The Poetry Thread - Post your favorite poetry books please?

[parias1126]

I am really enjoying the poems on the poetry thread, but I would love to have some of the books those poems have come from. It got me thinking as one person shared an Amazon link (which, I do, have in my Amazon cart:D), can you please post Amazon links to all your favorite poetry collections?

 

Thank you!

 

My DD just this morning was sitting in the car reading a folder she has with a bunch of poems in it that she received her short time she was in PS. I am looking to produce a, "My Homeschool Book of Poetry" before we start school in the Fall. :001_smile:

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

OK, just remember, you asked for it! :tongue_smilie: I collect poetry books and we love poetry here. This list might be overwhelming. The best thing you can do is use the "look inside" feature at Amazon and check out what you can from your library to decide what would be personal favorites for you and what you ultimately want to purchase.

 

Here is a link list with some cut & pastes and editing from a post I made in an old poetry thread:

 

Family Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children by Caroline Kennedy - The illustrations are gorgeous and it is one of our favorites because it has one poem per page. The poems themselves seem to have a more mature edge to them, however. That's not a criticism, just something that I wanted to note. Also, it doesn't have bios of the poets, but that's easy enough to find online.

 

Talking Like the Rain selected by X.J. and Dorothy Kennedy is a lovely book. It's a mixed bag, with some poems having their own page and shorter poems that are thematically related put together on others. We like it.

 

The Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems is a great collection that includes dates. It is wonderful, progressing in chronological order beginning with Native American selections and ending with some modern multicultural poems. As with any reading, however, do pre-screen. In this volume in particular, I'm thinking of the poem "Incident" by Countee Cullen in which a racial slur is included. The poem itself is deeply meaningful and not to be missed. The perspective it gives on race relations in our country is perfectly related in this poem. However, it's not one I'd want my young kids to stumble upon on their own. It begs for a thoughtful discussion. The poem Barbara Frietchie by John Greenleaf Whittier gives me goose bumps. Unfortunately, the the illustrations are only mediocre. I would consider this a must buy, personally (although apparently I consider all poetry anthologies must buy). :) It's great for correlating American history with poetry.

 

My First Oxford Book of Poems by John Foster is a cute collection with more poems that will attract younger listeners.

 

My First Oxford Book of Nonsense Poems by John Foster is a great way to draw in reluctant listeners. My kids love poetry because I have read it to them from birth, just as I've read stories. Still, this collection has worked for some friends with young kids who hadn't previously been exposed.

 

A Kick in the Head by Paul Janeczko and Chris Raschka is great. The illustrations are lovely. The poems are cute. It's not cluttered. Plus, there is nothing in the world wrong with reading a lovely poem to a five year old and casually informing him, "That kind of poem is called a limerick." It beats waiting to lay it on him when he's in high school. Slow and steady wins the race. :D

 

A Child's Introduction to Poetry by Michael Driscoll is a great book to consider as kids get older. It gives a bio for each poet and a bit of history and analysis of each work. Of course, that can be skipped and the poem can be enjoyed as is. Sometimes, however, I think it's nice to have some background if my kids ask a question for which I don't have an answer. (And I almost never have any answers because, despite my obvious love of poetry, I don't dig analysis. I'm just in it for the love of the words.) I do find it a bit cluttered but the good outweighs the bad for me. Also, it has a cd.

 

Poetry Speaks to Children is another huge winner here. It also includes a cd. Where possible, the actual poets are doing the reading. I feel that this helps make poetry relevant and encourages kids to feel that it is not some outdated kind of writing but a living art. The book itself is lovely and very polished. The cd is great for the car. My kids think Emily Dickinson's Letter to Bee is hilarious.

 

You can't go wrong with the Poetry for Young People collection of books. You can really get to know individual poets and the illustrations are incredible. A brief bio is given at the beginning of each book and notes are made for each poem. I think the notes look too cluttered in some of the books but again, the good outweighs the bad for me.

