Children's Poetry Books

In my opinion, poetry really seems to grab the attention of most kids. It was definitely one of my favorite genres of books to read when I was a little girl. In looking into locating books for this particular blog post, I rediscovered my love for children's poetry. I found two books that are great additions to anyones collection of children's books. Both Guyky: A Year of Haiku for Boys written by Bob Raczka and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds and An Assortment of Animals: A Children's Poetry Anthology written and illustrated by The Writers' Loft, are wonderful books that I recommend getting if you don't already own them.


The first book, Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys, takes readers through the four seasons. It starts off with Spring and ends with Winter. The subtle colors that are accenting the mostly black, white, and brown illustrations of Peter H. Reynolds add to the simplicity of this children's poetry book. Since this is a book of haikus, this is not a book that encompasses a lot of rhymes like many other poetry related children's books have, but it is a different take on introducing a different writing style of the poetry genre. One of my favorite haikus in the book is in the first section of the book, Spring, and it says " If this puddle could talk, I think it would tell me to splash my sister". These collection of haikus are perfect for young readers and it very much brings to life the goofiness, messiness, and adventurous spirit that lives inside little boys. I enjoyed the images and the writing so much that I even bought a copy for my five-year-old nephew!


The second book that I looked at was An Assortment of Animals: A Children's Poetry Anthology. This is a great book for adults to read aloud to their children or teachers to read aloud to their students. Even older children would enjoy reading this independently. With poems by over twenty writers, and the accompaniment of images drawn by over twenty illustrators, this book is not only beautifully put together, it is also informative. Children will learn facts about different animals. Some they may have had personal encounters with, while others may be ones that they don't see quite as often. Not only is this a great book of poetry for children, but it is also one that could be used as an integration with the subject of science and nature. I definitely recommend adding it to you collection.

This is one of those genres that I feel is very much overlooked. Most people just stick with rhyming-based books for children. But, introducing young readers to genuine poetry books (especially different types of poetry) is such a great way to expand their knowledge on this wonderful and exciting genre. Both of the books mentioned in this post are great for young readers and I can't wait to continue to add to my collection of poetry books for children.

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