Poetry Books

The Hare and the Tortoise and Other Fables of La Fontaine translated by Ranjit Bolt, illustrated by Giselle Potter (Barefoot)
Nineteen of the renowned French poet’s fables and adaptations are presented in accessible rhyming couplets, making for a polished alternative to Aesop’s canon. Grade level: 1–5. 64 pages.

Bronzeville Boys and Girls written by Gwendolyn Brooks, illustrated by Faith Ringgold (Amistad/HarperCollins)
Brooks’s classic anthology, illustrated anew for the first time in fifty years, evokes the children of 1956 Chicago minus anachronism, with still-resonant poems and energetic acrylic-and-marker paintings. Grade level: 1–5. 48 pages.

Let It Shine: Three Favorite Spirituals selected and illustrated by Ashley Bryan (Atheneum)
Cut-paper and swirling, vivid colors illustrate the hopeful strains of “This Little Light of Mine,” “Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In,” and “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” Grade level: K–3. 48 pages.

Kindergarten Kids: Riddles, Rebuses, Wiggles, Giggles, and More! written by Stephanie Calmenson, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (HarperCollins)
Bouncy words and brightly patterned paintings create a positive, encouraging view of classroom activities. Grade level: Preschool. 32 pages.

Mother Goose Numbers on the Loose selected and illustrated by Leo Dillon and Diane Dillon (Harcourt)
This collection of both well- and lesser-known rhymes featuring numbers and counting is brought to life by crisp, sunny, and playfully surreal illustrations. Grade level: Preschool–2. 56 pages.

On the Farm written by David Elliott, illustrated by Holly Meade (Candlewick)
A series of brief, often funny poems capture the personalities of farm animals, from the bull to the bees, with descriptions that don’t always flatter the beasts in question. Grade level: Preschool. 32 pages.

Handsprings written and illustrated by Douglas Florian (Greenwillow)
Florian’s fourth book of seasonal poems finishes off the set with whimsical exuberance. Grade level: K–3. 48 pages.

zoo's who written and illustrated by Douglas Florian (Harcourt)
A playful menagerie captured in humorous wordplay and inventive illustrations. Grade level: K–3. 48 pages.

Don’t Forget Your Etiquette!: The Essential Guide to Misbehavior written by David Greenberg, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott (Kroupa/Farrar)
“Miss Information” offers advice on dressing, eating, burping, disagreeing with adults, and other useful topics, zanily backed up by energetic watercolor-and-ink illustrations. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.

Danitra Brown, Class Clown written by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by E. B. Lewis (Amistad/HarperCollins)
A poetic narrative describes the strong friendship between two girls; accompanying illustrations emphasize their contrasting personalities. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

Flush!: The Scoop on Poop throughout the Ages written and illustrated by Charise Mericle Harper (Little)
Thirteen poems skim the history of human waste, shedding irreverent but edifying light on everything from “Before Toilet Paper” to “Toilets in Space.” Grade level: 1–5. 32 pages.

Oh, No! Where Are My Pants? and Other Disasters: Poems edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch (HarperCollins)
From the poignant to the lighthearted, these poems illuminate some of the darker aspects of childhood. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

Today and Today written by Kobayashi Issa, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Scholastic)
Eighteen haiku by the famous Japanese poet are arranged to portray one year in the life of a contemporary family, unforcedly emblematic of the cycle of life. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.

Hey, You!: Poems to Skyscrapers, Mosquitoes, and Other Fun Things selected by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Robert Rayevsky (HarperCollins)
Object-addressed poems both classic and new are presented, often in thematic pairs, with gently humorous, unobtrusive brushed-ink and watercolor illustrations. Grade level: 1–6. 40 pages.

A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms selected by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Chris Raschka (Candlewick)
Smart and skillful introduction to twenty-nine poetic forms. Grade level: 1–6. 64 pages.

Smelly Locker: Silly Dilly School Songs written by Alan Katz, illustrated by David Catrow (McElderry)
Parodies of fourteen well-known songs rhapsodize about smelly lockers, tests, and math. Grade level: K-3. 32 pages.

Oh, Theodore!: Guinea Pig Poems written by Susan Katz, illustrated by Stacey Schuett (Clarion)
Free-verse poems work in tandem to tell the sweet story of a boy’s slow winning-over of his new, very frightened guinea pig. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.

