9 New Poetry Books
This post may contain affiliate links.
Happy Poetry Month! Do you read poems with your children and students? If you’re looking for inspiring poetry books to read with your kids, see what you think about these new releases. Read the poems out loud, savor the word pictures, consider the meanings. Enjoy!
“. . . poems hide. In the bottoms of our shoes, they are sleeping. They are the shadows drifting across our ceilings the moment before we wake up. What we have to do is live in a way that lets us find them.” – Naomi Shihab Nye
Because I’ve reviewed many, many poetry books over the years, I’m creating a massive resource list for teachers and parents. The books will listed by poetry type plus key figurative language elements that you might be looking to teach in writing workshop. Look for that very soon.
“Writing a poem is making music with words and space.”
– Arnold Adoff
– Arnold Adoff
Do you want ideas for instruction on writing poetry for your classroom or homeschool? Visit my Elementary Teacher and Homeschool Poetry Resource page.
“Poetry surprises and deepens our sense of the ordinary. Poetry tells us that the world is full of wonder, revelation, consolation, and meaning.”
– Tracy K. Smith, U.S. Poet Laureate (2017 – )
– Tracy K. Smith, U.S. Poet Laureate (2017 – )
9 New Poetry Books (2018 Mostly)
A Round of Robins by Katie Hesterman, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier
I am the biggest fan of Sergio Ruzzier’s illustrations. Once again, his art totally captures the essence of the poetic text, in this case, the life of robins. First, the robin parents build a nest, then guard their eggs, and eventually raise their baby birds to be independent. The rhyming poems are joyful, playful, and fun to read out loud. Teachers, you’ll love using these poems in your writing workshop. Vibrant action verbs capture the lives of this bird family, “Jumble, jostle, rumble, squirm” or “Wiggle, ship / Squiggle, slip“. (Added to: Beautiful Books About Birds)
In the Past: From Trilobites to Dinosaurs to Mammoths in More Than 500 Million Years by David Elliott, illustrated by Matthew Trueman
Aptly-oversized to reflect many of the gigantic creatures within, this book of poems with gorgeous illustrations celebrate prehistoric creatures. Creatures like the weird-looking dunkleosteus or terrifying yutyrannus. Some of these creatures you’ll know but many will be new. The text is very accessible. Each creature includes their scientific name plus the geologic time line in which they lived. SO cool, right?
“Meganeura
No birds yet.
Only you in the sky.
Meganeuropsis permiana:
the giant dragonfly!”
No birds yet.
Only you in the sky.
Meganeuropsis permiana:
the giant dragonfly!”
Added to: The Best Dinosaur Books for Kids
H is for Haiku by Sydell Rosenberg, illustrated by Sawsan Chalabi
I love the presentation of these alphabetical haiku poems — from the bold typeface to the exuberant illustrations. Rosenberg’s topics celebrate the little moments in life; specifically life in New York City. Moments like wrinkled leaves in a puddle, children carrying umbrellas, or squirrels munching on acorns. These haiku poems show that poems can be about anything. Use these to see the world differently and to celebrate life’s small events.
“Plunging downhill
Petals falling in her hair —
Petals falling in her hair —
Girl on a bike”
From numbers to fire drills to the music room, celebrate everything elementary school in this cheerful book of poems.
The Horse’s Haiku by Michael J. Rosen, illustrated by Stan Fellows
Lovely earth-toned watercolors accompany haiku poems all about horses. Horse lovers like me know these scenes — rolling around in the dusty field, the clip-clop of hooves in the barn, and the wet chest after a day’s ride.
With My Hands: Poems About Making Things by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, illustrations by Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson
Celebrate the makers! “I am making / something new / with my hands / my head / my heart. / That’s what makers do.” From the artists who paint and sculpt to the builders who make boats and space ships, these will give kids inspiration to make wonderful, creative things like soap carvings and tie-dye shirts. And, I love the subject of these poems — the inventive things kids make in childhood. “I roll and stack / my snowman / whisper-white / and fat.”
Science teachers looking to integrate literacy into their curriculum, use this book as a model to write haiku poems about the Earth!! “hold fast, stalactite, / everlasting icicle, / stone bed for a bat” I think it’s interesting to see what words and descriptions the poet used for each topic. Because haiku is limited, the choices must be deliberate and well thought out.
In the Land of Words: New and Selected Poems by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
Read poems about words, poems, books, story, and more. “Poem, you caught me / by surprise.” For some of the poems, Greenfield shares background about writing each poem which is interesting.
One Last Word by Nikki Grimes
Teachers, use this book in your classroom to teach the “Golden Shovel” poetic form. It’s SO creative. And, the poems in this small book are stunning, filled with wisdom and relatable life stories. Grimes takes a line from a Harlem Renaissance poem then uses the words to create a new poem.
Follow Melissa Taylor @ImaginationSoup’s board Poetry on Pinterest.
