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Lauren Vines

I love this collection of poems because I think they are so fun and interesting for first-grade students! The poems are short, but thought-provoking, which is good for this age. When teaching poetry in first grade, long poems that include big words might seem intimidating to young children. I also think the poems in this book are great examples for mentor texts when teaching poetry. Using this book as a guide to teach poetry in first grade would be a great way to introduce this type of writing to children.

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There Was a Place and Other Poems by Myra Cohn Livingston

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There Was a Place and Other Poems by Myra Cohn Livingston

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Sarah Jones

I went back through Awakening the Heart by Georgia Heard and looked at the poems I had marked with sticky notes. Lots of those poems happened to be by Myra Cohn Livingston. One was called "Quiet," and another was called, "Finding a Way." The first poem was very brief but it used text features, like large, capitalized text to get the message of the poem across. Finding a Way was also brief but I loved the rhetoric in this poem. It was like I was listening to her thoughts in my own head. I guess I just really like her style!

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I was recently introduced to this text when I stumbled upon it at Goodwill. I guiltily judged the book by its cover and I thought it was so unique and so I therefore picked it up and  that it caught my eye. As I was thumbing through I really appreciated and felt like this poem is relevant to the current  condition of our country.

As the first day of spring was this week - the poem I found was ironic to how we usually celebrate spring.

"In the rains of spring, an umbrella and raincoat Pass by, conversing."

-Spring Rain, by Buson

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Song of the Water Boatman by Joyce Sidman

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Song of the Water Boatman by Joyce Sidman

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Shannon Anderson

When I first began exploring children's literature,  I came across a book written by Joyce Sidman and I was instantly captivated by her words. Every book that I have read by this author has always left me wondering about the world around me. I love this poetry book because of how Sidman uses playful wording to describe the mystery and wonders of nature. Every poem invites the reader to consider a different perspective of the world and to further explore the beauty of nature that surrounds us.
Sidman is truly a talented poet and author who demonstrates how our everyday interactions with nature can lead to powerful poetry.

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Song of the water Boatman and other pond poems

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IMAGINE BY JUAN FELIPE HERRERA, ILLUSTRATED BY LAUREN CASTILLO

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IMAGINE BY JUAN FELIPE HERRERA, ILLUSTRATED BY LAUREN CASTILLO

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Alix Shaver

I love this book of poetry because it follows a little boy as he discusses his childhood as he immigrated often with his family and teaches himself to read and write English. This poetry anthology serves as both a great mentor text for writing poetry but also for inspiring students to reach for the stars.

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A Stick Is an Excellent Thing: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play by Marilyn Singer

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A Stick Is an Excellent Thing: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play by Marilyn Singer

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Kaitlyn Thompson

I love this poetry book because of how much kids of all ages can relate to it. We have all gone outside and played and have pretended to be super fast or could jump over anything. It is a fun read and I could see many students wanting discuss their own experiences. Marilyn Singer is an award winning poet and this book is filled with lyrical poetry and beautiful illustrations by LeUyen Pham.

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Julia Yang

Happy International Women's Day. 03/08/20 "Empower & Support the women in your life." A great mentor text for my students.

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Ink Knows No Borders: Poems of the Immigrant and Refugee Experiences Patrice Vecchione & Alyssa Raymond

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Ink Knows No Borders: Poems of the Immigrant and Refugee Experiences Patrice Vecchione & Alyssa Raymond

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Julia Yang

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Outside the Box by Karma Wilson and Diane Goode

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Outside the Box by Karma Wilson and Diane Goode

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Laura Swaringen

I am someone who just loves the layout and quirkiness of Shel Silverstein poems. So of course I picked up a book that falls within the same category. Bestselling author Karma Wilson and Caldecott Honor recipient Diane Goode paired together to create a book of poems that follow so many different poem layouts. Each page is unique in not only it's topic, but also it's design and purpose. There are so many mentor poems that have inspired me to write in my writer's notebook from this book. There are dual poems that are opposite of one another, poems that contradict common sayings, and illustrations that give you a different perspective of the words.

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Lauren Fidler

I was first introduced to this book during undergrad in my Teaching Language Arts in the Middle Grades course. We were learning how to teach about two voice poems and how to write two voice poems. This book is a collection of beautiful two voice and two part poems that have a focus on the phenomenons of nature and life itself. This book could serve as an excellent mentor text to students when learning about two voice / two part poems, but is also a great book for the reluctant readers due to its brevity and simplicity.

