The Children’s Book Review | April 27, 2017
10 Books of Poetry and Rhyme
This collection of books is filled with bright and gorgeous poems, verses, and rhymes ready to sweep up readers and inspire their imaginations to soar.
Written by Michelle Schaub
Illustrated by Amy Huntington
Publisher’s Synopsis: This collection of poems takes young readers to a day at an urban farmers’ market. Who to see, what to eat, and how produce is grown—it’s all so exciting, fresh, and delicious. Readers are invited to peruse the stands and inspect vendors’ wares with poems like “Farmer Greg’s Free-Range Eggs,” “Summer Checklist,” and “Necessary Mess.”
Bright and vibrant, this is the perfect guide for little ones to take with them on marketing day to inspire literacy and healthy eating.
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Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Charlesbridge | 2017 | ISBN-13: 978-1580895477
Written by Patty Toht
Illustrated by Sam Usher
Publisher’s Synopsis: Come! Board the London Bus
and see the London sights with us.
At any time, hop off, explore!
Then climb back on, and ride some more…
As a family of four spend a day exploring London, fun, child-friendly poems introduce readers to our wonderful capital city, and all its secrets. Well-known landmarks like Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the London Eye, plus inescapable features like rain and taking tea, all get Patty Toht’s witty treatment. Non-fiction facts provide more information about the subjects, while rising star Sam Usher brings them to life with his signature style and humour. This gorgeous celebration of London will be loved by both tourists and those who call the city home.
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Ages 5-8 | Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children’s Bks | 2017 | ISBN-13: 978-1847808578
Written by Dana Smith
Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
Publisher’s Synopsis: Gentle verse and sweeping, majestic artwork set imaginations soaring in a handsome and illuminating ode to the ancient art of falconry.
Join a young girl and her father, the falconer at a medieval castle, as they experience the joys of taking a goshawk out for a training flight. The girl leads readers through all the preparations and equipment needed for the flight — from the hawk’s hood and bells to the falconer’s gloves — culminating in a dramatic demonstration of the hawk’s hunting skill. Bagram Ibatoulline’s masterful illustrations capture the vivid details and beauty of a day spent hawking, while Danna Smith’s poetic storytelling will make readers long to experience the art and sport of falconry firsthand.
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Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Candlewick | April 11, 2017 | ISBN-13: 978-0763679927
Publisher’s Synopsis: An irresistible book of poems about dancing that mimic the rhythms of social dances from cha-cha to two-step, by the acclaimed author of Mirror Mirror
Marilyn Singer has crafted a vibrant collection of poems celebrating all forms of social dance from samba and salsa to tango and hip-hop. The rhythm of each poem mimics the beat of the dances’ steps. Together with Kristi Valiant’s dynamic illustrations, the poems create a window to all the ways dance enters our lives and exists throughout many cultures. This ingenious collection will inspire readers to get up and move!
Included with the book is an audio CD of the author reading each poem accompanied by original music from composer Jonathon Roberts.
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Ages 5-8 | Publisher: Dial Books | 2017 | ISBN-13: 978-0803740211
Illustrated by Tara Lilly
Publisher’s Synopsis: Become inspired by beautiful full-color illustrations, partial drawings, and small sketches based on Emily Dickinson’s brilliant poems!
Emily Dickinson had fewer than a dozen of her 1,800 poems published during her lifetime. But her talent for writing and passion for love, language, and nature has contributed to her reputation as one of the most innovative poets of her time. The Illustrated Emily Dickinson Nature Sketchbook relies on the joys of verse to inpsire drawing and sketching. Gorgeous illustrations from Lilla Roger’s 2014 Global Talent Search winner Tara Lilly will prompt further drawing and literary exploration throughout the pages. This beautiful, embossed interactive sketchbook is the perfect gift for the artist or poetry lover in your life.
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Ages 7+ | Publisher: Quarry Books | 2016 | ISBN-13: 978-1631591235
Written by Emily Dickinson
Edited by Susan Snively, PHD
Illustrated by Christine Davenier
Publisher’s Synopsis: Let your children discover the works of poet Emily Dickinson in Poetry for Kids: Emily Dickinson.
