A Visit to William Blake's Inn

Customer Reviews

• 4 out of 5
  
  
  by Kathryn from Shingle Springs, CA | Feb 17, 2009
  

  This is such a quirky book!!! It's imaginative and odd, charming and (occasionally) irritating. I was thoroughly surprised! I decided to read it based on the award-winning aspect and didn't know what it was about. I somehow thought it would be historical; it was instead fanciful, all about an fantastical inn in the sky, run by William Blake, and the creatures who come to stay there. One of my favorite poems features two sunflowers who tire of living in a garden and decide to take root in the inn; another is about a cow with lovely long lashes who butters her bread with clouds. The illustrations are, of course, quite bewitching, too. I'm not sure that this will become a favorite book any time soon, but it is definitely one that I will remember!!!

  
  
   4 people found this review helpful
  
  

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• 2 out of 5
  
  
  by Miz Lizzie from The United States | Feb 26, 2010
  

  The book is a series of illustrated poems inspired by William Blake's poems and imagining that William Blake is the proprietor of a rather fantastical inn. Though I have loved other books by Nancy Willard, I do find myself somewhat perplexed by this selection for the Newbery. I was most entranced by the story Nancy Willard tells as her introduction and by the author's bio note that says she built a six-foot model of the inn while working on the book. (But then I'm always intrigued by accounts of the creative process and of early memories of influential books and authors.)
  
  There are some splendid images in the poems -- I was especially struck by the dragons brewing and baking and the shaggy bear that serves as a bed -- but I rather felt like I was not getting something I was supposed to be getting. I have read and enjoyed a small amount of William Blake's work but I am not familiar enough with it to know what references Willard might or might not have been making in her poems to Blake's poems. I felt like I was missing out on something as a consequence. I can't imagine that most children would be likely to get such references being even more unlikely to be familiar with Blake's work.
  
  It is certainly interesting to see poetry honored by the Newbery. Any poetry chosen for the award might be controversial since I think poetry needs to be read in a different way from prose and not everyone (adults as well as children) is comfortable with the difference. I myself may need to revisit this book when I am in a more contemplative mood. Still, my first impression is that it is not such an outstanding a book of poetry that I would be inclined to award it the Newbery.
  

  
  

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• 3 out of 5
  
  
  by Janis from Folsom, CA | Dec 16, 2009
  

  I feel a little guilty passing judgment on this book without having read Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience. But likely its juvenile readers won't have read Blake either. Given that, this volume of Blake-inspired children's poetry is often delightful, at times confusing, and illustrated beautifully (in addition to winning the 1982 Newbery, it was a Caldecott Honor book that year, too). But I am not at all sure how this book would go over with children...I must find some and make them read it!

  
  

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• 1 out of 5
  
  
  by Stephani from Spanish Fork, UT | Jul 22, 2009
  

  This is book that tells the tale of a young boy who is sick and his nanny tells him a tale of an Inn where William Blake stays and the adventures of the tenants through poetry. This book was difficult and I would not use it in a classroom or have in my collection. I think there are better options for children who want to experience the world of poetry.
  
  
  Poetry

  
  

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• 2 out of 5
  
  
  by Josiah from Elburn, IL | Mar 30, 2009
  

  This is an interesting collection of William Blake-inspired poems, including some deeper bits from William Blake himself. The author says that she was affected by the literature of Blake from an early age, and perhaps this introduction to work of a similar nature might cause up-and-coming readers to be more receptive to Blake's literature in the future.

  
  

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