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Halie Hamilton
I found this book when looking through my team teachers books on poetry as I was getting ideas to plan for our poetry unit. I just couldn't help but laugh at it. It is a silly little book about all the "problems" that children may have or just experiences. It is very accessible to students of all ages I imagine reading some of these to my kindergarteners and I can hear them laughing now at some of the silliness of them which is a great way to get students really interested in something and would help to encourage them to hear more.

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McKenna Wild

I loved this book as a 5th grader, and I love this book as a teacher in my adult years! This book really is a great way to transition students into reading poetry. This book serves as a wonderful mentor text for students as well as they begin their own poetic endeavors. The poetry used in this book is free verse and written in narrative form from a young boy. This makes the text even more relatable for students and shows them that their thoughts and words matter. After reading, students can then write their own "Love that ______" poem or story.

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When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Julie Morstad

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When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Julie Morstad

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Grace Schmidt

This book is so beautiful!! The illustrations themselves are gorgeous, but the poetry on each page highlight the ways in which small things in each season bring about big changes. The way the illustrations complement the words help bring the seasons come to life.

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A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms by Paul B. Janeczko Illustrated by Chris Raschka

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A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms by Paul B. Janeczko Illustrated by Chris Raschka

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Abby Smith

This poetry book is a way for children to experience poetry as a game, art, song, story, question, or memory. It is an informal introduction to students about the different forms of poetry. This book would work excellent as a mentor poem for each type of poem that students will come across. For example; sonnet, vilanelle, pantoums, concrete, and gree verse.

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Shout!: little poems that roar by Brod Bagert/illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa

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Shout!: little poems that roar by Brod Bagert/illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa

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Shannan Cornell

This poetry book is directly relatable to elementary school children. The poems in this book encompass a wide variety of topics that teachers can pick and choose poems that they believe their students can relate the most to. For example, there are poems about shadows, finger painting, ketchup, library, stars, animals, and more that cover a variety of examples of figurative language. Overall this book demonstrates to studentsThis book would be a great read aloud and be a text students can reread throughout a poetry unit.

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Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States edited by Lori M. Carlson

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Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States edited by Lori M. Carlson

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Madison Sivret

This anthology for young adults is a collection of poems by Latino American poets and their views on growing up in the U.S. This collection of poems discusses very relatable teenage topics such as memories growing up, family, parties, hard times, language, and good/bad memories. The neat thing about this book is that the poems are in both English and Spanish, with the English and Spanish version side by side, or the languages mixed together. I think this anthology not only discusses relatable teenage topics, but it recognizes Latino Americans and their journey or struggles. It also celebrates two languages, recognizing Spanish speakers in your classroom and inspiring others to take an interest in other languages. I think this book is especially important to have to reflect all students in your classroom.

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A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems by Paul Janeczko and Chris Raschka

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A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems by Paul Janeczko and Chris Raschka

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Madison Sivret

This anthology is so engaging and fun to look at! The words on the page take the form of shapes, are hidden in the pictures, or they wiggle, curve, or hurtle down the page. The poems are about topics like animals, actions, things, etc. that young children can relate to. I think this book would be a great mentor text to introduce concrete poems to students. Showing them that concrete poems can be just one word or they can be many words arranged creatively on the page. I think students would really love this book because of how creative the pages are, with illustrations that add humor or visual meaning to the words.

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Poetry Speaks Who I Am 
Editor: Elise Paschen
Series Editor: Dominique Raccah

Barbara Ritchie

An anthology of poems complied by poets that meant something to each of them during their teenage years that they thought would still be relevant to the youth of today. 

Some of the related topics would include poems of discovery, inspiration, independence, and everything else...

One such poem which I thought almost every teen could relate to was... 

NO IMAGES
waring cuney 

She does not know
her beauty, 
she thinks her brown body
has no glory. 

If she could dance
naked
under palm trees
and see her image in the river she would know.

But there are no palm trees 
on the street, 
and dish water gives back
no images. 

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Poetry Speaks Who I Am 
Editor: Elise Paschen
Series Editor: Dominique Raccah

Barbara Ritchie

An anthology of poems complied by poets that meant something to each of them during their teenage years that they thought would still be relevant to the youth of today. 

Some of the related topics would include poems of discovery, inspiration, independence, and everything else...

One such poem which I thought almost every teen could relate to was... 

NO IMAGES
waring cuney 

She does not know
her beauty, 
she thinks her brown body
has no glory. 

