Need Recs: Poetry that is appealing to children, but is not "children's poetry"

[Sahamamama]

We've spent years reading (and memorizing) poems by Robert Louis Stevenson, Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, Gelett Burgess, Ogden Nash, Christina Rossetti, Robert Frost, William Blake, Eleanor Farjeon, and Judith Viorst. We've read anthologies collected by Jack Prelutsky and others. And we've never been fans of Shel Silverstein (gasp). There it is.

 

We are really, really ready to move on from "The Purple Cow," limericks, and the like. What poetry have you found that (1) is appropriate for children, but (2) is not intentionally written for children, or at least isn't solely silly.

 

We enjoyed our Season of Silly Poetry, but I'm worn out with it, honestly. There are only so many poems like "There Was an Old Man with a Beard" that I can take, KWIM? I think the girls are ready to move on, too, and try something different.

 

This year, we're going to try the Poetry Tea Time concept. Any ideas for lovely, non-silly poems that girls would enjoy with their tea and scones? ;) Nothing too heavy on lust, hellfire, war, or death. Not yet.

 

Nature poems? Pastoral scenes? Mother and child? Animals and children? Who is good for those themes, without being incomprehensibly archaic?

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I know exactly what you mean.  I highly recommend Rose, Where Did You Get That Red and other books by Kenneth Koch.  You read a poem - one that is appealing to children, but not a children's poem - discuss it, and then write your own poem modeled on it.  It's lovely.  

 

I also recommend Talking To The Sun: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems for Young People - edited by Koch - which has very appealing poems and nice illustrations from the Met to go with them.

[tammyw]

I know exactly what you mean.  I highly recommend Rose, Where Did You Get That Red and other books by Kenneth Koch.  You read a poem - one that is appealing to children, but not a children's poem - discuss it, and then write your own poem modeled on it.  It's lovely.  

 

I also recommend Talking To The Sun: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems for Young People - edited by Koch - which has very appealing poems and nice illustrations from the Met to go with them.

 

Thanks for the reminder of Rose Where Did You Get That Red! We have that book but haven't used it yet. Can't wait to pull it out again!

[Eagle]

What about Shakespeare? The book "Under the Greenwood Tree" (edited by Barbara Holdridge) is beautifully illustrated and my son really enjoys it.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Under-Greenwood-Tree-Shakespeare-People/dp/0880450290/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1408380690&sr=8-14&keywords=Under+greenwood+tree

[ElizaG]

Ella Frances Lynch's Educating the Child at Home has some suggested poems for children from ages 4 to 10 or so.   These generally aren't "children's poems," and some are quite challenging, but she found that children were able to learn and enjoy them when taught by her methods (as described in this chapter and the one following).   She does emphasize that you have to go by the response of the individual child, though.   

 

I wish we had something like this for more recent poetry!   :001_smile:

[stripe]

I have One Thousand Poems for Children based upon the selections of Roger Ingpen, selected and arranged by Elizabeth Hough Sechrist. It has a section on goofy poems but mostly they are not. It is not mostly aimed at the young child, but there are also not erotic poems or bacchanal type stuff. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=8OsyAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

(What I'm seeing pricewise (>$30) for used is way too high, I think. I paid under $8 inc shipping, in the past year.)

 

I quite like the "Poems that Sing" section; it includes Barter by Sara Teasdale (I think I memorized this in 7th grade), Tennyson, Robert Burns, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Byron, Keats, Edna St Vincent Millay, Poe, Shelley, Walter Scott, William Blake, RL Stevenson, Oscar Wilde, Ben Jonson, RW Emerson, and Housman. 

 

What about some haiku??

[Sahamamama]

Ella Frances Lynch's Educating the Child at Home has some suggested poems for children from ages 4 to 10 or so.   These generally aren't "children's poems," and some are quite challenging, but she found that children were able to learn and enjoy them when taught by her methods (as described in this chapter and the one following).   She does emphasize that you have to go by the response of the individual child, though.   

 

I wish we had something like this for more recent poetry!   :001_smile:

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is wonderful. :)

[serendipitous journey]

The Koch books we have are wonderful: I'd look seriously at those, if you don't have them.  Just reading "Wishes, Lies and Dreams" or "Rose, Where Did You Get That Red?" would be worthwhile for a poetry loving mama, and give perspective on children and poetry from a working poet.   

 

I came across a book edited by Caroline Kennedy, who has done a lot of work bringing poetry to children, and really like it so far: Poems to Learn by Heart. 

She also edited A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poems for Children, which is for younger children -- targeting primary school children. 

 

We use various of the Poetry for Young People books, but you need to look at these on a case-by-case basis -- Langston Hughes was good, IMHO, but after reading the Kirkus review (on Amazon) of Longfellow I went with a different book for him. 

[mohini]

For Poets, Kipling comes to mind. Also Langston Hughes, Rotheke, Dickinson and Dylan Thomas would be appropriate.

 

There's a really nice series you can check out - Poetry for Young People - Each book is one poet and includes biographical info and poems. You can see them on Amazon. Here's the link for the Langston Hughes one:

 

 (http://www.amazon.com/Poetry-Young-People-Langston-Hughes/dp/1454903287/ref=sr_1_54?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-54&keywords=poetry)

[Little Nyssa]

My kids like TS Eliot's Practical Cats poems. Also the poetry in Alice in Wonderland.

[SoCalLynn]

A Family of Poetry (collection of well known poems by well known poets, some not so well known)

http://www.amazon.com/Family-Poems-Favorite-Poetry-Children/dp/0786851112/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408424452&sr=1-1&keywords=a+family+of+poems+by+caroline+kennedy

[Farrar]

Seconding the Caroline Kennedy ones and some of the other "for Children" collections, such as the Barefoot one...  Some "for Children" collections are mostly children's poets, but others are mostly classics that are child friendly.

 

Also, for poets that write for children, I really like Naomi Shihab Nye, who doesn't write silly or little kid poetry.

[Clear Creek]

We really like the Poetry for Young People series. It is real poetry from famous poets, not stuff written for children. The poems (and excerpts) are just selected with children in mind, so you can give your 6yo a taste of Poe without causing any nightmares.

[TarynB]

Julie Bogart (Bravewriter) shared her favorite poetry "teatime" books on her blog (the poetry-related list is on the bottom half of the page):  http://www.bravewriter.com/bwl/poetry-teatimes/teatime-reading-list/

 

Her list is comprised of: 

 

Read-Aloud Poems for Young People edited by Glorya Hale

You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You by John Ciardi

Dover Thrift Editions Great Short Poems edited by Paul Negri

Americans’ Favorite Poems edited by Robert Pinsky and Maggie Dietz

[Miss Tick]

Are you familiar with the William Carlos Williams poem This is Just to Say? It would be fun to pair that with Gail Carson Levine's book Forgive Me! I Meant To Do It perhaps write your own false apology poem.

 

Not as serious a suggestion as some of the other great books in this post.

[Miss Tick]

Oh, and if your mouths are all full, you might enjoy selections from Poetry Speaks to Children.

[MistiDelaney]

I wanted to second the "Poetry for Young People" suggestion.

[rose]

Ambleside online has some great suggestions here: http://amblesideonline.org/Poets.shtml. A little ways down the page they have a link to what they call "Ambleside online's poetry anthology." It's a txt file of over 200 poems. You could just print that out and look at one every day or so to get some good variety.