There is something so joyous about reading poetry to my kids. Each poem, even the short one, is so full. Full of meaning, full of emotion, full of subtext, full of fun, full of thought. I never read poetry to my kids without smiling.
It was difficult to narrow this list of great children's poets down to a manageable number, but once you get started, you'll be eager to seek out more!
Once you've caught the poetry bug, please explore all of my poetry resources for parents and kids.
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And now, in no particular order... a few great children's poets your kids should know, and will love!
Bob Raczka
Wet Cement: Concrete Poems by Bob Raczka. If you aren't familiar with concrete poems, you are in for a real treat. I think they are my 11-year-old's favorite type of poetry because there is a puzzle factor and an "aha!" moment when what you are seeing connects with what you are thinking. This book is entirely in black and white and it is the poems themselves which create the pictures, there are no other illustrations. His collection of poems in Lemonade: and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word is also utterly unique!
MORE: Raczka's poetry is right at home on this list of Non-boring poetry books that will make you love poetry
Walter Dean Myers
Myers' evocative poetry speaks to children's depths of emotions and taps into their need for self-expression. Looking Like Me, an infectious, joyful celebration of one self-esteem and identity is a great book to start with!
Jack Prelutsky
Stop asking me to choose a favorite Jack Prelutsky poetry book. Just stop. I can't! It's impossible. Whether it is the crazy Scranimals, the imagined creatures in Sardines Swim High Across the Sky or the amusing comparisons in Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant, I love them all. Good Sports is certainly my boys' favorite!
MORE: No child can resist laughing out loud at these funny poetry books.
J. Patrick Lewis
Doodle Dandies: Poems That Take Shape. J. Patrick Lewis was the third U.S. Children's Poet Laureate. He has written some very inventive poems, as well as curating some wonderful collections, like the National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 200 Poems with Photographs That Squeak, Soar, and Roar!
Shel Silverstein
Where the Sidewalk Ends. Do I really need to tell you about the poet who put children's poetry on the modern map?
Robert Louis Stevenson
Every household should contain a copy of A Child's Garden of Verses. There are several different illustrated versions. I love the Tasha Tudor illustrations and this one with illustrations by Gyo Fujikawa.
MORE: Try our poetry reading challenge: designed to make you a total fan of poetry! Robert Louis Stevenson's poem, "A Child's Thought" is the first poem you will read.
Marilyn Singer
Marilyn Singer's reverso poem books should be on your must read list. There are three of them now. Mirror, Mirror, which turns fairy tales on their heads is the first one. Check them all out!
Nikki Grimes
Meet Danitra Brown has long been a favorite of mine. It is a delightful collection of friendship poems and just one of the huge collection of poetry books by Nikki Grimes, whose talent also extends to picture books, early chapter books and novels like those on our list of verse novels!
Douglas Florian
Douglas Florian's whimsical and clever picture book poetry books, such as Poem Runs: Baseball Poems and Paintings and Poetrees, are great for kids who don't yet have a lot of exposure to poetry. He has a number of themed collections, so there will be something to appeal to every child's interest.
Joyce Sidman
Joyce Sidman's poetry centers around nature and her books often include facts and narratives about her subjects. Start withSwirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature and Red Sings from Treetops.
Other poets to check out: (add your own favorites in the comments!)
- Jane Yolen
- Francisco X. Alarcón
- Margarita Engle
- Lee Bennet Hopkins
- Amanda Gorman
- Edward Lear
- Lewis Carroll
- Naomi Shihab Nye
- Jacqueline Woodson
- Kenn Nesbitt
Joy Acey says
Add Charles Ghinga. I just shared "What Is A Poem" from his Fury of Motion: Poems for Boys with the children at Kapaa Elementary School.
And there is a whole crew of women poets you are missing:
Lauara Purdie Salas
Amy VanderWater
Irene Latham
Kristine George
Heidi Mordhorst
Lee Wardlaw
Marilyn Nelson
Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Janet Wong
Georgia Heard,
Alice Schertle
I'm sure there is a whole passel of female poets I've missed
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks for sharing your recommendations. I can't list everyone, so I'm glad you chimed in.
Evielovesbooks says
I absolutely love your lists! I think you pick out great books and I would love to see you continue! But I have one request. Could you possibly make a strictly Middle Grade/Young Adult nonfiction book list? I love nonfiction and I think it would be great to get your opinion on some good books. Otherwise, keep up the good work!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks for the suggestion. Hopefully I will find time to get something put together in the future.
Shannon Slaughter says
Have you ever heard of Kenn Nesbitt? His books are great for school-aged kids and very funny. Each poem has some sort of unexpected twist at the end that you didn't see coming. He is from Spokane, WA and you can find his books on Amazon.
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thank you for the recommendation.
Natalie PlanetSmartyPants says
What? No Dr Seuss??? 😉
Erica MomandKiddo says
LOL.
Linnae says
I'm checking my library for some of these right now! We love Shel Silverstein, and the classic nursery rhymes, but haven't branched out much beyond that. Thanks for these suggestions!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Happy reading!
Elizabeth says
AA Milne is a classic!
Jeanette says
We love the book The Adventures of Isabel by Ogden Nash. Such a fun read!
Abbey says
Eloise Greenfield! She is essential!!!!
Stacey says
Thank you so much for this post! My son is obsessed with A Light in the Attic and I really need something different! Just checked out a bunch of these from the library.
Marsha says
When I was growing up my mom had an old copy of Favorite Poems Old and New. That book helped me fall in love with poetry, but I have not done well passing that love on to my kids. Thanks for the ideas! I’ll pull my copy of that book out and check out some of your suggestions!