Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

From Barnes & Noble

"Read for escape, read for adventure, read for romance, but read the great writers," Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis once advised. "You will find to your delight that they are easier and more joy to read than the second-rate ones." This collection of Mrs. Kennedy's favorite poetry, selected and introduced by her daughter, confirms that judgment. Yeats, Dickinson, Shakespeare, and Homer are all represented. The anthology also includes one poem by the late first lady herself.

People Magazine

Great works that parents will enjoy reading to their children.

Publishers Weekly

The Best Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis have been selected by someone who should know: Caroline Kennedy. While Caroline's two confirmed appearances on the Today Show, a first serial in Good Housekeeping, and further publicity should make this easily the bestselling poetry title of the season, it doesn't hurt that Jackie's taste was excellent. Charming poems from John Clare, Kipling, and a young Jimmy Kennedy are complemented by work from Langston Hughes, Robert Frost and Elizabeth Bishop and by 14 b&w family photos. Caroline Kennedy has organized more than 100 poems into seven sections ("America"; "Adventure" etc.), written short, intimate introductions to each and included a small selection of Jackie's own poems. (Oct. 3) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Introduced and with a running commentary by Caroline Kennedy, these are poems her mother shared with her and that she in turn shares with her own children. It's not surprising, therefore, that many are cute little poems about animals (though written with the adult audience in mind). Others are by Robert Frost (and the tape includes him reading at JFK's inauguration), Shakespeare, Yeats, Dickinson, and several excerpts from the Greek classics. Particularly striking, set against the backdrop of the 1960s when the Kennedy children were growing up, are the poems by Langston Hughes (a particularly memorable piece about a boy looking for the Jim Crow section of the carousel), Countee Cullen, and Jean Toomer. Unfortunately, Kennedy's commentary is wooden and often refers to works not on the tape. The Lord's Prayer, America the Beautiful, and passages from the Bible seem a little too "inspirational." Still, with the inclusion of four poems written by the former First Lady herself, this is bound to be a popular item; recommended for most public libraries. Rochelle Ratner, formerly with "Soho Weekly News," New York Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.