Praise for the Books & Poetry of Charles Ghigna

“Ghigna's poems are amazing playthings to amuse and delight.
They are especially fun to read aloud.”  
—The New York Times

“Will have kids clamoring for repeat performances
until they can read all the poems themselves.”   
—Publisher's Weekly

“Father Goose not only has a good sense of description and metaphor,
but also a good sense of sound and rhythm.”   
—School Library Journal

"Timeless!"    
—Parents Magazine

“Playful poems well-suited to reading aloud.”   
—Horn Book

"Lively and fun!"    
—Kirkus Reviews

“Poems from the gifted pen of Charles Ghigna,
aptly dubbed Father Goose.”
—Washington Post

“An endearing, timeless, poetic look into the enchanted world of childhood.”   
—Inkwell

“Captivating!”
—BookPage

“Ghigna captures and celebrates both
the mundane and the monumental moments in a child’s life.”   
—Atlantic Books

“Simple truths simply revealed.”   
—Parents’ Choice

“Like Robert Louis Stevenson’s A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSES
so popular a generation ago, nationally acclaimed poet Charles Ghigna’s
poems feature delightful, story-telling rhymes. They are told simply,
with the kind of charming detail that makes them instantly memorable.”
—The Birmingham News

“Ghigna’s poetry invites children to celebrate the natural world and the joys of language.
This treasury offers poems for every mood—quizzical and quiet, whimsical and silly—
all with a playful sense of sound and rhythm that make them fun to read aloud.” 
—Kathleen Andersen, Editor, Cricket Magazines

       "I have used Charles Ghigna's poetry in my classroom for more years than I can remember.
His book A POEM IS A FIREFLY is a wonderful introduction to poetry. So great for teaching simile, metaphor, personification, etc. in an enjoyable, accessible way to my 3rd graders.
I highly recommend bringing Charles Ghigna into your classroom  or into your home for those lucky kids who have parents who read to them.  Andrea, 3rd Grade Teacher   

 "Charles Ghigna is not only a seasoned adult poet,
but also one of the most popular writer's of imaginative verse for children today."
—Richard Armour

"Charles Ghigna  is now on the cusp of  becoming a major force in children's literature."
—Associated Press

"Charles Ghigna's work is impressive for its perceptiveness, its verbal felicities, its craftsmanship.
He has a feeling for language, a sense of form, and he makes the experience he writes about
matter to himself and the reader."
—Robert Hayden

"Charles Ghigna is quite possibly one of the three or four best poets of his generation.
He is certainly the most enjoyable to read. His themes and subjects are the product of a sensibility that is at once intensely emotional but strictly controlled. Again and again the individual poems exhibit a rare and unusual mastery of his craft."
—Charles Henley

"Charles Ghigna, in my opinion, belongs with the best of contemporary American poets.
He writes about a broad range of subjects (love, nature, family, religion, time, and sport, to name only a few)
and he treats each one with imagination, insight, occasional humor, and wisdom. He is particularly adept at showing the extraordinary significance and meaning that lie, like the prize bass in one of his poems, just beneath the surface of common, everyday experiences and events. A Ghigna poem is always a revelation, a poignant reminder of the pathos and beauty of the human condition."
—Robert Hamblin

"Charles Ghigna is the finest new poet that I or anybody else has read in a long time."
—James Dickey

"Ghigna is versatile and ambitious, and has sharp eyes and ears.
He doesn't just crystalize his own nightmares and dreams in Plastic Soup: Dream Poems,
he imagines himself inside other people's. To sample his freshness, power, and economy,
try 'No Hunting Signs' or 'Xenophobia.' For a taste of his outrageous humor,  see 'Making Love to the Statue of Liberty' or 'Pitcher Perfect,' this last a double-entendre poem far superior to E. E. Cummings' famous comparison of a woman to a new car. In such triumphant moments, Ghigna writes better than just about any other poet I know."
—X. J. Kennedy

"Charles Ghigna is a master of the short form, the pithy poem.
This collection, Dear Poet: Notes to a Young Writer, showcases his wit
and ability to offer both a real poem and real advice.
I can see these poems enjoyed in the classroom
as well as in the secret heart of any would-be poet."
—Jane Yolen

