A review of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, illustrated by Susan Jeffers by The Girl (age 11)
[The poem can be read in its entirety here.]
*I think this poem is about a man taking time out of his day to enjoy nature in the woods.
*My favorite lines were “He gives his harness bells a shake/To ask if there is some mistake.” I like those lines because they give you a really good picture in your mind of what the man’s horse is doing when the man stops to observe nature.
*I thought the illustrations were great, but they were also distracting because I like to make my own pictures in my mind when I read a poem.
*This wasn’t my favorite Robert Frost poem, but it did make my top 10. [For the record, her favorite Frost poem is “Fire and Ice.”]
Disclosure: The Girl borrowed Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening from the local library. I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.
© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
[…] Houston Tuesday, April 17 — Ti from Book Chatter Wednesday, April 18 — The Girl from Diary of an Eccentric will focus on Robert Frost Thursday, April 19 — Pam from Bookalicious Friday, April 20 […]
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Sounds like the illustrations might be a good idea for some poetry readers but not others. Thanks for sharing this poem and for joining the NPM blog tour.
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I liked the illustrations, but I’d read the poem before. Maybe she didn’t prefer the illustrations because she hadn’t read it before.
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maybe
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Thanks for sharing the poem!
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Thanks for stopping by! I’m having fun introducing her to different genres.
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I love this poem…I usually feature the last lines (the woods are lovely, dark and deep, etc.), and I even spotlight these lines on some of my blogs.
Love the imagery and the mournful tone. To me, it seems mournful, especially the last lines. But I guess they could be optimistic…promises to keep, miles to go.
BTW, one of my novels is called Miles to Go, and the sentiments in this poem show up there.
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The ending does seem a bit mournful, but the illustrations are more like a Santa Claus story, so it doesn’t lend itself to that kind of interpretation here.
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So interesting about the illustrations! I love that observation!
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I was surprised she felt that way because usually she’s all about the illustrations. I’m glad she’d rather use her own imagination though. 🙂
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I really like “Fire and Ice”, too. But my favorite is probably “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” Loved hearing The Girl’s thoughts!
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Thanks, Julie! I really need to delve into more of Frost’s work.
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How nice to include this for National Poetry Month! The Girl is right, sometimes pictures distract (or detract) from poetry (or prose). These illustrations do seem lovely, though, judging from the cover. 🙂
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Taken by themselves, the illustrations are lovely.
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[…] Today’s National Poetry Month Blog Tour Post, visit Diary of an Eccentric for The Girl’s […]
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Interesting the comment about the pictures in the book being distracted. That’s kind of how I feel when a movie is out and I have a very different idea of what the characters in the book should look like.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read Robert Frost’s poetry. The Girl has inspired me to pick some up!
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I feel the same way about movies based on books I’ve read, especially how I can never stop picturing the character as the actor/actress who played him/her. UGH.
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Very nice review. I didn’t watch the movie of “To Kill a Mockingbird” for years and years because I had a picture in my mind of what all the characters looked like and I did’t want the movie to spoil it! As usual, the book was better than the movie. I like to make my own pictures, too, G. 🙂
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That’s one of the reasons why I’m hesitant to see The Book Thief if/when it’s released as a movie. I don’t want to tarnish my impressions of one of my all-time favorite books! However, the movie versions of Jane Austen novels never spoil things…maybe because Colin Firth will ALWAYS be Mr. Darcy in my mind. LOL
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I enjoyed this post and love The Girl’s review!. Robert Frost is a favorite poet of mine and I love this poem (Fire and Ice is a great one, too). The comment about the illustrations is a really good point. Too bad the illustrations can’t be hidden and revealed only when you want to see them!
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Making it a flip book would have been great. The words could have been on the flaps, then pulled up to show the illustrations.
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I am not a big fan of peotry but I do like Frost.
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There’s just something about his poems…
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The Girl is totally rocking it here lately! I loved reading her thoughts on this poem.
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Thanks! She’s on a reading spree, and I hope to have another review from her soon.
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Thank you. I will look at the poem with new eyes when I read it again.
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I love it when I read a favorite poem years later and find something new in it. 🙂
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I must say that I loved your thoughts on this one and I enjoyed reading about this poem through your eyes! Good Job to The Girl!
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Thanks, Staci!
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I love this poem too! Frost is my favorite poet and Mending Wall is my all time favorite!
Great choice for review!
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Thanks, Kim. I’ll have to make sure she reads more of Frost’s work outside the anthology of 100 Greatest Poems that she has. 🙂
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I like Robert Frost. Good for you for giving him a try 🙂
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Thanks, Stacy. I was thrilled she wanted to participate in National Poetry month.
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[…] Today’s National Poetry Month Blog Tour Post, visit Diary of an Eccentric for The Girl’s […]
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