Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers
Annotation: Inspired by William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, this delightful collection of poetry for children brings to life Blake’s imaginary inn and its unusual guests.
Check out the FREE ebook of William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience at Project Gutenberg!
Content Qualities
| 1982 Newbery Medal Winner |
| Author: Nancy Willard |
| Illustrators: Alice and Martin Provensen |
| Publisher: Houghton Mifflin |
| Genre: Poetry |
| Age Interest Range: 5 – 10 |
| Optimal for Grades: 2 – 4 |
| Guided Reading Level: N |
| AR Level: 4.5 |
Book Review
The 1982 Newberry Medal winner, A Visit to William Blake’s Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers, was written by Nancy Willard and illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen. This unconventional picture book is unique among all other Newberry winners for one simple reason, it is the only book of poetry ever to have received the award. In fact, it is the only title to have earned both a Newberry and Caldecott medal. The book begins with an introduction in prose from the author, depicting a scene from what was presumably Willard’s own childhood, explaining where her inspiration for the book came from, and how she first fell in love with the artistry of the late 18th century poet, William Blake. The body of the work is a chronologically arranged series of poems, strung together to tell a larger narrative. Each poem paints a scene from Blake’s imaginary inn, about the fantastical talking animals who visit and how they relate to their beloved poet master, as well as musings of the author’s own imaginary visit to the inn. The animal guests include a cow, rabbit, cat, tiger, and rat in addition to the human narrator. The story also includes two dragons who bake bread, a bear who serves as a bed, and angels who do the washing. Each guest is the subject of a quirky poem on their own experiences at the inn. All the characters also take a field trip to the Milky Way led by the eccentric Mr. Blake. At the end of the story, each guest character has to leave the inn forever, with melodramatic fair wells exchanged between them and their object of adoration, William Blake, the characters return to their old colorless lives with much sorrowful ponderings.
Inspired by William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, reading through the book is certainly an original experience. The characters and their colorful escapades are delightfully imaginative. The fanciful, yet not overly complicated verses of poetry, burst with color, and are perfectly suited for young readers who aren’t bothered by non-sense. This is an excellent way to introduce small children to the art of poetry. However, there is one significant component to the story that many, especially Christian readers, may find disconcerting. Throughout the book, all the characters appear to idolize William Blake to the point of deity level worship. On three occasions, the author actually applies biblical language to William Blake that almost seem an attempt to paint him as a god, and even as the son of God himself. Though perhaps some savvy parents could employ the story as a useful metaphorical comparison, then draw their child’s attention back to the historical figure of Jesus the Christ as depicted in the Bible. Here is an example of the biblical allusion used througout the story. Near the start of the story, William Blake’s in inn is described in the following startling manner.
“This inn belongs to William Blake And many are the beasts he’s tamed And many are the stars he’s named And many those who stop and take Their joyful rest with William Blake.”
Soon after, there is the line “Many who stop and break their joyful bread with William Blake.” Later, the inn is described as a “holy hill”. Of course, a quick glimpse into the man’s biography will shed some light on this sacrilegious state of affairs. William Blake was by all accounts, a spiritual extremist who claimed to have visions of demons and other supernatural beings, many of his ideas were quite bizarre, and he was considered unstable and insane by many of his contemporaries. (History, n.d.) But he certainly knew how to spin a good yarn, and he composed some of the finest poetry the world has yet seen.
Although A Visit to William Blake’s Inn does contain its share of oddities, it cannot be denied that the illustrations are absolutely phenomenal. They are colorful, pristinely detailed, and give the book a distinct sense of childlike playfulness. They also enable the reader to connect more with the poetry, providing a picture to aid in comprehending the character and imagery being described in verse. Occasionally, the images also give information not mentioned otherwise. For Example, the second illustration portrays the imagined William Blake’s inn, with a sign over the front window that tells the reader the historical William Blake was not only a poet, but also an engraver and a painter. All in all, chosen for its whimsical charm, and outstanding illustrations, A Visit to William Blake’s Inn is, without a doubt, an entity unto itself, as there is no children’s book anywhere that is anything like it.
References
History – William Blake. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2017, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/blake_william.shtml
Popova, M. (2015, September 17). A Visit to William Blake’s Inn: Vintage Illustrated Verses for Innocent and Experienced Travelers. Retrieved October 20, 2017, from https://www.brainpickings.org/2013/03/21/william-blakes-inn-provensen/
Extra Fun
As a tribute to William Blake’s fantastic poetry, I wanted to share with you one of my all time favorites!
Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry? In what distant deeps or skies. Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand, dare seize the fire? And what shoulder, & what art, Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand? & what dread feet? What the hammer? what the chain, In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? what dread grasp, Dare its deadly terrors clasp! When the stars threw down their spears, And water'd heaven with their tears: Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee? Tyger Tyger burning bright, In the forests of the night: What immortal hand or eye, Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
