Have You Seen These: Visions in Poetry Series?

I know, I said I was staying away from publisher sites (and perhaps not said, but implied, also attempting to stay away from Amazon). BUT... I was looking up the price of a non-book item (I swear) and for some reason in the 'also purchased by' section was an image of a rather captivating book cover for Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky. The cover was so intriguing I HAD to check it out (HAD to), and what I stumbled onto was an illustrated children's series published by Kids Can Press, Ltd.

7 titles, all classic poems, illustrated by contemporary (Canadian?) illustrators, published between 2004 & 2010. At the time of this writing, Abebooks.com only had two listings for first editions (still priced near the original asking price). Amazon has lots of used copies, although very few actually state that they are first editions / first printings - so you may need to do a little leg work if you want to cobble together titles in "like new" condition. Prices at Amazon are constantly being adjusted, but I'm betting you can find each of these titles for about half of the original price (used).

Quick note: It appears that the last two titles were published in paperback only (for some that may be a deal breaker).

Regardless, it's a sweet little set, although I don't know what the long term collectibility of these titles will actually be. Short term, they're valued at about the cover price - assuming they are in Fine condition. I couldn't find any print run numbers, but I'm guessing that has less of an effect on these. This series is more likely to be propelled by emotional attachment (both to the illustrations and the poems).


Jabberwocky, Lewis Carroll
Illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch
Published August 1, 2004
Orig. price: $16.95 USD
# of pages: 40


The Highway Man, Alfred Noyes
Illustrated by Murray Kimber
Published April 1, 2005
Orig. price: $17.95 USD
# of pages: 48


The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe
Illustrated by Ryan Price
Published August 1, 2006
Orig. price: $17.95 USD
# of pages: 48


The Owl and the Pussycat, Edward Lear
Illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch
Published September 1, 2007
Orig. price: $17.95 USD
# of pages: 48



My Letter to the World and Other Poems, Emily Dickinson
Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Published September 8, 2008
Orig. price: $17.95 USD
# of pages: 48


The Lady of Shallot, Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Illustrated by Geneviève Côté
Published September 1, 2009
Orig. price: $9.95 USD (Paperback only)
# of pages: 48

Casey at the Bat, Ernest L. Thayer
Illustrated by Joe Morse
Published March 1, 2010
Orig. price: $9.95 USD (Paperback only)
# of pages: 48

[Edit, April 4, 2016: There ARE hardcovers out there. Check over at Abebooks for prices. When I did a search they varied from $8-$68.]