On the fifth day of Christmas...
...my true love gave to me, poetry!
As a child I hated poetry and now that I am a grown up I can't imagine why! So it is definitely a mission of mine to make sure that other kids love poetry. Here are a few poetry books that will ignite your child's inner Shakespeare.
A Light in the Attic
ALL AGES!!! (but also 7 to 12)
Do I even need to explain Shel Silverstein?!? Hopefully you all know and love this book and are letting out a sigh of relief that I posted it. But for those of you who may not know the work of Mr. Silverstein, you are basically looking at the Shakespeare of kids poetry. He is a gateway drug into rhyme and NOT-reason. His poems feature all sorts of crazy stories. Like the one about the guy who thought he had wavy hair until he shaved it off and discovered he had a wavy head. Or the one about the homework machine. Or maybe the one about the guy who walks out of the house and notices that something feels funny but is not quite sure what. Then the last three lines (which should end up rhyming with dance) are:
Yet I feel there is something
I may have forgot-
What is it? What is it?
And there we see the guy, cute little butt cheeks just hanging there for all the world to see. Yes, buy this book and anything else Shel Silverstein wrote.
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices
ages 9 - 12
Paul Fleischman created this book of poems to be read aloud. Each poem is set up in two columns. One voice reads the left column and the other reads the right column. The poems are about all sorts of bugs and the structure not only highlights the beautiful rhythm of the words, but also the nature of each bug. For instance, in the poem about grasshoppers, he has each voice trail the other by one line to give the sense of a leap frogging grasshopper. Once you read one and figure out how just how to make it work, you will want to try them all. This is also holds the rare honor of being a poetry book and Newbery Award winner. (That is the award for the best children's book.)
Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A celebration of poetry with a beat
ages 8 to 12
So your kids don't think poetry is cool? Or your parents think "rap" is not good for you? Well this poetry book brings both stereotypes crashing down. Nikki Giovanni edited this anthology of poetry that makes you tap your toes, nod your head to the beat, and put a little swagger in your step. She has everything from Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou to Kanye West and Queen Latifah. There is a bonus too, Giovanni includes a cd of selected poems being read. Some are read by the actual poet, some by guest poets. There are also bonus tracks that explain the background of some of the poems you hear. I loved this book and my kids loved this book. A must have for all poetry lovers and hip hop lovers, or those who need to see the beauty in both.
As a child I hated poetry and now that I am a grown up I can't imagine why! So it is definitely a mission of mine to make sure that other kids love poetry. Here are a few poetry books that will ignite your child's inner Shakespeare.
A Light in the AtticALL AGES!!! (but also 7 to 12)
Do I even need to explain Shel Silverstein?!? Hopefully you all know and love this book and are letting out a sigh of relief that I posted it. But for those of you who may not know the work of Mr. Silverstein, you are basically looking at the Shakespeare of kids poetry. He is a gateway drug into rhyme and NOT-reason. His poems feature all sorts of crazy stories. Like the one about the guy who thought he had wavy hair until he shaved it off and discovered he had a wavy head. Or the one about the homework machine. Or maybe the one about the guy who walks out of the house and notices that something feels funny but is not quite sure what. Then the last three lines (which should end up rhyming with dance) are:
Yet I feel there is something
I may have forgot-
What is it? What is it?
And there we see the guy, cute little butt cheeks just hanging there for all the world to see. Yes, buy this book and anything else Shel Silverstein wrote.
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voicesages 9 - 12
Paul Fleischman created this book of poems to be read aloud. Each poem is set up in two columns. One voice reads the left column and the other reads the right column. The poems are about all sorts of bugs and the structure not only highlights the beautiful rhythm of the words, but also the nature of each bug. For instance, in the poem about grasshoppers, he has each voice trail the other by one line to give the sense of a leap frogging grasshopper. Once you read one and figure out how just how to make it work, you will want to try them all. This is also holds the rare honor of being a poetry book and Newbery Award winner. (That is the award for the best children's book.)
Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A celebration of poetry with a beat
ages 8 to 12
So your kids don't think poetry is cool? Or your parents think "rap" is not good for you? Well this poetry book brings both stereotypes crashing down. Nikki Giovanni edited this anthology of poetry that makes you tap your toes, nod your head to the beat, and put a little swagger in your step. She has everything from Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou to Kanye West and Queen Latifah. There is a bonus too, Giovanni includes a cd of selected poems being read. Some are read by the actual poet, some by guest poets. There are also bonus tracks that explain the background of some of the poems you hear. I loved this book and my kids loved this book. A must have for all poetry lovers and hip hop lovers, or those who need to see the beauty in both.
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