"Ghigna's poems, succinct, crisp, concise word-gems,
offer readers thoughts to ponder over and over again.
His is a poetic journey one will want to travel aboard often."
—Lee Bennett Hopkins

"Charles Ghigna creates a masterful collection of poetic strength and clarity of vision."
—Paul Ruffin

"A brilliant performance.
Ghigna graces the poetry platform with dynamic wit, vision, and verve.
Strong, original poems exquisitely performed with a commentary
laced with humor befitting a seasoned poet/professor."
—The Miami Herald

"It is fun to read work by a poet who you can
imagine had as much fun writing as you have reading.
Charles Ghigna's light verse reads so smoothly
that it often tricks me into believing writing light verse is easy."
—Writer's Digest

"Charles Ghigna is a writer whose imagination, perception, verbal adroitness and wit
enable him to fly rings around those of us who even have the gall
to pick up a pen, much less call ourselves writers."
—Saturday Evening Post

"Ghigna's worth seeing (even planning for) because
he makes quite an impression on the little ones.
When he reads to them, he has a definite
air of fun about him."
—The Birmingham News

"Ghigna captures perfectly the wonder — the sheer joy — of being a child."
—Humpty Dumpty

“In Artwords, Charles Ghigna paints in verse, offering poetic portraits of iconic artists and writers
that are variously (and sometimes simultaneously) playful, poignant, and profound.
Readers will relish these “speaking likenesses,” which both pay homage to their subjects
and evoke their most beloved artistic and literary achievements.”
—Graham C. Boettcher, Ph.D., Director, Birmingham Museum of Art

“The masters of paintbrush and pen come to life in Artwords as Charles Ghigna uses poetry
to capture the nature of their art while sharing a glimpse into their hearts.
The resulting poems in this collection are exquisite yet accessible.
While educational and informative, laced with biographical detail and fact,
Ghigna’s poems to the masters are, themselves, little masterpieces.”
—Allan Wolf, author of The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep

“Artwords. Each of Charles Ghigna’s twenty-four art portrait poems
is a masterpiece comparable to the famed artists and poets he apostrophizes
in various magnetic poetic forms—Vincent Van Gogh, El Greco, Pablo Picasso,
Walt Whitman and Mark Strand to name a few.
Indeed, this is a book to put under your pillow at night
so the craft and joy of it will inform the day.”
—Dr. Sue Walker, Poet Laureate of Alabama 2003-2012

“Artwords. Written with admiration and deep understanding, these poems by Charles Ghigna
bring us into direct contact with the creative process of twelve poets and twelve painters.
By addressing the artists who have influenced him, Ghigna engages intimately with the sparks of brilliance

they emit and helps us remember, as he writes in "El Greco," that the greatest art is about "more / than meets the eye." After reading these lyrically rich poems, I felt inspired to revisit my own beloveds.”
—Jennifer Horne, Poet Laureate of Alabama 2017-21

 

~   Notes from Children and Parents   ~

Thank you so much for the book of poetry!
You have no clue how perfect of a gift this is.
I've started reading to baby Henry every night as part of his bedtime routine.
I read him a few poems from the book tonight and he gave me the biggest smile!  
It is even more special that you had the author write him a note on the inside.
As Henry grows older, I am sure that he will cherish this book.
I am looking forward to reading him the poems as the seasons change and eventually

memorizing his favorites!  Thank you again. We really appreciate it! You are incredibly kind

and thoughtful to give us such a wonderful gift.
—A Thank You note from Caedan, Sarah & Baby Henry to Carolyn Sherer for her gift to them of
The Father Goose Treasury of Poetry for Children

I would love to write a positive review about Charles Ghigna’s book Love is Everything.
However, nothing can compete with the review by Lucy, my four-year-old daughter.
Lucy said, “I want to read this one tonight, it’s the best book in the world.”
Thank you, Father Goose. We love it!
—Bethany Michelle, Lucy’s Mom