Review of The Village Blacksmith By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

[Goodness Richman]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Village Blacksmith By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow" by John W Babin.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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The Village Blacksmith By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a story of the poem and the poet by John William Babin. It follows Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who was a great poet in the nineteenth century. He heard that his great-great-grandfather was a blacksmith, and being inspired by many smiths, especially one who had his smithy under a chestnut tree in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he wrote a short poem about the smith.

The poem talks about the smith's way of life, especially his work, detailing the sound of his anvil, the children who come home from school to peep at his forge, and that he's no debtor to anyone. The poem also talks about his life outside work, like a day at church. However, as Cambridge became more occupied, the chestnut tree had to be cut down. Despite the poet's protests, the tree still went down. The children of the town, knowing what had happened, paid and got him a chair out of the chestnut tree. And to that, the poet wrote another poem about the chair, which is also included in the book.

I like this book for many reasons. This book is not just a poem; it's a retelling of history, and the book gave that feel. Images from the 1890 edition of the book are included. Aside from that, I like how the book was structured, from the introduction to the poem to the story of the poet and to the second poem.

About the poem itself, the choice of words and the style of writing are neither confusing nor oversimplified, but just perfect to deliver the intended meaning without much thought. Also, a few words are highlighted and their meanings are given, which I feel will be beneficial for children who'll read the book. The ending of the first poem even relates the story of the smith to real life, which improves its insightful relevance.

I don't dislike any aspects of this book. I didn't notice any errors while reading this book, which shows that it was exceptionally well-edited. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars for the reasons I mentioned above. I recommend this book to readers of all ages who enjoy reading short poems.

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The Village Blacksmith By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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