If she could dance
naked
under palm trees
and see her image in the river she would know.

But there are no palm trees 
on the street, 
and dish water gives back
no images. 

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Reflections On  a gift of Watermelon Pickle...and other modern verse

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Reflections On  a gift of Watermelon Pickle...and other modern verse

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Mirror Mirror: A book of reverso poems By Marilyn Singer 

Taylor Dale

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Mirror Mirror: A book of reverso poems By Marilyn Singer 

Taylor Dale

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This book is an anthology of reverso poems. Reverso poems are poems that when written can be flipped with the same words and have two different meanings. This book focuses on fairytales and princesses. I personally love multiple perspectives. Anyone who has been in Beth's class last semester knows that about me. This book offers a new and exciting way to think about multiple perspectives and the meaning of your poem. I think it would be a great challenge to have students write their own reverso poems.

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Poems in Black and White
Written and Illustrated by Kate Miller

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Poems in Black and White
Written and Illustrated by Kate Miller

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Meredith Price
The poems and illustrations in this anthology are all about seemingly ordinary things that may, at first glance, lack a lot of color. Miller writes about things such as blackboards, a comet in the night sky, and even the black and white perspective of a dog's eyesight. I like this book because the poems are about everyday things that many students have likely experienced in their own lives. However, it is the poet's words that really breathe life and color into many of the things she writes about. Even Miller's illustrations are in black and white. Miller shows how careful observation and word choice and can paint a beautiful picture.

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I Just Hope it's Lethal: Poems of Sadness, Madness, and Joy

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I Just Hope it's Lethal: Poems of Sadness, Madness, and Joy

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This anthology was recommended to me by someone in this class (thanks, Megan!), and I can't wait to one day introduce it to my future students. This book illuminates a lot of the intense feelings that characterize the rough teenage years. The anthology contains work from "classic," widely read poets like Samuel Taylor Coleridge , T.S. Eliot, and Emily Dickinson as well as more contemporary and up-and-coming writers. The poems  address feelings of lovesickness, uncertainty about the future, fear, happiness, and everything in between. I think that texts like this are important because they make the reader feel less alone.

Kelly Dancy

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Megan Laws

This anthology has about 20 concrete poems. All the poems are short which after reading Routman's book I think this could be a great mentor text to show students that poems do not have to be super long. It also shows students how to play around with white space and make poetry into visual art

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Megan Laws

This anthology includes 30 about the wild wonders of the Earth. They make kids think about environmental justice. I like this book because I want to teach in Watauga County and I think that many kids have outdoor experiences they can write about. I also think this would be good to read before a nature walk.

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Forget-Me-Nots: Poems To Learn By Heart 
Selected by: Mary Ann Hoberman 
Illustrated by: Michael Emberley 

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Forget-Me-Nots: Poems To Learn By Heart 
Selected by: Mary Ann Hoberman 
Illustrated by: Michael Emberley 

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Emily Cox

This anthology includes around 120 different poems, all from different poets. I love this book because it allows children to see that poetry isn't about having long, rhyming, deep meaning poems. They can be short and sweet and just about anything and everything that you see or can think of.

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Alyssa Scarfato

This anthology follows a young girl named Ema and her journey of self-discovery. Ema struggles with being a part of two different worlds: her life in Japan and her summers spent in California. Eta's story is one about coming-of-age and finding one-self, as well as grief. 9/11 strikes in Eta's story, and she tells how this has impacted her own life, as well as the lives of her family. This book is written in a free-verse style, which I think is a great text, especially for young students. Many students have the notion that poems have to rhyme, so this would be an excellent mentor text to show that poems can be free verse. I think this anthology is great for students ages 9-12, and can serve as a mentor text for writing about peace, grief, hope, and empathy.

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Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets
by Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderly and Marjory Wentworth

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Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets
by Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderly and Marjory Wentworth

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Jenna Doares

This anthology includes twenty poems that honor and celebrate the works and creations of twenty poets from around the world and across centuries. The anthology is split up into three parts, each of which has a short description. A couple of those descriptions talk about the distinct styles of well-known poets and imitating those styles in our own poetry.
I think that this anthology would be great to show students how to use poems as mentor texts and inspiration. Each of the twenty poems in the anthology are inspired by poems written by well-known poets. The poems in this anthology could be used alongside the original poems from the poets that inspired the poems in the anthology. Students could be inspired to find the work of poets that they really like, and then explore more of their poems on their own.
Some of my favorite poems from this anthology are:
- How to Write a Poem (p. 3)
- Contemporary Haiku (p. 7)
- How Billy Collins Writes a Poem (p. 18)

