I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love poetry. 

I can curl up with a book of poems. Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, William Carlos Williams. Happiness.

So, it should not surprise you when I tell you I own almost 40 books of poetry for children. And it does not make me blush.

And you should just assume that I started reading rhymes and poems to my boys when they were nothing but chubby-cheeked toddlers. 

And since my topic today is 10 books {about whatever I darn well please}, I choose poetry.

I have chosen my ten favorite poetry books for children, and I hope you and your children will enjoy these poems for kids.

Poems for Kids Ages 2-4

It's never too young to start reading poetry to your children. These two books are perfect for your preschoolers!

1. I could prattle on {and on} about how beloved Here's a Little Poem is in our home, and how we quote poems from it still, and how this book is so very, very sweet. But I won't. Just find a copy and read it to your kids.

2. You can't go wrong with Eric Carle's Animals, Animals! Animals + fun poems + vibrant illustrations. Sure to please.

Poems for Kids Ages 5-8

I'm not about children not enjoying poetry, and I think sometimes (cough) we are a little over zealous as homeschoolers (cough-cough) to try and get our children to really high levels of academic everything. I give you permission to stop that. The books in this age category may not include Shakespeare or hard-to-understand poems, but they are full of fun, truth, and beauty.

4. Must own. Hands down. I'm sorry to be so bossy today, but don't argue with me on this one. Every child should listen to the wonderful, colorful poems of Hailstones and Halibut Bones.

 

5. Sing a Song of Popcorn is a great compilation for this age group. More than 100 poems by nine Caldecott medalists plus other greats like e.e. cummings and A.A. Milne. 

6. A Child's Garden of Verses is usually a poetry staple. If you can't bear to read his words, you aren't going to be doing your children any favors. However, if you are like me, and you enjoy Stevenson, find a copy of this and add it to your shelf. You can find about a jazillion different variations of this book. It's just about choosing the illustrator you like the best. 

 

7. One book. One poem. One simple and beautiful poem, and I can't think of a better way to introduce your littles to Robert Frost. The pictures are lovely and the poem is lullabye-like. Reading and rereading this one will help your children to memorize it. And that isn't a bad thing. Not at all.

Poems for Kids Ages 9-12

I will post these four poetry books in the order I would use them.

7. I would start with this book. I happen to adore the little jewels in all the small poems. You could probably use this book with a child younger than 9, but I really love it for this age.

8. The Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems is another compilation stuffed full of great poems by great poets. Very nice selections.

9. A Child's Introduction to Poetry surprised me. It introduces various forms of poetry and lots of fabulous famous poets. The focus is not on the poems themselves (some excerpts), but rather on poetry as a whole. I'd like to take this book and turn it into a co-op class. And maybe I will.

Notes for conservative families: There is an illustration of Adam and Eve and they aren't exactly fully clothed. This book also includes the poem "Hist Whist." 

10. I have a growing collection of the Poetry for Young People Series. Each book features a famous poet: Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Carl Sandburg, Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare, Edward Lear, Rudyard Kipling, Longfellow, Langston Hughes, Lewis Carroll, and on and on it goes. Lots of poets. Lots of poems. Great for the child who is really ready to start eating poetry.

What poetry collections do you own in your home? What are your favorites?