Encourage Your Child to Write Poetry With These Books
The poems that we read over and over again in childhood can stay with us for the rest of our lives. April is National Poetry Month , so now is the time to introduce your kids to the wonders of poetry. But the fact that so many of us are hiding in place now — and the kids have read their private libraries five times — makes April an especially good time.
However, finding suitable collections can be tricky. What verses are best for children? What will they like the most? How can I even get them right now?
A good place to start: If you loved a poem when you were young, sharing the book with your child is a very special experience. Here are some of my favorite children’s poetry books, sponsored by the Offspring Facebook group.
Where The Sidewalk Ends , Shel Silverstein
Have you heard of tiny Melinda May who ate a monstrous whale? She thought she could, She said she would, So she started right off the tail.
Do you recognize the opening lines of Melinda May? This is one of the few poems that I completely learned by heart, and this is from everyone’s favorite ” Where the sidewalk ends . “
Silverstein’s poems are a ridiculously funny mixture of unexpected situations (like the aforementioned kitoed), rhyme and rhythm. Plus, his collections are replete with silly line art for toddlers who might prefer the art of poetry.
But be careful with this compilation: one parent in our group warns that Silverstein may have some downsides.
“I read the unicorn to my 5-year-old unicorn-obsessed child, and (Silverstein) says the unicorns are not real,” says Carrie. “She was crushed, but then decided it was not true.”
Now there are six of us , A.A. Milne
You might get to know Milne better as the man behind Winnie the Pooh, and Now We Are Six brings youth reverence to poetry (including a few about Christopher Robin and his stupid old bear). Group member Toby said her copy of the book has been generational.
“My mother read this to me, and on a whim I pulled out an old copy that had belonged to her when she was young (she is in her 80s) and read it for several of my three and a half years. “old,” says Toby. “HE LOVES IT. There’s something about Milne’s writing that kids really love. It’s simple and oddly sophisticated at the same time.”
One of her favorites is Binker about an imaginary friend:
Binker is not greedy, but he loves to eat. So I have to tell people when they give me candy, “Oh Binker wants chocolate, can you give me two?” And then I eat it for him because his teeth are pretty new.
We Are Six Now was first published in 1927, and Toby notes that some of the poems are a little out of date. She skips them or even uses them as a conversation starter. For example, in The Old Sailor, Milne writes about “an old sailor my grandfather knew” who wanted to study so badly that he never started anything:
Then, due to the weather, he needed a hut with a door (to enter) that opened and closed (with a jerk, which was useful if there were snakes around), and a very strong lock to keep the savages out.
The “Savages” are not the focus of the poem, but Toby says the mention of them amazed her. In Milne, however, the good outweighs the bad.
“His poetry is really inspiring and silly, and it’s so easy for kids to understand,” she says. “Some in a good way are completely meaningless, and some are generally sympathetic to childhood experiences.”
Anything Dennis Lee
Band member Jen loves poet Dennis Lee, especially his books Garbage Delight and Alligator Pie . She read them when she was growing up in the 1970s and 80s, and read Goodnight, Goodnight to her daughter every day:
The darkness is dreaming. The day has passed. Good night, good night everyone.
Jen calls Lee’s books silly and fun to read with beautifully colorful illustrations.
Poems to read aloud for the youngest , edited by Jack Prelutsky
Rachel calls Cheat Out Loud for the Little Ones her favorite of the nearly three-year-old.
“He really likes rhymes and seems to like that they are short and easy to remember,” she says. “He has a few that he will repeat often.”
Rachel loves the illustrations and the way poetry makes her think differently about different aspects of her childhood. “I Can Be a Tiger” by Mildred Lee Anderson lists everything a child cannot do without permission:
I cannot walk when they say no, and I cannot ride unless they come. I can’t splash puddles in my shiny new shoes, but I can be a tiger whenever I want.
“For me, this is a good reminder of how many rules there are for children in this life and how difficult it is sometimes to feel,” says Rachel.
Poetry by Langston Hughes
While he is perhaps better known as an adult writer, member of the Clovis group cites Hughes’ work for children as some of his favorites.
Poetry for Young People, edited by David Rossell and Arnold Rampersand, for example, contains 26 poems ideal for children ages 8 through high school. The book offers more than just poetry: each poem has a short introduction, background, or explanation of terms that you may not be familiar with. For example, at the beginning of When Sue Wears Red, we learn that Hughes wrote this poem for a girl he knew in high school.
When Suzanne Jones wears the red Queen again from some old Egyptian night out.
Blow the trumpets, Jesus!
Internet resources
With states across the country closing their public libraries to stem the spread of COVID-19, it may not be easy to obtain collections of poetry at this time. Fortunately, there are many online resources that can help you.
Borrow digitally
Many public libraries have options for digital borrowing. My local library, The Allen County Public Library in Indiana, for example, offers a range of download apps for visitors to access books digitally, including Hoopla (which allows cardholders to stream up to 10 titles per month), OverDrive (which allows cardholders to borrow e-books and audiobooks) and TumbleBookCloud Junior (especially for children). Your local library may have similar options.
Youtube
There are a variety of poetry options on YouTube, from highly prepared performances to simple recitations. The poet Valerie Bloom, for example, is known for her productions such asKisko Pop . She even gives some backstory to poetry, like explaining what pussy pop is (it’s Jamaican popsicles). Bloom is energetic and cheerful, she knows how to entertain children.
You can also find Dennis Lee’s work in soft musicvideos that are the perfect background for your kids to read.
Novel Effect app
Group member Matt says his family uses the Novel Effect app, which adds music, sound effects, and character voices to what he reads aloud.
There are hundreds of picture books available in the app and, as the website reports, they are showing up more often. Current titles include poems from Where The Sidewalk Ends and Janet Wong and Lewis Carroll.
Poets.org
Poets.org , controlled by the American Academy of Poets, which is the organization , conducting national poetry month, provides access to thousands of poems, and the web site is extremely easy to use. It even has lists of poems suitable for young people, such as a selection for Women’s Story Month, which includes Ada Lemon’s How to Win Like a Girl:
I like female horses the most because they make everything look easy, like running at 40 mph is as fun as taking a nap, or grass.
On the Poems for Kids page , poems are classified into groups such as Animals, Sports, and Myths and Tales.
National Poetry Month is heralded as the largest literary festival in the world – and since you can’t leave your home, you can join in the celebration too.