 

I also have the Golden Books Family Treasury of Poetry. I'm so-so on it, mostly because I'm not a fan of multiple poems crowded onto one page. There is a great selection though. Two others that are similar are the Random House Book of Poetry for Children and The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury. My feelings are similar for those books. They all have their merits and they are all worth owning but they aren't my favorites because of the more cluttered feel. However, I will say that for those on a budget, these three books can't be beat because of the sheer quantity of poems included. (For a real budget saver, go to Ambleside Online for tons of links to free poetry.)

 

I absolutely love Favorite Poems Old and New and The Oxford Book of Children's Verse. These have no pictures but the poetry is outstanding. I read these at tea-time and my kids do not care in the least that they are not illustrated. They ask me to endlessly repeat the ones they enjoy. I imagine that if a child is ready for chapter books with few or no pictures, he/she is ready to enjoy poetry with no pictures.

 

Also, for those with very young children, I can't recommend Here's a Little Poem illustrated by Polly Dunbar highly enough. We just absolutely adore this book! It is now my number one baby shower gift. The book just makes you happy to look at it. (In the interests of positive sibling relationships, I beg you to think of two new lines for Colin McNaughton's "Mum Is Having a Baby!" though. We use, "I'm so happy she's having another one, someone to play with me!")

 

Two new ones that we added fairly recently are The Julie Andrews Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies (another one that comes with a cd!) and The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry (another great one for littles on up).

 

Oh, for great boy poetry, you cannot beat Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face. This book has permanent status on ds7's nightstand. The cd that comes with it is so well done that the whole family loves to listen to it.

 

Good luck picking! And sorry for the can of worms I just spilled all over you... :leaving:

[abbeyej]

So many wonderful options!

 

One of my very favorite little books used to be in the Sonlight K core... It's out of print now, but there are plenty of cheap used copies...

Poems to Read to the Very Young

It's just a delightful book to sit down and read together. Clever illustrations and nice selection. Not overwhelming, just lovely.

 

Another one just to sit and read together, with lovely illustrations:

A Child's Book of Poems

 

The Random House Book of Poetry for Children is great. More contemporary stuff included, a heftier volume, but still kid-friendly...

 

Favorite Poems Old and New is one of the most complete volumes (up through the mid 20th century) that you can find. It doesn't have the lovely illustrations and approachability of the ones above, but it has so many more poems, and ones you really don't want to miss. If I could absolutely have only one book, this would likely be it.

 

Poetry Speaks to Children is great fun and has a CD of many poets reading their own work. A wonderful way to include poetry in your errands or commute about town. Except for James Berry's "Okay, Brown Girl, Okay". It makes me cry. Every single time. Which is not really great for driving around town. ;) There are more poems in the book than on the CD, but it's really, really wonderful.

 

Another one that includes a CD is A Child's Introduction to Poetry. This is a good one for learning about various forms of poetry (it's not detailed about meter or rhyme scheme, etc, but it's a good very first intro). I don't care for the readers on the CD, unfortunately.

 

For home schooling purposes, Living Memory is a wonderful resource. It includes poems but so very much more as well. As a poetry collection, it has some good things, but isn't as complete as some of the others listed above (especially Favorite Poems Old and New). But if you *also* want Latin, Greek, history, math, Christian, etc memory work, this is an indispensable resource.

 

Another homeschool-oriented resource is Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization (this link is for the book and cd combo -- you can also buy the book alone). This is leveled and is great for grabbing and learning the poems in order... Useful if you don't have time to sit down and just enjoy poetry together and pick ones to learn. There's a great introduction with an explanation of the "whys" of poetry memorization and some "hows" (based on Suzuki methodology) as well. I'm afraid it's over-priced, or I would recommend it more highly. Definitely a nice resource though.

[Aubrey]

I love Eliot & cummings, & Medeival poetry cracks me up, but as far as one single book? The only one I can think of that nobody else will likely say (& that is an Absolute. Must. Own.) is A Box of Peppermints.

