Welcome to day two of my National Geographic for Kids Holiday Wish List.  You can check out day one here.

Poet J. Patrick Lewis had an idea. Compile the best poems about the United States and its territories, especially those for children to read and enjoy. Not only that but present them using a treasure trove of pictures from the National Geographic archives as a backdrop.

The results are stunning.

Organized into eight regions, the journey begins in New England and takes you west to the Pacific Coast. Territories like Puerto Rico and Guam also are included in their own  section. Each region includes dozens of poems from well known authors to the obscure.

In this day and time of political disagreements and focusing on the negative, this hardback tabletop compilation will bring you back to the wonder and awe the U.S. offers in every corner. The colorful pictures enhance the experience. Diverse voices are also included with poems from immigrants and minorities. There are even a few poems written in another language and translated to English. The book ends with some Last Thoughts poetry along with a Title and First Line Index, a real plus for finding the perfect match.

The Poetry of US would be a special gift for any middle grader as they begin to piece together the world we live in. Take a look inside  then grab one for your own. It truly is America the Beautiful!

Coming up next week is the final MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY for December. I hope you’ll be there with me and again when MMGM returns with its first post of 2019 on January 7th!

If you would like to join in the MMGM fun, all you have to do is blog about a middle grade book you love on a Monday (contests, author interviews and whatnot also count–but are most definitely not required) and email me the title of the book you’re featuring and a link to your blog at gpcolo (at) gmail (dot) com

 (Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so it gets sorted accurately–and please don’t forget to say what book you’re featuring) You MUST email me your link by Sunday evening (11 PM Eastern Time) in order to be included in the list of links for the coming Monday.

Thank you so much for being a part of this awesome tradition begun by Shannon Messenger and for spreading the middle grade love!

*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen reviews ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me.