Sweet Corn: Poems

by James Stevenson

Lemonade stands, bike rides, treehouses--moments as simple and magical as sweet corn in summer. James Stevenson--poet, author, artist, actor, and much more--captures these precious "snapshots" of life in this delightful poetry collection. Twenty-eight poems, combined with soft, colorful illustrations, will bring smiles, laughs, and memories of special times experienced by every child.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens

64 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 1995

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads databse.

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

See my review of Corn-Fed for more observations about this series.

Poems in this 1995 title are more lengthy than the poems/observations in the subsequent titles that were published in this series. Definitely share this title with adults as children will not recognize wooden barn ladders or laundry hanging on a line and both of this short poems have meaning, especially The Ladder. Poems from this title could be used in programs for senior citizens programming as they will bring back memories. Read the one titled “Photo Album”.

[Genesta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why am I happy that I was born? Just one reason (in season): SWEET CORN! 🌽

—————
🚲
Rent a bike and go riding.
Rent a pedaling uphill.
Rent a swoop with a view of the dunes and the sea.
Rent a whipping past meadows
With wild flowers bending.
Rent a rest in the shade
At the side of the road.

When the rental is over,
They want the bike promptly.
(But what you remember,
They let you take home.)

[Diana Buttram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Just random thoughts about ordinary things and times that we so often let slip by unnoticed.

[Abby Ambrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lexile: 750L
DRA: 34
This is a fun poetry book. The poems are very accessible and understandable for kids, and the illustrations fit nicely and appeal to the eye.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was weeding the poetry section and I came across a clutch of these gems that had gotten buried among the larger books...promptly took them home and looked through them all and found myself in a much better mood than I had been before I started them. They are small poems or one line of thought or a notion accompanied by sketches or watercolors - of daily life, but more than that, they are uplifting in helping one remember all the small graces of each day, the whimsy of thought that slips by and gets forgotten - all captured on these pages by the poet-writer-artist who didn't let them slip by him.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHY AM I HAPPY THAT I WAS BORN? JUST ONE REASON (IN SEASON): SWEET CORN!

Every thing about this book is sensational!!!!!
The poems.
The illustrations.
The fonts.
The design of each poem.
Everything.

Be sure to read this in company with others. You'll want to interrupt whatever others in the room may be doing with a, "Hey, listen to this!"

This is the first of six collections of poetry written and illustrated by Stevenson, not all of them about corn but all the book titles having something to do with corn.

Sweet Corn. Cornflakes. Corn-fed. Corn Chowder. Popcorn. Candy Corn.

I'm going to check them all out from the library, again, right now.

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming poems, mostly about summer.

Windows

At the side of the road a man sells old windows,
Hundreds of windows, losing their paint.
They lean every which way,
Stacked against tree trunks.
The man looks as old as the windows he sells.
At times you don't see him . . . he's lost in the sunlight,
Waist-high in diamonds, half-sunk in ice.
He'll sell you a window.
Then when you look through it,
Decide for yourself which is indoors or out.

[Trace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luke and I read this one evening while sitting around the campfire... and it was such a wonderful collection of poems. I thought it'd be a book that we'd savor one poem at a time... but Luke wasn't satisfied with just one... so we read the entire book. He loved pretty much all of them.

The fonts are fun, as are the illustrations. Definitely a book we'll revisit at least a couple more times.

[Wendy Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a "sweet" book of poems that is completely appropriate for younger kiddos. It is a nice introduction to the world of words and rhythms. Stevenson has many collections of poems that are quite nice. This one collection is my favorite.

I especially like the way Stevenson ends each poem with a bit of a turn or a twist or something unexpected.

This books is wonderful for phonological awareness and vocabulary for 1-3-year-olds.

[Jordan Parker]

This book of poems, much like Poke in the Eye, holds pages and pages of poems in free verse under the influence of a unique variety of forms, fonts, and presentations. I would use Sweet Corn and Poke in the Eye, as model texts. Students would model the poems they create in class much like the poems in these texts. Students would be encouraged to focus on how form and presentation changes meaning or influences it. (See Poke in the Eye for instructional use)

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poetry paints such lovely images across the senses.

Personal favorites include:
Injustice
and

Old Dog
I hope he knows where's he's going
The old dog trotting along the roadside
I hope he's going home

[Cws]

J811.5Ste

[Sara Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really sweet collection of poems. They are a great introduction to poetry for young students, since the poems are short, easy to understand, and relatable.