[ubermomto5]

our favorite 'look at' poetry book is robert louis stevenson 'a child's garden of verses'- there are lots of illustrators who've been published but we're partial to gyo fujikawa.

the other favorite we got from the library was 'poetry speaks to children' as a pp mentioned. my kids remember those poems so well and hearing the poet read is fascinating. 'sing a song of popcorn' is a fun picture poetry book as well.

[Kfamily]

OP,

 

I agree with the suggestion of using the Poetry for Young People series. We also have and use The Harp and Laurel Wreath which is a good anthology for all grades.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Harp-Laurel-Wreath-Dictation-Curriculum/dp/0898707161

 

Aubrey,

 

I looked at your guide for Little House in the Big Woods and really liked it. Do you think you might write any more...(hint, hint :D)? Maybe one for The Secret Garden...A Little Princess...Heidi...the rest of our booklist...:lol:?

Edited August 9, 2010 by Kfamily

[helena]

We enjoy many of the books already listed. I've also started a collection of vintage children's poetry books. I've found them all at library book stores for really cheap. I've found so many poems in them that you just don't see in the more modern books.

 

There's also a few good websites to use, including youtube to watch and listen to different reading on any given poem. If you try something like Jabberwocky, you'll find many fun variations.

 

Here are a couple of websites that I've had luck with:

http://oldpoetry.com/

http://www.egreenway.com/months/index.htm

[Aubrey]

Aubrey,

 

I looked at your guide for Little House in the Big Woods and really liked it. Do you think you might write any more...(hint, hint :D)? Maybe one for The Secret Garden...A Little Princess...Heidi...the rest of our booklist...:lol:?

 

Maybe...I was going to do the whole Little House series, but my dc read faster than I write! :lol: Right now I'm working on a creative writing curric that's almost done, & I'm absolutely delighted w/ how it's coming out. Between that & filing (etc), I might have my fingers in a few too many pies! :001_huh: :lol:

[parias1126]

OK, just remember, you asked for it! :tongue_smilie: I collect poetry books and we love poetry here. This list might be overwhelming. The best thing you can do is use the "look inside" feature at Amazon and check out what you can from your library to decide what would be personal favorites for you and what you ultimately want to purchase.

 

Here is a link list with some cut & pastes and editing from a post I made in an old poetry thread:

 

Family Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children by Caroline Kennedy - The illustrations are gorgeous and it is one of our favorites because it has one poem per page. The poems themselves seem to have a more mature edge to them, however. That's not a criticism, just something that I wanted to note. Also, it doesn't have bios of the poets, but that's easy enough to find online.

 

Talking Like the Rain selected by X.J. and Dorothy Kennedy is a lovely book. It's a mixed bag, with some poems having their own page and shorter poems that are thematically related put together on others. We like it.

 

The Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems is a great collection that includes dates. It is wonderful, progressing in chronological order beginning with Native American selections and ending with some modern multicultural poems. As with any reading, however, do pre-screen. In this volume in particular, I'm thinking of the poem "Incident" by Countee Cullen in which a racial slur is included. The poem itself is deeply meaningful and not to be missed. The perspective it gives on race relations in our country is perfectly related in this poem. However, it's not one I'd want my young kids to stumble upon on their own. It begs for a thoughtful discussion. The poem Barbara Frietchie by John Greenleaf Whittier gives me goose bumps. Unfortunately, the the illustrations are only mediocre. I would consider this a must buy, personally (although apparently I consider all poetry anthologies must buy). :) It's great for correlating American history with poetry.

 

My First Oxford Book of Poems by John Foster is a cute collection with more poems that will attract younger listeners.

 

My First Oxford Book of Nonsense Poems by John Foster is a great way to draw in reluctant listeners. My kids love poetry because I have read it to them from birth, just as I've read stories. Still, this collection has worked for some friends with young kids who hadn't previously been exposed.

