Book Lists are a brand new feature on Turtle and Robot. For my inaugural post I decided to focus on poetry, since April is National Poetry Month and, as far as “National Commemorative” months go, it gets a fair amount of attention. Libraries will likely be highlighting poets and poetry; educators all over the country will be writing curricula about and including poetry.
Shel Silverstein, Dr. Seuss, A. A. Milne, Lewis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling, and Jack Prelutsky are all synonymous with children’s poetry. And there’s a good reason for that, they’re all wonderful (and I consider at least two of them to be geniuses). But the list I’ve compiled—fifty books about, containing or pertaining to poetry—was made to provide some alternatives to that ubiquitous bunch.
Poetry Collections
Ages 4 and up
By Ruth Krauss
Illustrated by Maurice Sendak
40 pages
HarperCollins
2001 (reprint)
This utterly delightful book should be a staple in any child’s library.
Ages 4 and up
By Patricia MacLachlan
Illustrated by Emily MacLachlan Charest
40 pages
HarperCollins
2010
Ages 4 and up
By Laura Purdie Salas
Illustrated by Josee Bisaillon
32 pages
Clarion Books
2011
Ages 4 and up
By Roald Dahl
Illustrated by Quentin Blake
32 pages
Puffin
2002 (reprint)
Ages 5 and up
By Roald Dahl
Illustrated by Quentin Blake
32 pages
Puffin
2009 (reprint)
Ages 5 and up
By Karla Kuskin
Illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier
336 pages
HarperCollins
2003
Ages 5 and up
By Michael Rosen
Illustrated by Quentin Blake
96 pages
Candlewick
2012
Ages 5 and up
By Peter and Iona Opie
Illustrated by Maurice Sendak
160 pages
Candlewick
1992
Ages 5 and up
By Ogden Nash
Illustrated by Etienne Delessert
84 pages
Stewart, Tabori and Chang
1987
Classic Poetry: An Illustrated Collection
Ages 8 and up
Edited by Michael Rosen
Illustrated by Paul Howard
160 pages
Candlewick
2009 (reprint edition)
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices 
Ages 8 and up
By Paul Fleischman
Illustrated by Eric Beddows
44 pages
HarperCollins
2004
Poetry for Young People: Maya Angelou
Ages 8 and up
Edited by Dr. Edwin Graves Wilson Ph.D.
Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue
48 pages
Sterling Children’s Books
2013
This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness
Ages 8 and up
By Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
48 pages
HMH
2014
Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes
Ages 8 and up
Edited by David Roessel and Arnold Rampersad
Illustrated by Benny Andrews
48 pages
Sterling Children’s Books
2013
Ages 10 and up
By Cynthia Rylant
Illustrated by Marla Frazee
48 pages
Beach Lane Books
2013
I absolutely love this book.
Telling a Story through a Poem, or This Whole Book is a Poem
Ages 4 and up
By N.M. Bodecker
Illustrated by Erik Blegvad
32 pages
Margaret K. McElderry Books
1998
Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!
Ages 4 and up
By Wynton Marsalis
Illustrated by Paul Rogers
40 pages
Candlewick
2012
I Saw a Peacock with a Fiery Tail
Ages 7 and up
Illustrated by Ramsingh Urveti
56 pages
Tara Books
2012
Ages 8 and up
By Edward Lear
Illustrated by Edward Gorey
48 pages
Pomegranate
2010 (reprint)
Edward Lear may still be a popular choice but it’s important to me that readers know about this Edward Gorey illustrated edition.
Ages 10 and up
By Maurice Sendak
32 pages
HarperCollins
2013
This book—the last Sendak completed before his death in 2012— is an homage to his brother, whom he credits for his love of drawing.
Poetry with an Urban Flair
Ages 4 and up
By Nina Crews
64 pages
Greenwillow
2003
Lively illustrations are incorporated into photographs of children in city settings.