Toots the Cat written by Karla Kuskin, illustrated by Lisze Bechtold (Holt)
A goofy, graceful cat shines in watercolor and gouache illustrations. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

Imaginary Menagerie: A Book of Curious Creatures written by Julie Larios, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (Harcourt)
Larios’s fourteen poems — illustrated by gouache paintings with stylistic elements specific to the cultural origins of each imaginary creature — capture in very few words each creature’s essence. Grade level: K-3. 32 pages

Please Bury Me in the Library written by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Kyle M. Stone (Gulliver/Harcourt)
Poems, paired with playful pictures, extol the many wonders of reading. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

The World’s Greatest: Poems by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Keith Graves (Chronicle)
Taking inspiration from The Guinness Book of World Records, Lewis uses a variety of poetic forms — rhymed couplets, limericks, acrostics, and shape and concrete poetry — to immortalize twenty-five records and groundbreaking events. Grade level: 4-6. 32 pages.

Mural on Second Avenue And Other City Poems written by Lilian Moore, illustrated by Roma Karas (Candlewick)
Moore’s genius at translating experience into poetry for the very young is handsomely showcased here with vibrant oil paintings. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

Jabberwocky illustrated by Christopher Myers
Myers relocates Lewis Carroll’s classic nonsense poem to a city basketball court where an unnamed African American hero faces a fearsome trio of ace players. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

Mother Goose’s Little Treasures compiled by Iona Opie, illustrated by Rosemary Wells (Candlewick)
Twenty-two lesser-known verses, often containing echoes of the more familiar nursery standards, are accompanied by cheerful, sprightly watercolors. Grade level: Preschool. 56 pages.

Hush, Little Baby adapted and illustrated by Brian Pinkney (Amistad/Greenwillow)
An updated version of the lullaby is brought to life by exuberant characters swirling across the pages. Grade level: Preschool. 32 pages.

Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant and Other Poems written by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Carin Berger (Greenwillow)
Each poem combines an animal with an inanimate object, then explains the purpose of the object in the animal's behavior in an effective pairing of visual wit and verbal ingenuity. Grade level: K–32 pages.

My Dog May Be a Genius written by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by James Stevenson (Greenwillow)
This latest collection of over one hundred poems, each with a small twist, features a wide variety of levels and moods. Grade level: 1–5. 159 pages.

What a Day It Was at School! written by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Doug Cushman (Greenwillow)
Clever twists and a light, breezy style mark these seventeen poems about life in a multi-species school. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.

Busy in the Garden written by George Shannon, illustrated by Sam Williams (Greenwillow)
A celebration of things that grow coupled with cheerful mixed-media images. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.

This Is the Dream written by Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander, illustrated by James Ransome (Amistad/HarperCollins)
A young audience is introduced to the ideas of the Civil Rights Movement. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.

Schoolyard Rhymes: Kids’ Own Rhymes for Rope Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plain Fun written by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Knopf)
The zesty rhymes of childhood are aptly illustrated in comic style. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.

Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein (HarperCollins)
Published posthumously, this "billy sook" of letter-swapping antics features lovable characters and Silverstein's disarming signature style. Grade level: 1–6. 90 pages.

Why War Is Never a Good Idea written by Alice Walker, illustrated by Stefano Vitale (HarperCollins)
Walker’s poignant poem captures the destructive power of war and raises provocative questions, challenging readers: Will war become your birthright? Grade level: 4–6. 32 pages.

The Blacker the Berry written by Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Floyd Cooper (Amistad/Cotler/HarperCollins)
This collection of poems about varying skin tones of African Americans encourages children of all races to embrace the skin they’re in. Grade level: K-3. 32 pages.

Twist: Yoga Poems written by Janet S. Wong, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (McElderry)
Verse evokes the subject of each pose (“mountain,” “child,” etc.) while illustrations merge the physical pose with its metaphorical inspiration. Grade level: K–3. 40 pages.

Younger
Suggested grade level for each entry: K–3

My Dog May Be a Genius written by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by James Stevenson (Greenwillow)
The pairing of Prelutsky’s amusing and sophisticated wordplay with Stevenson’s jaunty watercolor-and-ink pictures makes for a fresh book brimming with wit. 159 pages.

Where the Steps Were written and illustrated by Andrea Cheng (Wordsong/Boyds)
Cheng’s novel-in-poems reveals the special relationships that grow over a year at an inner-city elementary school slated to be torn down. 143 pages.

The Bill Martin Jr Big Book of Poetry edited by Bill Martin Jr with Michael Sampson (Simon)
This collection featuring both classic and contemporary poets includes a tribute to the late Bill Martin Jr and over one hundred poems grouped by theme (“Nonsense,” “Family and Home,” etc.). 176 pages.

