet Laureate. The book is an introduction to the poet's work for new readers as well as a comprehensive edition for classroom and family sharing. Writing prompts and tips by the award-winning poet make this an outstanding choice for aspiring poets of all ages.

Copyright 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2018, 2019, 2020 by Naomi Shihab Nye

Editorial Reviews

OCTOBER 2020 - AudioFile

Young People’s Poet Laureate Naomi Shihab Nye is a warm and comforting guide though this collection of her poems. Just because these are poems for young listeners doesn’t mean that they’re not sophisticated. Nye reflects on everything from a lost, and found, Christmas present in “Yellow Glove” to travelers overcoming barriers of language and culture with kindness and sweets in “Gate A-4.” Nye’s father was Palestinian, and several poems explore Palestine’s liminal state and the intimate losses Palestinians have experienced. The accessibility of the writing and of Nye’s delivery makes for easy listening, but resist the urge to binge: These poems and ideas should be savored, pondered over, listened to again, and talked about together. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

Young People’s Poet Laureate Nye explores childhood, conflict, and connectivity through over 100 of her poems, both new and classic. . . . Striking use of everyday images and timely themes makes this free verse collection meaningful, memorable, and accessible. . . . Emotionally resonant and stirring, this is a must-have title.”  — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Over 100 poems, some new, some previously published, are collected in this volume by Young People’s Poet Laureate Nye. The poet’s voice is, as always, distinct and inquisitive and hopeful, sometimes playful, sometimes tender, sometimes both . . . Compelling.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“A substantial volume of poems by Nye . . . A pleasure on many fronts. . . . Warm, welcoming, [and] inclusive . . . Lucky the reader who would have this collection lying around for visiting and revisiting.” — Horn Book Magazine

Horn Book Magazine

A substantial volume of poems by Nye . . . A pleasure on many fronts. . . . Warm, welcoming, [and] inclusive . . . Lucky the reader who would have this collection lying around for visiting and revisiting.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Over 100 poems, some new, some previously published, are collected in this volume by Young People’s Poet Laureate Nye. The poet’s voice is, as always, distinct and inquisitive and hopeful, sometimes playful, sometimes tender, sometimes both . . . Compelling.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Over 100 poems, some new, some previously published, are collected in this volume by Young People’s Poet Laureate Nye. The poet’s voice is, as always, distinct and inquisitive and hopeful, sometimes playful, sometimes tender, sometimes both . . . Compelling.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Over 100 poems, some new, some previously published, are collected in this volume by Young People’s Poet Laureate Nye. The poet’s voice is, as always, distinct and inquisitive and hopeful, sometimes playful, sometimes tender, sometimes both . . . Compelling.

School Library Journal

★ 09/01/2020

Gr 3–6—Nye offers a brilliant collection of poems about the essence of human connection. The book is divided into three parts: "The Holy Land of Childhood," "The Holy Land that Isn't," and "People Are the Only Holy Land." She weaves her personal experiences into portraits of joy, pain, fear, and love. The poems range from a few stanzas to free verse stories that span several pages. Some poems will appeal to small children; some will engage teachers, teens, adults, and older readers. Nye writes about her Palestinian heritage with honesty and reverence, sparking conversations on acceptance, war, truth, and humanity. Readers will laugh, smile, cry, think, wonder, and (hopefully) change for the better. The final poem, "Slim Thoughts," wonderfully addresses her writing process. Nye's notes at the end of the work provide valuable insight into her sources of inspiration, as does the introduction. VERDICT A spectacular book of poetry for all collections. An essential purchase.—Lia Carruthers, Gill St. Bernard's Sch., Gladstone, NJ

OCTOBER 2020 - AudioFile

Young People’s Poet Laureate Naomi Shihab Nye is a warm and comforting guide though this collection of her poems. Just because these are poems for young listeners doesn’t mean that they’re not sophisticated. Nye reflects on everything from a lost, and found, Christmas present in “Yellow Glove” to travelers overcoming barriers of language and culture with kindness and sweets in “Gate A-4.” Nye’s father was Palestinian, and several poems explore Palestine’s liminal state and the intimate losses Palestinians have experienced. The accessibility of the writing and of Nye’s delivery makes for easy listening, but resist the urge to binge: These poems and ideas should be savored, pondered over, listened to again, and talked about together. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2020-07-14
Young People’s Poet Laureate Nye explores childhood, conflict, and connectivity through over 100 of her poems, both new and classic.

In the opening section, “The Holy Land of Childhood,” she draws from her childhood and those of others, often speaking from the child’s perspective, striking notes of loneliness, fear, and playfulness. Writing was her refuge from desperately boring early readers while a school assignment to write from the perspective of a kitchen implement turned her into “a sweet sifter in time.” Sad vignettes of her childhood home sit alongside humorous memories. Personal images of war, displacement, and loss pepper the second section, “The Holy Land That Isn’t,” in which Nye focuses on her Palestinian immigrant father’s loss of his Jerusalem home, crystallized in his longing for the figs of his childhood. In a poem dedicated to the great Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai, she pleads for peace for “every ancient space” and, in another, observes “red poppies sleep beneath / dirt and stones” beside the homes of fearful Arab and Jewish children living only “one mile apart.” The final section, “People Are the Only Holy Land,” stresses similarities between diverse peoples, invoking a vision of a world where “it is only kindness that makes sense anymore.” López's evocative art perfectly captures and enhances the mood of dreaming and yearning. Emotionally resonant and stirring, this is a must-have title.

Striking use of everyday images and timely themes makes this free verse collection meaningful, memorable, and accessible. (afterword, notes on poems) (Poetry. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177625782
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/29/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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