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National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry

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National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry

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Allie Grainda

This anthology includes over 200 poems about animals. Children have a strong bond with animals and enjoy learning and reading about animals. My first graders love animals, and are excited about our field trip coming up to the zoo. This topic of animals is extremely accessible to all students because I know for a fact, each child has at least one favorite animal. This anthology shows students that through observation, they can create their own observation poetry about a particular animal or thing in nature. The photographs included in this anthology can lead to children taking their own photographs out in nature to write about. They could even take pictures on their zoo field trip and bring back to write a poem about.

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Angels Ride Bikes/Los Ángeles Andan en Bicicleta by Francisco X. Alarcón

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Angels Ride Bikes/Los Ángeles Andan en Bicicleta by Francisco X. Alarcón

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Alana Nottage

This anthology is a peek inside Alarcón’s childhood. Alarcón’s poems celebrate the simple joys and trials of everyday life while also paying tribute to his family. I think this topic is accessible to all students. Although they could, students don’t need to write poems about their extravagant family vacations; this anthology shows students that they can write about simple events such as getting ice cream from the ice cream truck on a hot summer day (pg. 9). This anthology also includes aspects of Mexican culture, hardships of minorities, and real world issues that affect Californians, such as pollution and earthquakes.

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Forest Has a Song by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

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Forest Has a Song by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

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Sarah Isenhour

This anthology includes many poems about simple things in nature. I love for students to be able to get outside and I think anthology is a great mentor text for students to write poems about nature. The poems are beautifully written and feature unique poetry techniques such as alliteration, writing from multiple perspectives, asking questions, and thinking about things in new ways. They also show students how to really get into an object, plant, or animal and think how that thing would think. A few of my personal favorite poems from the anthology are:
- Chickadee (page 7)
- Forest News (page 8)
- April Awakening (page 10)
- Bone Pile (page 19)

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Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

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Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

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Kayla Pitman
After viewing several anthologies, this one was my favorite. I love the simpleness  to it. As a fifth grade teacher, I believe my students would love the humor presented in the poems. The topics of the poetry are very relatable, and the illustrations really add to the writing. The anthology would be a great reference for students to use as a mentor text when writing shorter poems. Students are able to read poems in which some have end rhyme and others do not.

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Jumping Off Library Shelves: A Book of Poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins

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Jumping Off Library Shelves: A Book of Poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins

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Becky Yang

This is a fun children's anthology of poems containing a variety of pieces from many great poets. Although all of the pieces in this anthology are written in its own unique style, the compilation is organized in a way in which each poem flows smoothly into the next--almost telling the complete journey of a child's discovery and growing love for poetry. The illustrations by Jane Manning become the very support in which this collection reads like a simple children's book.

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Angena LeBarre

This was a bit of a different anthology of poetry. Each poem that is in the book is written by a  student and explains the "best part" of themselves. This "best part" ranges from the students' eyes, feet, elbows, hair, or even biceps. This "best part" about themselves is detailed by a picture of the child, and then accompanied by a poem that they wrote. I found this anthology to be extremely intriguing because of its "realness." The poems were nonfiction and the students' actual hand writing is present - similar to that of Routman's book. As well, with the accompaniment of the photos, it makes the poems all the more real. For students, I feel that this would be a fabulous mentor text when writing a poem that is non-fiction, or if the teacher wanted to focus on body parts or physical traits. As well, with technology being ever-present in our classroom and persons - snapping quick photos of the students, and compiling your own classroom book would be very simplistic to do.

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Bronwyn Merritt

I stumbled upon this Roald Dahl collection on accident when looking for anthologies, but it is PERFECT for my class. I started this year off by reading Fantastic Mr. Fox and now the BFG, we celebrated Roald Dahl's 100th birthday on September 13th, and best connection of all- later this year we'll read different fairy tales and compare and contrast them. I can't wait to bring this book into my lessons. I'm also hopeful that some of my students will choose to research Roald Dahl during our biography study.