Ages 5 and up
By Nikki Grimes
Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
32 pages
HarperCollins
1997
Ages 6 and up
By Walter Dean Myers
Illustrated by Christopher Myers
32 pages
Scholastic Press
1997
Caldecott Honor Book
Ages 7 and up
By Nikki Giovanni
Illustrated by Michele Noiset, Jeremy Tugeau, Kristen Balouch, Damian Ward, Alicia Vergel de Dios
80 pages
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
2008
Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices
Ages 12 and up
By Walter Dean Myers
88 pages
Holiday House
2004
Other Poetic Forms
If It Rains Pancakes: Haiku and Lantern Poems
Ages 5 and up
by Brian P. Cleary
Illustrated by Andy Rowland
32 pages
Millbrook
2014
Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse
Ages 6 and up
By Marilyn Singer
Illustrated by Josee Masse
32 pages
Dutton
2010
A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems
Ages 6 and up
Edited by Paul B. Janeczko
Illustrated by Chris Raschka
48 pages
Candlewick
2005
A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms
Ages 8 and up
Compiled by Paul B. Janeczko
Illustrated by Chris Raschka
64 pages
Candlewick
2009
Lemonade: and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word
Ages 8 and up
By Bob Raczka
Illustrated by Nancy Doniger
48 pages
Square Fish
2013 (reprint)
Picture Books about Poets
Ages 4 and up
By Michael Bedard
Illustrated by Barbara Cooney
40 pages
Dragonfly
2002 (reprint)
The same artist who graced the world with Miss Rumphius gorgeously illustrates this fictionalized account of a young girl meeting Emily Dickinson.
A Visit to William Blake’s Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers
Ages 5 and up
By Nancy Willard
Illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen
48 pages
HMH
1982
Walt Whitman: Words for America 
Ages 7 and up
By Barbara Kerley
Illustrated by Brian Selznick
56 pages
Scholastic
2004
A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams
Ages 7 and up
By Jen Bryant
Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
32 pages
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
2008
Ages 10 and up
By Pam Muñoz Ryan
Illustrated by Peter Sís
400 pages
Scholastic
2012
Tools for Writing Poetry
Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever
Ages 3 and up
By Richard Scarry
70 pages
Golden Books
1999 (reprint)
Ages 6 and up
By Harriet Wittels
128 pages
Golden Books
2001
Merriam-Webster’s Rhyming Dictionary
Ages 6 and up
224 pages
Federal Street Press
2011
Words, Wit, and Wonder: Writing Your Own Poem
Ages 6 and up
By Nancy Loewen
Illustrated by Christopher Lyles
32 pages
Picture Window Books
2009
Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write a Poem
Ages 8 and up
By Jack Prelutsky
2008 pages
Greenwillow
2008
Though this book is by Jack Prelutsky (whom I said would not be included) is not a book of poetry but instead a very helpful guide to writing poetry.
Books about Words
Ages 4 and up
By Lemony Snicket
Illustrated by Maira Kalman
40 pages
HarperCollins
2010
This was one of my favorite picture books of 2010. See Turtle And Robot’s review here.
Ages 4 and up
By Kate Banks
Illustrated by Boris Kulikov
32 pages
FSG
2006
Sparkle and Spin: A Book About Words
Ages 4 and up
By Ann Rand and Paul Rand
40 pages
Chronicle
2006
Not the same author of The Fountainhead fame, she spells it Ayn.
Ages 4 and up
By Roni Schotter
Illustrated by Giselle Potter
40 pages
Schwartz and Wade
2006
I Scream! Ice Cream!: A Book of Wordles
Ages 4 and up
By Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Illustrated by Serge Bloch
40 pages
Chronicle
2013
Books That Include Poetry in their Stories
Ages 3 and up
By Leo Lionni
32 pages
Dragonfly Books
1973
This is another book that should be a staple in every child’s library.
Ages 6 and up
By Cynthia Rylant
64 pages
HMH
2006 (reprint)
In Chapter 3, “Lightening Strikes,” the cafe (whose only connection to Van Gogh is in the name) is struck by lightning and the food starts cooking itself. And it does so perfectly. Marc, the owner, doesn’t immediately notice because he has been spending every moment of his day writing poems; poems which, it’s soon realized, are accurately predicting the future.
See Turtle And Robot’s full review here.
The Time Warp Trio Series, Book #10
Ages 7 and up
By Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Adam McCauley
96 pages
Puffin
2004
Each book opens with a brief synopsis of the basis of the Time Warp Trio (three boys that, usually unwittingly, travel through time) so readers need not know other books in the series.
Ages 8 and up
By Randall Jarrell
Illustrated by Maurice Sendak
48 pages
HarperCollins
1996
Ages 8 and up
By J.R.R. Tolkien
300 pages
HMH
2012 (reprint)
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