Poetry Every Day. Every. Day.

 Years ago I wrote a Poetry Month article in my School Library Journal column. “As we celebrate Poetry Month,” I wrote, “try reading from the following new titles.”

After it published, Lee Bennett Hopkins, author of more than 100 poetry books, wrote to me. He was unhappy about my promotion of National Poetry Month. In my defense, I didn’t say to only read poetry during poetry month. That was his point: Read poetry every day. Every. Day. 

So let’s do that. Whether it’s April or August. Let’s give them poetry. 

“Give children poetry. It is one of the best gifts you can give them… a gift to last a lifetime.”

--Lee Bennett Hopkins

What are your newest options? 

With the increase of novel-in-verse titles, it’s quite likely that your students are already reading poetry every day. Popular titles include Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover, Jason Reynold’s Long Way Down and Sharon Creech’s Love That Dog. Here are some new award-winning titles you might also consider. You’ll find descriptions at the top of each TeachingBooks book page.

Kent State by Deborah Wiles (YA)

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (YA)

With a Star in My Hand: Rubén Darí­o, Poetry Hero by Margarita Engle (YA)

White Rose by Kip Wilson (YA)

Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar (MG)

Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson (MG)

All He Knew by Helen Frost (MG)

The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling (MG)

Picture books can also be written in verse. Black is a Rainbow Color by Angela Joy moves from a poetic observation about everyday black objects to references to Black American culture.  With younger students, look for read alouds with rhyme or rhythm. Two Little Trains

by Margaret Wise Brown and Greg Pizzoli tracks the progress of their journey using onomatopoeia--chug, chug, chug. Check out these new titles with rhyme or rhythm. Because these also have a TeachingBooks Complete Book Reading, they make great titles to share with your families to read at home. (Just use the red share arrow to explore ways to share it.)

Like the Moon Loves the Sky by Hena Khan and Saffa Khan

Two parents welcome their baby with love and the words “Inshallah [the Arabic word for “if God wills it”] you are all that is gentle and good.”

Green on Green by Dianne White and Felicita Sala

A tour through the seasons emphasizes just a few colors for each season in a series of rhyming tercets, each one ending with a different color of green.

'Ohana Means Family by Ilima Loomis and Kenard Pak

“This is the poi for our ‘ohana’s lū‘au” begins this cumulative rhyme styled on “The House That Jack Built,” in which a group of Native Hawaiians prepares for a shared meal. 

Plenty of Hugs by Fran Manushkin and Kate Alizadeh

A small boy in a multiracial family enjoys spending a day with his two moms, playing outside, taking a bike ride to the zoo, and then coming home to a supper, a bath, a story, and then a kiss good night.

Make an effort to look for nonfiction poetry in your search to be inclusive in your genre promotion. Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Melafera by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann is an excellent example of nonfiction in verse. 

No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley

Meet fourteen young activists who stepped up to make a change in their community and the United States in this collection of poetry. 

In the Woods by David Elliott and Rob Dunlavey

The stealthy bobcat, the inquisitive raccoon, and the dignified bear waking up from his winter nap are just a few of the animals featured in this collection of poems and woodland scenes.

Lion of the Sky: Haiku for All Seasons by Laura Purdie Salas and Mercè López

Haiku meets riddles in this collection of poems that celebrate the seasons and describe everything from an earthworm to a baseball and an apple to snow angels, alongside full-color illustrations.

Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford and Michele Wood

This poetic account of devastation, resilience, ingenuity, and perseverance is told in six-line stanzas, with each line representing one side of a box, and draws on Henry Brown’s own writings.

Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Slade and Cozbi A. Cabrera

Slade’s lyrical picture-book biography captures both the poetry and the persistence of a remarkable woman who always found time to work on her craft.

As we celebrate National Poetry Month, remember the wise words of Lee Bennett Hopkins. 

“There shouldn’t be a day without poetry.”

For more poetry resources, explore the TeachingBooks Poetry Collection, Complete Book and Poem (Readings) Collection, and Poetry Teaching Ideas.

About the contributor: 

Deborah Salyer is a long-time lover of children’s and YA lit. Her seminars and workshops have created piles of books to be read on nightstands from the east to west coasts. She’s also the CA Implementation Specialist for TeachingBooks and a senior presenter at BER.org.