Intermediate
Suggested grade level for each entry: 4–6

Miss Crandall’s School for Young Ladies & Little Misses of Color written by Elizabeth Alexander and Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Floyd Cooper (Wordsong/Boyds)
Two dozen sonnets describe the little-known historical episode of Miss Crandall’s School, created by a Quaker who defied the citizens of her time to teach African American girls in 1930s Canterbury, Connecticut. 48 pages.

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost (Foster/Farrar)
After an accident leaves her favorite sled dog blind, twelve-year-old Willow must transport the dog to her grandparents for safe-keeping in this verse novel. 109 pages.

The Dangerous Alphabet written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Gris Grimly (HarperCollins)
Rhyming couplets and gruesome caricatures relate the fantasy story of a brother and sister (and their wide-eyed pet gazelle) who embark on a dangerous treasure hunt through city sewers. 32 pages.

Dark Sons written by Nikki Grimes (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion)
Alternating sections of poetry connect the biblical son Ishmael to a modern-day counterpart, Sam; both deal with feelings of displacement caused by a younger half brother. 216 pages.

Naked Bunyip Dancing written by Steven Herrick, illustrated by Beth Norling (Front)
Herrick’s impressionistic poems about the first few months of school create an entertaining portrait of a good-natured sixth-grade class and their Bob Dylan-singing, bell bottoms-wearing teacher. 201 pages.

Collected Poems for Children written by Ted Hughes, illustrated by Raymond Briggs (Farrar)
This collection of Hughes’s acclaimed poetry offers glimpses of life both familiar and strange. 259 pages.

The Brothers’ War: Civil War Voices in Verse by J. Patrick Lewis (National)
Eleven poems featuring apt rhyming and jagged rhythms offer little consolation but plenty of intensity in depicting the Civil War. Grade level: 4–8. 32 pages.

Honeybee by Naomi Shihab Nye (Greenwillow)
Nye’s eighty-two poems and prose paragraphs about community and communication delve into concepts of prejudice, kindness, war, and peace. 164 pages.

Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems) written by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Istvan Banyai (Clarion)
Park transposes this traditional Korean poetic form — essentially, three lines with a twist in the third — to the highly accessible topics of seasons and the routines of home and school. Grade level: 4–6. 40 pages.

Keeping the Night Watch written by Hope Anita Smith, illustrated by E.B. Lewis (Holt)
After his father returns, C.J. chronicles the difficult trajectory from abandonment to forgiveness in this verse portrait of a family's rebirth. 74 pages.

Worlds Apart: Traveling with Fernie and Me written by Gary Soto, illustrated by Greg Clarke (Putnam)
A cross section of contemporary Mexican-American kids tackle universal issues. 57 pages.

Zorgamazoo written and illustrated by Robert Paul Weston (Razorbill/Penguin)
Human Katrina and zorgle Morty journey to the planet Graybalon-4 and back in search of the missing zorgles of Zorgamazoo in this whimsical, well-constructed story told entirely in rhymed anapestic tetrameter. 284 pages.

Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer (Bloomsbury)
In this garden metaphor–laden verse novel, friendship blooms between misfits when Josie, a seventh-grade girl with cerebral palsy, meets guileless, hyperintelligent Jordan. 183 pages.

Young Adult
Suggested grade level for each entry: 7 and up

The Death of Jayson Porter by Jaime Adoff (Jump/Hyperion)
Adoff’s free-verse narrative relays the brutal but beautiful story of mixed-race teen Jayson’s ascent out of the hell that abuse and drug problems have made of his life. 259 pages.

Half-caste and Other Poems written by John Agard (Hodder/Trafalgar Square)
Wit and humor help convey serious examinations of race and identity, and rhyme, repetition, and refrains make the work sing. 80 pages.

How to (Un)cage a Girl by Francesca Lia Block (Cotler/HarperCollins)
This collection of forty-five autobiographical poems embraces both the dark and the light and gives heartfelt advice about love and life. 119 pages.

Psyche in a Dress by Francesca Lia Block (Cotler/HarperCollins)
In this free-verse novel that transports classical mythology to modern day Los Angeles, Psyche, the teen star of her father’s violent films, is determined to win back the heart of Eros. 114 pages.

Ringside, 1925: Views from the Scopes Trial by Jen Bryant (Knopf)
This multivoiced free-verse account of the Scopes trial is told from the viewpoints of students, merchants, a reporter, and the trial's chief adversaries. Grade level: 7 and up. 227 pages.

Red Hot Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Being Young and Latino in the United States edited by Lori Marie Carlson (Holt)
This powerful bilingual follow-up to Cool Salsa reflects the dualities of Latino-American life. 140 pages.

The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle (Holt)
In an exploration of oppression, war, and human rights, Engle crafts a powerful free-verse narrative around historical events, imagining the soliloquies of various revolutionary characters, including folk heroine Rosa la Bayamesa. 168 pages.