 

A Kick in the Head by Paul Janeczko and Chris Raschka is great. The illustrations are lovely. The poems are cute. It's not cluttered. Plus, there is nothing in the world wrong with reading a lovely poem to a five year old and casually informing him, "That kind of poem is called a limerick." It beats waiting to lay it on him when he's in high school. Slow and steady wins the race. :D

 

A Child's Introduction to Poetry by Michael Driscoll is a great book to consider as kids get older. It gives a bio for each poet and a bit of history and analysis of each work. Of course, that can be skipped and the poem can be enjoyed as is. Sometimes, however, I think it's nice to have some background if my kids ask a question for which I don't have an answer. (And I almost never have any answers because, despite my obvious love of poetry, I don't dig analysis. I'm just in it for the love of the words.) I do find it a bit cluttered but the good outweighs the bad for me. Also, it has a cd.

 

Poetry Speaks to Children is another huge winner here. It also includes a cd. Where possible, the actual poets are doing the reading. I feel that this helps make poetry relevant and encourages kids to feel that it is not some outdated kind of writing but a living art. The book itself is lovely and very polished. The cd is great for the car. My kids think Emily Dickinson's Letter to Bee is hilarious.

 

You can't go wrong with the Poetry for Young People collection of books. You can really get to know individual poets and the illustrations are incredible. A brief bio is given at the beginning of each book and notes are made for each poem. I think the notes look too cluttered in some of the books but again, the good outweighs the bad for me.

 

I also have the Golden Books Family Treasury of Poetry. I'm so-so on it, mostly because I'm not a fan of multiple poems crowded onto one page. There is a great selection though. Two others that are similar are the Random House Book of Poetry for Children and The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury. My feelings are similar for those books. They all have their merits and they are all worth owning but they aren't my favorites because of the more cluttered feel. However, I will say that for those on a budget, these three books can't be beat because of the sheer quantity of poems included. (For a real budget saver, go to Ambleside Online for tons of links to free poetry.)

 

I absolutely love Favorite Poems Old and New and The Oxford Book of Children's Verse. These have no pictures but the poetry is outstanding. I read these at tea-time and my kids do not care in the least that they are not illustrated. They ask me to endlessly repeat the ones they enjoy. I imagine that if a child is ready for chapter books with few or no pictures, he/she is ready to enjoy poetry with no pictures.

 

Also, for those with very young children, I can't recommend Here's a Little Poem illustrated by Polly Dunbar highly enough. We just absolutely adore this book! It is now my number one baby shower gift. The book just makes you happy to look at it. (In the interests of positive sibling relationships, I beg you to think of two new lines for Colin McNaughton's "Mum Is Having a Baby!" though. We use, "I'm so happy she's having another one, someone to play with me!")

 

Two new ones that we added fairly recently are The Julie Andrews Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies (another one that comes with a cd!) and The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry (another great one for littles on up).

 

Oh, for great boy poetry, you cannot beat Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face. This book has permanent status on ds7's nightstand. The cd that comes with it is so well done that the whole family loves to listen to it.

 

Good luck picking! And sorry for the can of worms I just spilled all over you... :leaving:

Wow! Thank you!! :001_smile:

[Kfamily]

Thanks! I will keep my eye on your signature to see if you add any more at some point in the future. I really liked how you integrated the literary terms and yet kept the whole guide focused and not overdone. It was perfect really...:001_smile:

[SilverMoon]

I haven't seen The Complete Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne mentioned yet.

 

Ambleside Online has many great poetry collections on it too. It takes a little while to learn your way around the site well, but it's worth it.

[Aubrey]

Thanks! I will keep my eye on your signature to see if you add any more at some point in the future. I really liked how you integrated the literary terms and yet kept the whole guide focused and not overdone. It was perfect really...:001_smile:

 

Thank you SO much! Writing of *any* kind is so solitary, it means the world to me to get feedback! :001_smile: