Essay on Children's Poetry

Essential Children's Collection: Anthologies

Two respected children’s literature consultants recommend poetry for school and public library collections.

BY The Editors

Originally Published: January 01, 2006

ANTHOLOGIES

Adoff, Arnold. I Am the Darker Brother: An Anthology of Modern Poems by African-Americans. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997.

Adoff, Arnold, ed. My Black Me: A Beginning Book of Black Poetry. New York: Dutton, 1974/1994.

Brenner, Barbara. The Earth Is Painted Green: A Garden of Poems about Our Planet. New York: Scholastic, 1994.

Brenner, Barbara. Voices: Poetry and Art from Around the World. New York: National Geographic Society, 2000.

Carlson, Lori Marie. Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States. New York: Henry Holt, 1994.

Carlson, Lori Marie. Sol a Sol: Original and Selected Bilingual Poems. New York: Henry Holt, 1998.

Clinton, Catherine. I, Too, Sing America: Three Centuries of African-American Poetry. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.

Cullinan, Bernice F., ed. A Jar of Tiny Stars: Poems by NCTE Award-winning Poets. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills, 1996.

De Regniers, Beatrice Schenk et al., ed. Sing a Song of Popcorn: Every Child's Book of Poems. New York: Scholastic, 1988.

Feelings, Tom. Soul Looks Back in Wonder. New York: Penguin, 1993.

Ferguson, Margaret, Mary Jo Salter, and Jon Stallworthy, ed. The Norton Anthology of Poetry, Fifth Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2004.

Greenaway, Kate. A Apple Pie and Traditional Nursery Rhymes. New York: Random House, 2002.

Greenberg, Jan. Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art. New York: Abrams, 2001.

Hall, Donald, ed. The Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Heard, Georgia. This Place I Know: Poems of Comfort. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2002.

Ho, Minfong. Maples in the Mist: Poems for Children from the Tang Dynasty. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1996.

Hoberman, Mary Ann. Llama Who Had No Pajama: 100 Favorite Poems. New York: Harcourt, 2006.

Hoberman, Mary Ann. You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Mother Goose Tales to Read Together. New York: Little Brown, 2005.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Days to Celebrate: A Full Year of Poetry, People, Holidays, History, Fascinating Facts, and More. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Good Books, Good Times. New York: HarperTrophy, 2000.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Marvelous Math: A Book of Poems. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Pass the Poetry, Please! New York: HarperCollins, 1987.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett, ed. Hand in Hand: An American History through Poetry. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett, ed. School Supplies: A Book of Poems. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.

Hudson, Wade, ed. Pass It On: African American Poetry for Children. New York: Scholastic, 1993.

Janeczko, Paul, ed. A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms. Cambridge: Candlewick, 2005.

Janeczko, Paul, ed. Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets. Cambridge: Candlewick Press, 2002.

Kennedy, Caroline, ed. A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children. New York: Hyperion Books, 2005.

Kennedy, Caroline, ed. and Jon J. Muth (illustrator). A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children. New York: Hyperion, 2005.

Kennedy, Dorothy M., ed. I Thought I'd Take My Rat to School: Poems for September to June. New York: Little Brown & Company, 1993.

Kennedy, X.J. and Dorothy M., ed. Knock at a Star: A Child's Introduction to Poetry. Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1982.

Koch, Kenneth and Kate Farrell, ed. Talking to the Sun: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems for Young People. New York: Henry Holt, 1985.

Lansky, Bruce, ed. A Bad Case of the Giggles: Kids' Favorite Funny Poems. Deephaven, MN: Meadowbrook Press, 1994.

Mora, Pat, ed. Love to Mama: A Tribute to Mothers. New York: Lee & Low Books, 2001.

Nye, Naomi Shihab. This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from Around the World. New York: Four Winds Press, 1992.

Opie, Iona. Here Comes Mother Goose. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 1999.

Panzer, Nora, ed. Celebrate America in Poetry and Art. New York: Hyperion, 1994.

Paschen, Elise and Rebekah Presson Mosby, ed. Poetry Speaks: Hear Great Poets Read Their Work from Tennyson to Plath. Naperville: Sourcebooks Mediafusion, 2001.

Prelutsky, Jack. The Beauty of the Beast: Poems from the Animal Kingdom. New York: Knopf, 1997.

Prelutsky, Jack. For Laughing Out Loud: Poems to Tickle Your Funnybone. New York: Doubleday, 1991.

Prelutsky, Jack, ed. Random House Book of Poetry for Children. New York: Random House, 1983.

Prelutsky, Jack, ed. The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury. New York: Knopf, 1999.

Rich, Mary Perrotta, ed. Book Poems: Poems from National Children's Book Week, 1959-1998. New York: Children's Book Council, 1998.

Rosen, Michael. Poems for the Very Young. Boston: Kingfisher, 1994.

Schwartz, Alvin. And the Green Grass Grew All Around: Folk Poetry from Everyone. New York: HarperCollins, 1992.

Strickland, Dorothy S. and Michael. Families: Poems Celebrating the African-American Experience. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills, 1994.

Sullivan, Charles. Here Is My Kingdom: Hispanic-American Literature and Art for Young People. New York: Abrams, 1994.

Volavkova, Hana. I Never Saw Another Butterfly. New York: Schocken Books, 1993.

Whipple, Laura, ed. Eric Carle's Animals Animals. Illus. by Eric Carle. New York: Scholastic, 1989.

Yolen, Jane. Sky Scrape, City Scape: Poems of City Life. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills, 1996.


LITERATURE
CONSULTANTS


Sylvia Vardell, Ph.D.
Professor
Texas Women's University
School of Library and Information Studies

Bernadette Nowakowski
Director, Children and Young Adult Services
Chicago Public Libraries

More from the Essential Children’s Collection

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Contemporary Poetry
Classic Poetry
Out-of-Print Poetry
Poetry Books with Audio
Poetry Written by Children
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