There is something so joyous about reading poetry to my kids. Each poem, even the short one, is so full. Full of meaning, full of emotion, full of subtext, full of fun, full of thought. I never read poetry to my kids without smiling.
It was difficult to narrow this list of great children's poets down to just 20. I've only listed books for the first nine (because I ran out of time! These lists take a lot of time, folks), and then I've given you the names of more poets you should look for on your library shelves. Most of these names are contemporary authors, but I've thrown in a few classic poets as well.
Once you've caught the poetry bug, please explore all of my poetry resources for parents and kids.
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And now, in no particular order... a few great children's poets your kids should know, and will love!
BOB RACZKA
Wet Cement: Concrete Poems. I mentioned Bob Raczka's latest collection in my newsletter last week (subscribe to my newsletter here) and the next day it arrived on the library hold shelf just for me. If you aren't familiar with concrete poems, you are in for a real treat. I think they are my 11 year old's favorite type of poetry because there is a puzzle factor and an "aha!" moment when what you are seeing connects with what you are thinking. This book is entirely in black and white and it is the poems themselves which create the pictures, there are no other illustrations. A marvelous book.
Jack Prelutsky
Stop asking me to choose a favorite Jack Prelutsky poetry book. Just stop. I can't! It's impossible. Whether it is the crazy Scranimals, the imagined creatures in Sardines Swim High Across the Sky or the amusing comparisons in Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant, I love them all. Good Sports is certainly my boys' favorite!
More:
- Too numerous to name, just check them all out!
J. Patrick Lewis
Doodle Dandies: Poems That Take Shape. J. Patrick Lewis was the U.S. Children's Poet Laureate a few years ago and he has written some very inventive poems, as well as curating some wonderful collections, like the National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 200 Poems with Photographs That Squeak, Soar, and Roar!
More:
Shel Silverstein
Where the Sidewalk Ends. Do I really need to tell you about the poet who put children's poetry on the modern map?
More:
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
Every household should contain a copy of A Child's Garden of Verses. There are several different illustrated versions. I love the Tasha Tudor illustrations and this one with illustrations by Gyo Fujikawa.
MARILYN SINGER
Marilyn Singer's reverso poem books should be on your must read list. There are three of them now, such as Mirror, Mirror. Check them all out!
More:
- Rutherford B., Who Was He?: Poems About Our Presidents
- A Full Moon is Rising
- A Stick is an Excellent Thing
NIKKI GRIMES
Meet Danitra Brown is just one of the poetry books by Nikki Grimes, whose talent also extends to picture books, early chapter books and novels!
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DOUGLAS FLORIAN
Douglas Florian's whimsical and clever picture book poetry, such as Poetrees, is great for kids who don't yet have a lot of exposure to poetry, as well as for us old hands. He has a number of themed collections, so there will be something for everyone.
More:
- UnBEElievables:Honeybee Poems and Paintings
- Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings
- Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings
- Poem Runs: Baseball Poems and Paintings
JOYCE SIDMAN
I hate to say it yet again, but it is difficult to single out a book to feature by Joyce Sidman, but start with Red Sings from Treetops. Sidman's poetry centers around nature and her books often include facts and narratives about her subjects.
More:
- Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature
- Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems
- Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night
- What the Heart Knows: Chants, Charms, and Blessings
Other poets to check out: (add your own favorites in the comments!)
- Jane Yolen
- Francisco X. Alarcon
- Christina Rossetti
- Lee Bennet Hopkins
- Paul Janeczko
- Roald Dahl
- Edward Lear
- Lewis Carroll
- Michael Rosen
- Allan Ahlberg
- Naomi Shihab Nye
My poetry book lists:
- Non-boring poetry books that will make you love poetry
- Diverse poetry books for kids
- Haiku poetry books for kids
- Chapter books written in verse
MORE!!!:
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Joy Acey says
Add Charles Ghinga. I just shared "What Is A Poem" from his Fury of Motion: Poems for Boys with the children at Kapaa Elementary School.
And there is a whole crew of women poets you are missing:
Lauara Purdie Salas
Amy VanderWater
Irene Latham
Kristine George
Heidi Mordhorst
Lee Wardlaw
Marilyn Nelson
Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Janet Wong
Georgia Heard,
Alice Schertle
I'm sure there is a whole passel of female poets I've missed
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks for sharing your recommendations. I can't list everyone, so I'm glad you chimed in.
Evielovesbooks says
I absolutely love your lists! I think you pick out great books and I would love to see you continue! But I have one request. Could you possibly make a strictly Middle Grade/Young Adult nonfiction book list? I love nonfiction and I think it would be great to get your opinion on some good books. Otherwise, keep up the good work!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks for the suggestion. Hopefully I will find time to get something put together in the future.
Shannon Slaughter says
Have you ever heard of Kenn Nesbitt? His books are great for school-aged kids and very funny. Each poem has some sort of unexpected twist at the end that you didn't see coming. He is from Spokane, WA and you can find his books on Amazon.
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thank you for the recommendation.
Natalie PlanetSmartyPants says
What? No Dr Seuss??? 😉
Erica MomandKiddo says
LOL.
Linnae says
I'm checking my library for some of these right now! We love Shel Silverstein, and the classic nursery rhymes, but haven't branched out much beyond that. Thanks for these suggestions!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Happy reading!
Elizabeth says
AA Milne is a classic!
Jeanette says
We love the book The Adventures of Isabel by Ogden Nash. Such a fun read!
Abbey says
Eloise Greenfield! She is essential!!!!
Stacey says
Thank you so much for this post! My son is obsessed with A Light in the Attic and I really need something different! Just checked out a bunch of these from the library.
Marsha says
When I was growing up my mom had an old copy of Favorite Poems Old and New. That book helped me fall in love with poetry, but I have not done well passing that love on to my kids. Thanks for the ideas! I’ll pull my copy of that book out and check out some of your suggestions!