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juvenile fiction / fairy tales & folklore / adaptations

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juvenile fiction / poetry (see also stories in verse)

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juvenile fiction/fairy tales & folklore - anthologies

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traditional stories (children's / teenage)

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kids poetry books;poetry for kids;childrens poetry books;rhyme book;funny books for kids;fairy tales;books for kids age 9 12;chapter books for kids age 8-10;books for boys age 9 12;kids books ages 9-12;picture books;childrens books by age 9 to 12;poetry;books for kids 5-7;kindergarten books;preschool books;childrens books by age 5-8;childrens books by age 3-5;3rd grade reading books;kids books ages 4 8;chapter books for kids age 9-12;books for girls age 9 12;westerns;4th grade reading books

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juvenile fiction / fairy tales & folklore / adaptations

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juvenile fiction / poetry (see also stories in verse)

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juvenile fiction/fairy tales & folklore - anthologies

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traditional stories (children's / teenage)

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Did you think Cinderella married the prince and lived happily ever after, or that the three little pigs outsmarted the wolf? Think again! Master storyteller Roald Dahl adds his own darkly comic twists to six favorite tales, complete with rambunctious rhymes and hilarious surprise endings.

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Cristina Ceppi

This book of poetry is fun and witty which is why it is one of my favorites! It is fun for both children and adults to read and all the poems are written with the theme, "outside the box"!  These poems are artistically written and visually.

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Ten-Second Rain Showers: Poems by Young People by Sanford Lyne

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Ten-Second Rain Showers: Poems by Young People by Sanford Lyne

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Lauren Beam

I think that this book is a wonderful anthology for students of all ages.  The main reason that I chose this book is because the poems are by young people.  If students can see that other people their age can write poetry, I feel like they will be more willing to try it out themselves.  The poems in this book are also relateable on many different levels.  The author doesn't include pictures alongside the poems, but there are images at the beginning of each section! I liked this aspect because a lesson could be adding images to the text that is provided.

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Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O'Neill

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Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O'Neill

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Claire Russell
This is a great anthology for a focus on use of descriptive language, metaphors, similes, and more. This book focuses on the description of colors and would be a great mentor text for color poetry!

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What a Day it was at School! by Jack Prelutsky; illustrated by Doug Cushman

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What a Day it was at School! by Jack Prelutsky; illustrated by Doug Cushman

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Amy Lunceford
I chose this book because it discusses things that happen to students within the school. I feel the vocabulary would make this a great mentor text in grades second through fifth. The best poem in the book tells a story that my students always rolled on the floor laughing about. The title of the hilarious story is "I Made a Noice This Morning." I'm sure you can infer what the noise was. :)

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Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems by Paul B. Janeczko

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Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems by Paul B. Janeczko

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I first read this book when I was student teaching in 4th grade last semester and I taught a poetry unit. I used the poem, The Red Wheel Barrow, but the theme for our poems that day was "so much depends upon". The students had a blast writing poetry based on things they depend upon, and I witnessed each of them connect to poetry. This poem sparked the kids interest in this anthology, and each student picked a favorite poem and why. It was awesome!

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Wonderful Words: Poems About Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrated by Karen Barbour 

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Wonderful Words: Poems About Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrated by Karen Barbour 

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May Lee (2nd  post)
I choose this book because I thought it did a great job at using poetry to explain or to talk about English terms or ideas that are seen in school. For example, there's a poem about metaphor, "How to Learn to Say a Long, Hard Word", "I Am The Book" and etc. These poems are short and kid-friendly and as I was reading them, I felt at ease learning about these terms or ideas all over again. I highly recommend this collection of poem book.

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A World of Wonders: Geographic Travels in Verse and Rhyme by J. Patrick Lewis; pictures by Alison Jay

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A World of Wonders: Geographic Travels in Verse and Rhyme by J. Patrick Lewis; pictures by Alison Jay

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May Lee
I love how this book started with an invitation like poem. It invites you to go exploring and to start that in this very book. The poems in this book gives you great details and kid friendly information about specific people and the places they've traveled or famous places that people love to travel to. This book would be perfect to add in your Social Studies/Science unit, along with your English poetry unit.

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Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets by Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley & Marjory Wentworth

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Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets by Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley & Marjory Wentworth

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Emily Jorgenson

I love that even the title of this book starts with a celebration of poets and poetry, it sets the reader and the listener up for success in poetry and primes their brains to enjoy the linguistic experience. In the introduction, the author explains that the title of the book is based on a quote by author Lucille Clifton, "poems come out of wonder, not out of knowing." The authors of this book adopt the style, ideas, and offer gratitude for the wisdom and inspiration of the poet they are celebrating, using that poet's work as their muse. This anthology could be an incredible mentor text for demonstrating how one poem can inspire another and could create spark lines that lead the reader or listener to the original work of the poet being celebrated! The illustrations in this book are also incredible and the diversity in the illustrations/poems make this anthology a beautiful mirror and window text for students.

