Are you ready? April is National Poetry Month, so why not try reading a poem each day? We all love Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein. What about some new poets? Here are some suggestions for great poetry selections:
Alexander, Kwame. 2019. The Undefeated. Versify.
Coombs, Kate. 2012. Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.
Elliott, Zetta, 2020. A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Florian, Douglas. 2012. UnBEElievables: honeybee poems and paintings. NY: Beach Lane Books.
Harley, Avis. 2008. The Monarch’s Progress: Poems with Wings. Honesdale, PA: WordSong.
Heard, Georgia. 1998. Awakening the Heart. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, K-6
Holbrook, Sara. 2003. By Definition. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.
Heard, Georgia and Lester Laminack. 2008. Reading and Writing Across the Year. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, K-2
Janeczko, Paul B. 2019. The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog and Other How-To Poems. Candlewick.
Mateer, Trista. 2020. When the Stars Wrote Back: Poems. Random House Books for Young Readers.
Miller, Rhett. 2019. No More Poems!: A Book in Verse That Just Gets Worse. Little. Brown Books for Young Readers.
Newton, Vanessa Brantley. 2020. Just Like Me. NY: Knopf Books for Young Readers.
Nye, Naomi Shihab. 2020. Cast Away: Poems for Our Time. Greenwillow Books.
Singer, Marilyn. 2020. Follow the Recipe: Poems About Imagination, Celebration, and Cake. Dial Books.
Steinglass, Elizabeth. 2019. Soccerverse: Poems about Soccer. Wordsong.
Worth, Valerie.1996. All the Small Poems and Fourteen More. NY: Farrar, Straus.
Vardell, Sylvia. 2020. A World Full of Poems. NY: DK Publishers.
Vardell, Sylvia and Janet Wong. 2020. HOP TO IT: Poems to Get You Moving. NJ: Pomelo Books.
Wong, Janet. 2007. Twist: Yoga Poems. NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books.
Young, Judy. 2006. R is for Rhyme: A Poetry Alphabet. Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear Press.
So many poetry books, so little time. And yet, you can read several poems each day – to begin the day, during transition times, after lunch/recess, to end the day. There’s always time for a poem. I kept four to six poetry books handy to carry one with me as I walked my class to specials. I read to my class while they were waiting to enter the art and music rooms, the gym, the library, and the computer lab. We created a habit of reading and listening to poems throughout our day. Many students started writing poems on their own. We even formed our own “Poets’ Society” and visited each other’s home once a month to read, write, and share our poetry. I still own a collection of poetry books that fill an entire shelf. I like returning to them and reading them. They fill me with wonder and joy. Happy Poetry Month, Slicers!
Lynne's Blog 
Poetry books, old and new… great list!
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Thanks for the reminder! I’ve felt so stretched this year and poetry has not been a highlight for my class. I need to follow some of your suggestions.
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I love poetry snd have found it a vital part of my life this past year. I buy many poetry books, but they’re typically adult poetry books. Now I want all the books on your list. My favorite part of this post is your description of how you made poetry part of your students’ lives. Brilliant!
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Thanks for this great list of poetry books. Many you included are favorites of mine, but there are so many I didn’t know about. I’m looking forward to exploring them. What a great idea to carry a poetry book around and whenever there is a lull in the school day, share one with the kids!
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What a great idea having a poetry book in hand during transitions. Thanks for the inspiration.
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Lynne, the fact that poems vary in length make them perfect for reading while waiting…as transitions between classes,,,to begin the day…to end the day…to spark a thought…just to enjoy. Thanks for the great list of books.
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Such excellent recommendations! Last year I rolled from Slicing into a composing a poem a day in April; first time I ever tried. Wondering if I have the fortitude for it again this year – nevertheless, I will surely be celebrating the power and joy of poetry.
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What an amazing post full of suggestions! It was fun to read your list and see many of my favorites, as well as a lot of new-to-me poets as well. I also appreciate your suggestion to carry around a book of poetry to read to students if there’s ever a moment of downtime. That sounds like a great thing to do all year!
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