As the premier title in the Poetry for Kids series, Emily Dickinson introduces children to the works of poet Emily Dickinson. Poet, professor, and scholar Susan Snively has carefully chosen 35 poems of interest to children and their families. Each poem is beautifully illustrated by Christine Davenier and thoroughly explained by an expert. The gentle introduction, which is divided into sections by season of the year, includes commentary, definitions of important words, and a foreword.
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Ages 8-12 | Publisher: MoonDance Press | 2016 | ISBN-13: 978-1633221178
Written by Margarita Engle
Illustrated by Rafael Lopez
Publisher’s Synopsis: Musician, botanist, baseball player, pilot―the Latinos featured in this collection come from many different countries and from many different backgrounds. Celebrate their accomplishments and their contributions to a collective history and a community that continues to evolve and thrive today!
Biographical poems include: Aida de Acosta, Arnold Rojas, Baruj Benacerraf, César Chávez, Fabiola Cabeza de Baca, Félix Varela, George Meléndez, José Martí, Juan de Miralles, Juana Briones, Julia de Burgos, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Paulina Pedroso, Pura Belpré, Roberto Clemente, Tito Puente, Ynes Mexia, Tomás Rivera
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Ages 8-12 | Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. | March 14, 2017 | ISBN-13: 978-080509876
Written by
Publisher’s Synopsis: A Newbery Medalist and a Caldecott Honoree offer a glorious, lyrical ode to poets who have sparked a sense of wonder.
Out of gratitude for the poet’s art form, Newbery Award–winning author and poet Kwame Alexander, along with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth, present original poems that pay homage to twenty famed poets who have made the authors’ hearts sing and their minds wonder. Stunning mixed-media images by Ekua Holmes, winner of a Caldecott Honor and a John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award, complete the celebration and invite the reader to listen, wonder, and perhaps even pick up a pen.
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Ages 8-12 | Publisher: Candlewick | March 14, 2017 | ISBN-13: 978-0763680947
Written by Carl Sandburg
Edited by Kate Benzel
Illustrated by Robert Crawford
Publisher’s Synopsis: Professor and scholar Kate Benzel has carefully chosen 35 poems of interest to children and their families. Carl Sandburg divides the poems into poems about people, and poems about people. You’ll find classics including “Young Bullfrogs,” “Shenandoah”, “Jazz Fantasia”, “Fog”, and 31 more of Sandburg’s favorite and most accessible works. Each poem is beautifully illustrated by the award-winning Robert Crawford. This gentle introduction includes commentary, definitions of key words, and an introduction to the poet’s life, plus a final synopsis of the author’s interpretation of the pieces.
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Ages 8-12 | Publisher: MoonDance Press | 2017 | ISBN-13: 978-1633221512
Written by Nikki Grimes
Publisher’s Synopsis: In this collection of poetry, Nikki Grimes looks afresh at the poets of the Harlem Renaissance — including voices like Langston Hughes, Georgia Douglas Johnson, and many more writers of importance and resonance from this era — by combining their work with her own original poetry. Using “The Golden Shovel” poetic method, Grimes has written a collection of poetry that is as gorgeous as it is thought-provoking.
This special book also includes original artwork in full-color from some of today’s most exciting African American illustrators, who have created pieces of art based on Nikki’s original poems. Featuring art by: Cozbi Cabrera, R. Gregory Christie, Pat Cummings, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, Ebony Glenn, Nikki Grimes, E. B. Lewis, Frank Morrison, Christopher Myers, Brian Pinkney, Sean Qualls, James Ransome, Javaka Steptoe, Shadra Strickland, and Elizabeth Zunon.
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Ages 10-14 | Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens | 2017 | ISBN-13: 978-1619635548
Featured image from ‘All Aboard the London Bus,’ illustrated by Sam Usher
Discover more books like the titles featured in ‘Poetry Books for Kids: 10 Fresh-Picked Collections and Rhyming Stories’ on The Children’s Book Review by following along with our articles tagged with Emily Dickinson, National Poetry Month, Nikki Grimes, and Rhyme.