This is a post I dug out of the archives and updated. For the past few years I’ve tried to give at least a small part of our school time each week in April to sharing poetry with my girls. This year, however, since we will be acclimating to being a family of six, I’m not sure how many new poetry books I’ll have to share. Instead, I’m sharing this unorganized index of poetry-related links here at Hope Is the Word in hopes that it will inspire some of you to celebrate National Poetry Month!
- Picture books by Verla Kay
- Read Aloud Thursday–A.A. Milne Edition
- Several poetry picture books, including Oddhopper Opera: A Bug’s Garden of Verses
- Spotlight on Jane Yolen
- Children’s Classics: Poetry–a couple of our favorite anthologies
- Crossing by Philip Booth
- A Cold Snap!: Frost Poems by Audrey B. Baird
- Riddle Rhymes by Charles Ghigna and Jumpety-Bumpety Hop by Kay Chorao
- Red Sings from the Treetops by Joyce Sidman (& again here; I love this book!)
- The Bugliest Bug by Carol Diggory Shields
- Here’s a Little Poem–another nice children’s anthology
- The Rooster Crows: A Book of American Rhymes and Jingles by Maud and Miska Petersham
- some titles about ancient Egypt
- His Shoes Were Far Too Tight by Edward Lear
- Phillis’s Big Test by Catherine Clinton (picture biography of poetess Phillis Wheatley)
- Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky (plus fabulous poem-inspired artwork!)
- Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
- Around the World on Eighty Legs by Amy Gibson
- Rah, Rah, Radishes by April Pulley Sayre and King Hugo’s Huge Ego by Chris Van Dusen
- Goody O’Grumpity by Carol Ryrie Brink
- Dark Emperor and Other Poems of Night by Joyce Sidman
- Cousins of Clouds: Elephant Poems by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
- Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson
- A Sock Is a Pocket for Your Toes: A Pocket Book by Liz Garton Scanlon
- Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Fairy Poems
- Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems by Joyce Sidman
I probably missed a few (I know I’ve reviewed a few novels-in-verse), but that’s enough to start, right? If this isn’t enough, the Poetry Friday round-up hosted each week by some member of the Kidlitosphere is also a great place to go for inspiration.
What’s your favorite children’s poetry book or poet? Any suggestions for a not-to-be-missed poem, collection, or poet for this special month?