Children's Literature — Poetry

Color Me A Rhyme - by Jane Yolen - colors in nature with the accompanying poem - fun to write a color poem together as a class, gives children interesting new words for colors (alabaster, ebony, saffron, vermilion, mahogany, azure, verdure - like looking in a crayola box)

Creatures of Earth, Sea, and Sky by Georgia Heard - definitely shows a reverence for all things natural; delicate yet forceful

Earth Dance by Joann Ryder - poetical environmental wondrous words

The Earth Is Painted Green by Barbara Brenner

The Great Smoky Mountain Salamander Ball by Lisa Horstman - a funny story in rhyme that teaches respect and responsibility

Insectlopedia by Douglas Florian - children just shriek with laughter and amazement at his clever rhymes (great book for a really good read aloud)

My Mama Had A Dancing Heart by Libba Moore Gray - will always make me cry when I read it, another good one for choral reading, celebrates seasons, beautiful, lyrical, joyous writing

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss - written before he died but published and illustrated afterwards; a book of feelings and moods

Old Elm Speaks - Tree Poems and The Great Frog Race and Other Poems both by Kristine O'Connell George - non-rhyming poetry that children can read and absorb and inspire their writing (she has a wonderful website). Here's a poem from Old Elm Speaks

Old Elm Speaks

It is as I told you, Young Sapling.
It will take
autumns of patience
before you snag
your
first
moon

Ordinary Things by Ralph Fletcher - simple and strong poetry about everyday things but written with a keen eye and ...I don't know how to explain it. Example:

wind

the calendar says it's early spring
but the wind pretends not to know

it reaches with bone-cold fingers
inside my coat to rattle my ribs

it swoops down into my mouth
stuns my tongue, steals my voice

it whispers secrets past my ear a
blur of words too fast too low

You just can't beat that, can you?

Poems Have Roots by Lilian Moore (and earlier work by Ms. Moore, Sam's Place - Poems From the Country is sadly out of print but has some gems that it might be worthwhile to try to find this book…example

GREEN

Ducklings
look around.

there's treegreen
filling the sky

and there's grassgreen
running
up the hill,
steeply.

The shadowgreen is
pine woods,
dark
old.

The yellowgreen is
young leaf
unfolding,
new
as you.

Breathe green
deeply.

Silver Seeds by Paul Paolilli - introduce children to acrostics in a marvelous way, for example

FOG

Folds and folds
Of spun sugar, like a soft
Gray blanket over the land

Spectacular Science - A Book of Poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins - clearly demonstrating that science is all about questions and wonder

The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt, illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi (look closely at the illustrations, most are a hoot); wonderful old poem made into a book with a good lesson entwined, could be included in a text set with other spider books (somewhat similar to message in I Wish I Were A Butterfly)

The Sky Is Full of Song and Moments: Poems About the Seasons by Lee Bennett Hopkins - need I say more?

Something New Begins by Lillian Mooore

Water Music by Jane Yolen - beautiful photos accompany each poem, shaped poems, poems about water in all its forms

When the Frost in on the Pumpkin by James Whitcomb Riley - a poem made into a book; one of our most beloved poets of old using the local dialect that would be interesting to read aloud and study; a classic ode to autumn

Wings on the Wind - Bird Poems by Kate Kiesler - a collection of poems celebrating birds

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