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Noisy Poems for a Busy Day by Robert Heidbreder and Lori Joy Smith

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Noisy Poems for a Busy Day by Robert Heidbreder and Lori Joy Smith

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Kacie Poplin

This is a children's poetry book that allows the reader to see the world through sounds. Throughout the book, the author uses words such as riffle-rustle, scrunchy munch up, and bristle thistle to describe everyday things like getting out of bed, eating and brushing teeth. This book is also very relevant to student's lives because the poems are about everyday things children do. They are very funny and I think young children would find real joy in it.

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It' Raining Pigs & Noodles by Jack Prelutsky

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It' Raining Pigs & Noodles by Jack Prelutsky

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Erin Scruggs
During the end of my student teaching, we started a poetry unit. We found out early, that our second graders responded well to funny poems. This book had the students rolling on the carpet. Every page has a new, silly, and short poem on it. The students loved reading each poem. It was also perfect for a younger grade because the poems are short and are mostly made up of grade level vocabulary. BUT the author also does a great job of incorporating new vocabulary into each poem. This book has a mixed language that puts it right at an instructional level for the average second grader. I enjoy reading the poems and so do the students.

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Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

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Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

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Amy Pless

This book is a classic!  I remember reading Shel Silverstein growing up, and him changing my way of thinking about poetry.  His poetry is sometimes serious, but often more witty, and nearly always makes me smile.   While many poems are silly or just tell small moments, some can have a profound impact.  One of my favorites from the book is "Colors" :

"My skin is kind of sort of brownish,
Pinkish yellowish white.
My eyes are greyish blueish green,
But I'm told they look orange in the night.
My hair is reddish blondish brown,
But it's silver when it's wet.
And all the colors I am inside Have not been invented yet.

I love this idea that the color of your skin, hair, or any other outward appearance is known,seen, and often judged, but the colors on the inside are unique.  I look forward to reading all of his books and sharing with my future students.

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What the Heart Knows: Chants, Charms, and Blessings by Joyce Sidman

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What the Heart Knows: Chants, Charms, and Blessings by Joyce Sidman

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Glory Rognstad

I love Joyce Sidman and how she sees the world. Her poems seem so simple to me but always teach an important lesson.  What the Heart Knows teaches young adults about hard decision, situations, feelings and much more in a witty and playful way. One thing that really stood out to me was she not only talks about the hard things in life but also the joyful things, things that we look over in our everyday lives but are actually worth celebrating!

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This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness by Joyce Sidman 

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This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness by Joyce Sidman 

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Allison Collins (RE 5130)

In exploring poetry this week, I've been drawn to anthologies by Joyce Sidman. Oddly enough, reading through some of her poems brings me feelings of déjà vu . Though I don't remember them clearly, Sidman's poems feel sweetly familiar, like an old friend that I encountered in my youth. I would share This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness with my students as I think it houses relatable and poignant mentor poems that reflect poets' hearts with carefully crafted words in a variety of forms from haikus to two-part poems with some poems that rhyme and others that don't.  What I like best about this anthology is that the poets featured were from a sixth grade class.  These students and the subjects of their poems remind us that there is poetry that resides in each of us and that poetry is deeply relational and relatable when it comes from the heart.  I can see myself and my experiences reflected in so many of these poems and think the words of these poets would resonate with my students as well. This anthology also inspires me to create a class anthology with my future students.

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My Village: Rhymes From Around the World by Danielle Wright

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My Village: Rhymes From Around the World by Danielle Wright

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Madison Broome (2nd post)

This anthology really stuck out to me! It is a collection of short poems about most any topic you can think of. The unique part about it is that each poem is from a different country. Each page tells you the country along with the poem in english and then the poem in that particular language. There are poems from 22 different countries. The illustrations are beautiful as well! This anthology makes great cross-cultural references and really touches on diversity.

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The Poetry Friday Anthology, Selected by Sylvia Vardell

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The Poetry Friday Anthology, Selected by Sylvia Vardell

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Katie Martin

I found this anthology through a teacher's blog (http://mrslaffinslaughings.blogspot.com/) and I think it is SO cool. It has 36 poems for each grade level K-5, so it gives you the opportunity to read a poem a week (on Fridays!) for the typical 9 month school year. It has a total of 218 poems of all different styles and formats from 76 of the best children's poets. Not only does the book offer sooo many different options for grade levels and finding mentor texts for different mini-lessons, each and every poem connects to a Common Core standard. This book makes it easy to find easily relatable and accessible poetry for students of all ages!

