Review of The Village Blacksmith By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

[Ekezie1998]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Village Blacksmith By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow" by John W Babin.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Village Blacksmith is the first in a children's book series intended by the author, John William Babin. It presents one of the most powerful poems of late American, Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and superbly packages it for children. The poem tells the story of the village blacksmith "Under a spreading chestnut-tree". He is diligent in his craft and honest in his trade, for "he earns whate'er he can". We learn from the poem that his wife has passed on, but he remains ever committed to his children, whom he evidently loves.

In the last stanza, life is compared generally to that which takes place at the forging fire of the blacksmith, where "our fortunes must be wrought". This book includes a short story that sheds more light on the legendary poet and his inspiration for writing this poem, as well as another titled "From My Arm-Chair". Wouldn't you want to read this book to discover the story behind these two timeless pieces of poetry? I urge you to grab a copy of this book to find out.

This book has countless positive aspects. Firstly, I did not discover a single error in this children's book. This is proof of the extraordinary effort which was invested into editing this work. I greatly commend the author for this. Also, as is to be expected of a children's book, the language of this work is easy to understand. Even for slightly stronger words or diction in the poem, which will pose comprehension difficulties for the young readers, definitions of such complex terms were made available in the book. This evinces empathy and thoughtfulness on the part of the author.

The numerous illustrations in this book that accompany the stanzas of the poem are its most endearing feature. They make the wordings and stanzas come alive, and I'm sure the children will surely appreciate them. A case may be made that the book would have been more attractive had such illustrations come in a colourful form. However, the sheer quality and detailed nature of the pictures will be enough to capture the readers' attention.

I did not find a single negative aspect to report in this book. The editing was perfect. The illustrations increased my pleasure while reading this book. And the lessons of hard work, honesty, contentment and a love for family inherent in the poem chosen by the author will resonate with many readers. Consequently, I do not hesitate to rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because of all the above positive points. I recommend this work to children who wish to understand more about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and everyone who appreciates the lessons of contentment, hard work, resilience and gratitude inherent in this work.

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The Village Blacksmith By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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[Mary Lou Mills]

I would expect nothing less than a 4 out of 4 for a well known author such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Your review makes this work appeal to me as it seems to be poetry that makes sense even to children.

[Kammeuchechukwu Mark Okereke]

Thank you for your review. John William Babin did a great job of resurfacing the poems of an old legend; Henry Wadsworth and I expected nothing less from a work of that pedigree.

[Chukwuebuka Ifedigbo]

This is impressive. Expected nothing short of a perfect rating. Thanks for this review.

[Kennedy NC]

A Children's book of poetry is normally among my favourite books. Great review here.