Ten Beautiful Poetry Books for Children

The writers in this charming anthology of 200 poems are among literature’s most beloved. And Gyo Fujikawa’s appealing illustrations depict children of all races sweetly interacting, as well as an engagingly rendered menagerie of animals and the natural world in all its wonderment. Among the verses that children will love are Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Christmas Bells,” Lewis Carroll’s “The Melancholy Pig,” and Eugene Fields’ “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod,” along with proverbs, limericks, nursery rhymes, and folk songs. (amazon)

."I love this book!! My sister loves it too. It's because it IS a masterpiece and will forever remain one. Silverstein's rhymes and poems, songs and riddles -- they all work for everybody with half a degree of imagination." (amazon reviewer) If you are a dreamer, come in. If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer . . . If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire, For we have some flax golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in!

Brian Wildsmith's stunning art is the backdrop to this newly revised selection of Robert Louis Stevenson's wonderful poetry for children. First published in 1885 and continuously in print since then, Stevenson's poetry captures the joy and whimsy of childhood and is deservedly a classic. This book is a garden of delightful, imaginative poetry, complete with fairies, animals, and plenty of fun. (amazon) Close by the jolly fire I sit To warm my frozen bones a bit; Or with reindeer sled, explore The colder countries round the door.

Poems about picnics, pretending, and puppies make this book the book to introduce little ones to poetry about the world around them. Jack Prelutsky, one of today's most respected children's poets, has selected more than 200 short poems--old favorites, traditional rhymes, and humorous verses--that will delight young listeners. The poems cover a wide range of experiences in a young child's life, from everyday events to special days to the world of the imagination. (amazon) The dark is dreaming. Day is done. Good night, good night To everyone.

Award-winning poet, author, playwright, historian, songwriter, singer, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, and civil rights activist: Dr. Maya Angelou needs no introduction. She is a true American icon—and now she is the first living poet included in Sterling’s celebrated Poetry for Young People series. Twenty-five of her finest poems capture a range of emotions and experiences, from the playful “Harlem Hopscotch” to the prideful “Me and My Work” to the soul-stirring “Still I Rise.” Award-winning artist Jerome Lagarrigue masterfully illustrates each verse with evocative, stunning pictures. (amazon)

Divided by topic into seven sections, the collection is, indeed, a treasury of beloved poems written in a variety of styles by poets from many lands and generations, some more familiar than others, some unknown. Most of the soft-focus illustrations fill whole pages. The wide variety of artistic styles–ethereal, realistic, comical, energetic, sweet, romantic–matches the mood of the poems themselves. Recommend it as a gift book for parents to share with their children, as well. (School Library Journal) As long as I live I shall always be My Self - and no other, Just me.

The almost 200 selections in this big handsome anthology, created by Martin Jr. and published posthumously with Sampson’s help, have a singing beat that will turn even young kids on to what Steven Kellogg calls the “music of language.” The collection brings together poems from Robert Frost, Christina Rossetti, Langston Hughes, Nikki Grimes, Aliki, Jack Prelutsky, and many other well-known poets. Accompanying the poems are pictures from many of the best picture-book illustrators, whose work, often in the artists’ signature styles, extends the words' lyrical rhythms and playfulness.

This oversize book really is for preschoolers. The poems, one per page, are arranged in four categories that encompass child's a world: "Me, Myself, and I," "Who Lives in My House?," "I Go Outside," and "Time for Bed." The poetry is witty, intelligent, and well crafted, and perfect for the target audience. The art was created using a wide range of mediums and techniques, and Dunbar blends them seamlessly to create charming images that are amazingly expressive. (School Library Journal)

For this companion to The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury, Prelutsky combed more than 4000 poetry volumes to select 211 poems by 137 poets. His sampling includes established poets like Langston Hughes, Shel Silverstein and e.e. cummings, but, to Prelutsky's credit, not necessarily their best-known works. The overriding mood is rollickingly upbeat, uncharacteristic for a form renowned for its adeptness at expressing moments of grief or loneliness. Hats off to So (illustrator), who visually holds the anthology together. Her people are engagingly limber, her animals unmatched. (Publisher's Weekly) Loose and limber Beanbag Jim Seems to have No bones in him.

With dedication to the structure, rhythm, and rhyme of his craft, Kipling created poetry that, when read aloud, sings to its audience in every phrase. Sharpe's exquisite paintings illustrate the exotic quality of the verse, whether of animals in the jungle or ships at sea. Vibrant colors reflect the strong emotions of each poem-Viking women widowed by the sea, seal mothers singing lullabies to their young. The faces of children show humor, trust, curiosity, and moodiness. Familiar lines from "If" and "The Ballad of East and West" demonstrate the poet's universal appeal.