Papa Is a Poet

October 14, 2013
"Robert Frost never saw New England as clearly as when he was living in old England, and out of these recollections came some of his best-loved poems," writes Bober in an author's note that concludes this account of the poet and his family. In that same spirit of recollection, the book unfolds through the perspective of his 15-year-old eldest daughter, Lesley, who shares her memories of growing up on her family's New Hampshire farm and, later, the family's time in England. Lesley describes bucolic days and nights spent reading, picnicking, writing, and memorizing poems (and constellations), while always emphasizing the importance her father placed on books and language ("He decided to milk his cow at midnight so he could stay awake and read Shakespeare and write poems in the hush of a sleeping household"). Working in mixed media, Gibbon (Celebritrees) contributes pale, folksy scenes of familiar togetherness (it's a rare spread that doesn't feature at least one Frost with his or her nose in a book). Frost's poems are smoothly interspersed throughout the story, as well as collected at the end of this contemplative tribute. Ages 4â8. Illustrator's agent: Riley Illustration.

August 15, 2013
Robert Frost's eldest daughter's fictional reminiscence of her father's influential early years as a poet on their New Hampshire farm. After their 1915 trans-Atlantic crossing following two years in England, 15-year-old Lesley Frost and her family arrive in New York City, where her father discovers his first book of poems has just been published. Waiting for the train home to New Hampshire, Lesley remembers her childhood on their poultry farm, where days "were ordinary but meaningful." Speaking in the first person, she recalls the "cupboard was often bare, yet life was filled to the brim" and lovingly describes daily events her father later immortalized in his poems, including how he taught them to read, reread and write down their thoughts and feelings. Bober successfully creates this fictional account from Lesley's childhood journal and her own A Restless Spirit: The Story of Robert Frost (1981), incorporating lines from Frost's poems to show how his life on the New Hampshire farm shaped him as a poet. Sprightly acrylic ink, colored pencil and watercolor illustrations embody their idyllic country life. A likable introduction to Frost as a father, farmer and poet who took the road "less traveled" from the engaging perspective of his oldest daughter. (author's note, photos, Frost quotations, text of selected Frost poems, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 4-8)

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September 1, 2013

Gr 3-5-Bober's picture-book biography is narrated by Frost's oldest daughter, Lesley, and based upon her childhood journal. It begins with the family's return home from two years in England, where they had lived so Frost could concentrate on writing poetry instead of farming. "Papa had the courage to trust his own feelings and know what he had to do. He made a reckless choice," says the teen, quoting the first verse of "The Road Not Taken." As she waits with her mother and siblings in New York's Grand Central Terminal for the train to New Hampshire, her father visits the publisher of a book of his poetry that his wife saw reviewed in the New Republic. Lesley recalls her childhood at Derry Farm, where her papa raised chickens and sold their eggs; took his family on all-day Sunday picnics; and, with his wife, homeschooled the children. Reading and memorizing poetry were highly stressed in the Frost household, as was the purchase of books. ("Papa thought that any book worth reading twice was worth owning.") Bober has captured the poet's personality, his love for family, and the inner strength that allowed him to follow his dreams. Indeed, he returns to the station with a contract for two books-the beginning of his successful writing career. An author's note offers further biographical information. Photos, quotations, a short bibliography, and a dozen of Frost's poems are appended. Charming, detailed folk-art-style watercolor paintings add to the appeal of this readable introduction to a great American poet.-Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013
Grades 1-3 Just off the boat after two years in England, Robert Frost's wife and four children wait in a railway station while Papa goes to talk with his publisher. To pass the time, 15-year-old Lesley daydreams, remembering her family's years on their New Hampshire farm and reflecting on her father's love of reading, astronomy, and words. The writing is smooth, and the subject is well-known to Bober, who wrote the young-adult biography A Restless Spirit: The Story of Robert Frost (1991). Created with ink, colored pencil, and watercolor, Gibbon's illustrations light up the pages with fresh, naive images portraying the family's activities. While parts of the book are adapted from Lesley Frost's journal, reminiscence is a relatively static framework for biographical information. The most appreciative audience will be readers who love Robert Frost's poetry. For children unfamiliar with Frost's work, Bober occasionally uses stanzas and short quotes from his verse within the first-person narrative and includes 12 of his poems in the back matter, along with some historical information, quotations, and a bibliography.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2014
The author of A Restless Spirit draws on that fuller biography for a picture book focused on the pivotal years (190012) when Frost lived in Derry, New Hampshire. Skillfully, Bober introduces Frost's idiosyncrasies along with his gifts and frequently incorporates lines from Frost's poems. Gibbon's acrylic, pencil, and watercolor art captures the era's essence. A fine introduction to Frost.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2014
The author of A Restless Spirit (rev. 8/81; revised ed., rev. 3/92) draws on that fuller biography for a picture book focused on the pivotal years (1900 - 12) when Frost lived in Derry, New Hampshire, where four of his children were born. As Bober notes, she has adapted much of this narrative from a journal Frost's oldest daughter Lesley kept from the ages of six to ten. Lesley's memories are of a happy childhood amid an idyllic sort of farming, with regular family picnics and reading by the fire; struggles with poverty are barely suggested ("instead of buying desserts, we bought books"). Skillfully, Bober introduces Frost's idiosyncrasies along with his gifts ("Papa did things his way. He decided to milk his cow at midnight"; "Papa could hear the melody in a sentence") and frequently incorporates lines from Frost's poems. Gibbon's acrylic, pencil, and watercolor art has the flavor of Barbara Cooney's period illustrations, though Gibbon's are rendered more freely, capturing the era's essence more precisely than its details and the characters' prevailing cheerfulness rather than their deeper emotions. End matter includes an author's note, family photos, quotes from Frost on poetry, and a dozen iconic poems inspired by those Derry years. A fine introduction to a poet readers are sure to meet again. joanna rudge long

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)