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the poetry friday anthology (common core k-5 edition): poems for the school year with connections to the common core

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The Poetry Friday Anthology (Common Core K-5 edition): Poems for the School Year with Connections to the Common Core

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The Poetry Friday Anthology offers a set of 36 poems for each grade level, K-5 (a poem-a-week for the 9 months of the typical school year). Drawing on decades of experience in classrooms all over the world as well as volumes of academic research and writing, this book presents activities that ar...

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McKinley Goodnight

Wake Up House! is a great poetry mentor text to use with students. It can be used to teach personification, rhyme scheme/pattern, and most importantly, it models for students poetry can be about everyday objects! I see it being used in one of my introductory poetry minilessons.

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A Poke In the I (A Collection of Concrete Poems) Selected by Paul Janeczko

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A Poke In the I (A Collection of Concrete Poems) Selected by Paul Janeczko

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McKinley Goodnight

This anthology includes a great introduction about concrete poems from the editor.  The poems included are topics children are generally interested in. It is a great mentor text to use to teach concrete poems.

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Dana Cox

I chose this book because it is a fun book of poems that has a predictable pattern. This gives students the opportunity to memorize the text and read along. It also shows that poems do not have to be serious but can be anything you think of. These are memorable and catchy poems with great illustrations.

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A Foot in the Mouth: Poems to Speak, Sing and Shout

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A Foot in the Mouth: Poems to Speak, Sing and Shout

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Marlaina Moss

I chose this book because it has a great mix of classic poetry as well as modern poetry. It also has a great selection of different types of poems, each illustrated with beautiful pictures. Theses poems are so fun to read aloud. These are great for students because they are funny, and many of them have several voices at one time.

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A Foot in the Mouth: Poems to Speak, Sing, and Shout

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Turn up the sound! An award-winning duo returns with a playfully enticing ode to the pleasures of reading poetry aloud.Whether rhyming, tongue-tying, or defying structure, here are more than three dozen poems that simply beg to be read aloud. The creators of A POKE IN THE I and A KICK IN THE HEAD...

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This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from around the World by Naomi Shihab Nye

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This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from around the World by Naomi Shihab Nye

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Karley Ingold

I chose this book because I really value the author's inclusion of poems from all over the world. Not only does the book offer a variety of poems for upper elementary into middle school aged children, but it also promotes our goal of global awareness. After each poem the country where it is from is identified so that students are able to compare them to each other and also to their own writing. The idea that the "same sky" connects all of us together creates a sense of unity and closeness to those who are far away from us. "This Same Sky" allows a peak into the lives and hearts of those all over the world who are very similar to ourselves and our students.

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Imaginary Gardens: American Poetry and Art for Young People by Charles Sullivan

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Imaginary Gardens: American Poetry and Art for Young People by Charles Sullivan

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Katlyn Staub

I chose this book because it has a great selection of pictures, artwork, and a variety of poems that are funny and crucial. It is nice to have that variety for the students and myself. It teaches history which will be great to overlap with language arts. It includes many poems that describe nature which all of my students will be able to relate to.

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Honey, I love and other love poems by Eloise Greenfield

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Honey, I love and other love poems by Eloise Greenfield

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Julie Griffin

This book contains sixteen “love poems” spoken from the perspective of a child about the simple joys and appreciation of everyday life. Each poem has a hint of innocence to them, talking about things a child would talk about (playing with friends, jumping rope, visiting family etc.) Each poem also includes a portrait of a child and then drawing from a child. I think students would be able to easily relate to the simple verses within this book. This book is a favorite of mine and memorable since childhood. Eloise Greenfield actually signed my book in 2000 when she came to speak at my elementary school. (I just located my copy, and will bring it to our next class!)

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Cassidy Milosh

These sweet poems about little everyday moments and things are perfect for my kids.  They will likely be initially writing about very concrete things, and I want them to know that is okay.  The poems show that every little thing that you experience can be poetry and is worth telling about!  I hope the poems open my kids' eyes to the magic of their every day life.