The Braid by Helen Frost (Foster/Farrar)
In this verse novel, two sisters go their separate ways — one to a new life in Canada, one to relatives in the Outer Hebrides — following Scotland’s notorious nineteenth-century Highland Clearances. 95 pages.

Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems written and illustrated by John Grandits (Clarion)
Concrete poems playfully channel teenage Jessie’s dreams, anxieties, and pet peeves. 48 pages.

Street Love by Walter Dean Myers (Amistad/HarperCollins)
Romeo and Juliet is transported to modern-day Harlem in this meticulously lyrical, accessible verse novel that free-flows through an array of perspectives. 134 pages.

The Freedom Business written by Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Deborah Dancy (Wordsong/Boyds Mills)
Nelson partners the 1798 autobiography of Venture Smith, a slave who grew up to be a slave-owner, with her poems inspired by particular moments from Smith’s life. 72 pages.

A Maze Me: Poems for Girls by Naomi Shihab Nye (Greenwillow)
Free-verse explorations of a teenager's struggle to connect with and understand her changing world. 118 pages.

I Just Hope It’s Lethal: Poems of Sadness, Madness, and Joy selected by Liz Rosenberg and Deena November (Graphia/Houghton)
This anthology of poems from a wide range of time periods and styles explores adolescent depression and related themes. 190 pages.

Boris by Cynthia Rylant (Harcourt)
A series of nineteen poems tell of the companionship between a finicky pet and his owner. 74 pages.

Zane’s Trace by Allan Wolf (Candlewick)
Zane Guesswind is visited by ancestors — black, white, Native American, and frequently historical — as he undertakes a 334-mile road trip to his mother’s grave in a verse novel that successfully straddles magical realism and unreliable narration. Grade level: 7 and up. 185 pages.

Nonfiction
Suggested grade level listed with each entry

William Blake: The Gates of Paradise by Michael Bedard (Tundra)
This lucid and demanding biography of the visionary poet integrates a coherent life story, a history of relevant social and political events, and literary exposition and criticism. Grade level: 7 and up. 192 pages.

The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano written by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Sean Qualls (Holt)
A verse biography, told in the alternating perspectives of the poet, his owners, and his parents, chronicles his boyhood from slavery to escape. Grade level: 4–6. 183 pages.

Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath by Stephanie Hemphill (Knopf)
This fictionalized verse biography comprises poems putatively composed by those who knew Sylvia as well as poems of the author “Imagining Sylvia” for a layered, elegant whole. Grade level: 7 and up. 260 pages.

Jazz written by Walter Dean Myers, illustrated by Christopher Myers (Holiday)
An extended jam session of form-hopping poems and expressive acrylic paintings depict historical moments, great musicians, and various forms and instruments within the genre. Grade level: 4–6. 48 pages.

Nobody Gonna Turn Me ’Round: Stories and Songs of the Civil Rights Movement written by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Shane W. Evans (Candlewick)
Pivotal events of the 1950s and 1960s are recalled in songs, poems, and vignettes, deftly contextualized and powerfully illustrated. Grade level: 4–8. 64 pages.

E. E. Cummings: A Poet’s Life by Catherine Reef (Clarion)
Exploring the interaction of events and poetry in Cummings’ life, Reef doesn’t flinch from her subject’s contentious works and darker moments. Grade level: 7 and up. 142 pages.

Beowulf: A Hero’s Tale retold and illustrated by James Rumford (Houghton)
A superb, emotional recounting of the ancient poem distinguished by vigorous prose and striking artwork. Grade level: 4-6. 48 pages.

Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes (Houghton)
A meadow’s varied plant and animal elements are presented in eight pairs of “poetry riddles” and precise, stylized scratchboard illustrations. Grade level: 2–5. 48 pages.

Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beckie Prange (Houghton)
A range of voices and outstanding woodcuts explore a northern pond. Grade level: 2–5. 32 pages.

Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales retold and illustrated by Marcia Williams (Candlewick)
Williams’s signature graphic panels portray nine of the classic tales, with the running commentary of “audience members” braiding in historical context and other information. Grade level: 4–8. 48 pages.

Dizzy written by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Sean Qualls (Levine/Scholastic)
The rhyme, repetition, and unexpected line breaks of this unorthodox picture-book biography reflect the musical style of the be-bop innovator and jazz great. Grade level: K–3. 48 pages.

Poetry web links

The Children's Book Council celebrates Young People's Poetry Week
www.cbcbooks.org/yppw/

National Poetry Month site:
www.poets.org/npm/

More lists of Recommended Books