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Sonya Summey

I chose this this book because of the variety of poems written. There are poems written in a paragraph form, lines, and stanzas. Some of the poems are long and others short. Thinking about my middle school students they would like the idea of having options when it comes to styles. The students can also relate to the poems and write about their own days and lives. The poems are from a students perspective. They use the word 'I' and that is a place for the students to express themselves which is great for everyone, but especially middle school students, to do.

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The Earth is Painted Green: A Garden of Poems About our Planet by Barbara Brenner

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The Earth is Painted Green: A Garden of Poems About our Planet by Barbara Brenner

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Ages 4 and up
Madison Broome

I selected this anthology because it is very relevant to students and accessible to students. It is a collection of poems about earth and nature. It paints our planet in a special and beautiful way and helps students see the wonders of earth. All students can relate to nature because it is all around them at school, home, driving in the car, etc. They can connect to it in endless ways. This anthology has great, descriptive pictures that help students visually make connections with nature. I think this text would be very inspiring and enjoyable to read.

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When I think about the middle school students I want to teach, I continually think about their constant need to feel heard, understood, and related to. What better way to make those connections than through poetry? Through this anthology I would be able to expose my students to a variety of classic and contemporary authors, discuss a wide range of pressing topics relevant to the social and emotional development of middle schoolers, and guide my students in making personal connections with poetry.
Cool extra features of this text;
-each copy comes with a CD of 39 of the poems being read aloud by the original author!
-each copy has space at the back of the book for students to take note of their favorite poems, process what they are reading, and even create their own poetry.

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Poetry Speaks Who I Am with CD has 334 ratings and 85 reviews. Bryan said: Poetry speaks, but not every poem speaks to me. Still, it's refreshing to find...

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Poems to Learn By Heart collected by Caroline Kennedy

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Poems to Learn By Heart collected by Caroline Kennedy

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Favorite of Kelsie Fender

I selected this anthology because each section highlights a different aspect of the life of children and adults, alike. There are poems about self, family, friendship, mythical beings, school, sports and games, war, and nature. This anthology is meant for children, however, I most appreciate the fact that the poems collected for the anthology are poems written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Robert Louis Stevenson, Emily Dickinson, E.E. Cummings, William Shakespeare, etc. These are poets are generally thought of as more "adult" poets, however, the poems that have been included in this anthology are accessible to students of all ages. I also love the watercolor illustrations included in this anthology!

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Echoes for the Eye: Poems to Celebrate Patterns in Nature by Barbara Esbensen

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Echoes for the Eye: Poems to Celebrate Patterns in Nature by Barbara Esbensen

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Favorite of: Kelly MacDonald

This anthology is relevant to students' lives because they all have experienced nature to some degree and have the ability to experience it at home.
In addition, these poems incorporate math and science to engage readers who would be interested in these subjects. This collection shows students not only the wonder of the natural world through poetry, but also the the connections within the natural world.
I also love this anthology because it is an invitation and a challenge for its readers to be more observant of the world around them that we take for granted.

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"Ten-Second Rainshowers: Poems by Young People" - Lyne Sandford

by: Rachel Sellers

In thinking about my students now and all students I will have in the future, I choose "Ten-Second Rainshowers" because it is written by average students from Virginia schools in grades 4th-12th.  This gives my students a chance to see published works by kids their age and a little older giving them short and long term writing goals.

These students write about things that my students can relate to and they are easy to understand and break down. (There are poems about parents, recess, homework, teachers, friends, etc.)
Who better than to mentor my young students in poetry writing than other students!

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Ten-Second Rainshowers has 17 ratings and 4 reviews. Melissa said: PB33: This is authored by kids themselves! I think that makes is all the more relatabl...

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Dog-Gone School by Amy Schmidt, is my favorite poetry anthology because:
1. The poems are all about dogs and school (my two favorite things)
2. Kids LOVE them because they are relevant to their lives (they are in school). Most kids usually connect with animals and dogs ,too.
3. The poems vary in length, craft and layout/format.

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By: McKenzi Davis

I wish that I could see what the inside of this text looks like because I would better be able to suggest this collection of anthologies for my students. But- this collection of winter poems only seems appropriate for for my students considering the theme that they hold. I chose these poems because a winter snow is an experience that all of my students look forward to and something that they have all experienced! This collection is easily accessible to students- and therefore, is a great way to inspire them! The collection includes poems from famous authors and acrylic paintings to accompany them.

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Winter Poems by Barbara Rogasky | Scholastic

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This highly praised collection celebrates winter through the voices of some of the world's greatest poets. Twenty-five poems by William Shakespeare, Edgar Allen