Great Kid Reads for National Poetry Month
by Theresa Carpine4/28/2008 9:34:53 AM
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Kids love poetry before they even know what poetry is. Any preschooler just learning their sounds and letters will be happy to tell you all the rhyming words they know. And they definitely know that you don't need to be a scholar to write poetry. All you need is an imagination.
Kids love the rhyming words and vivid descriptions of poetry.
The dictionary definition of poetry is “a metrical writing; writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chose and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm”(Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary). So, not only does poem traditionally rhyme, or follow some kind of rhythmic cadence, but it also incites an emotional response from its audience.
April has been celebrated as National Poetry Month since 1996. It was first organized by the Academy of American Poets, along with government agencies, educators, and publishers, to showcase the history and contemporary work of poets for everyone, especially children. It’s celebrated in a variety of ways, from Open Mic poetry nights to Poem-A-Day emails to campaigns to nominate which beloved poet they’d like to see on a postage stamp.
But the simplest way to celebrate poetry month with your kids is to walk into a library or book store, browse the poetry section and enjoy some lyrical pieces that cover topics ranging from silly to sad to inspirational to controversial.
Here are a few personal recommendations, if you’re looking for a book of poetry to pass the time for the last few days of April:
The First Book of Rhythms – Langston Hughes is probably one of the most popular American writers of the 20th Century, best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance in the late 1920s. A novelist, playwright, non-fictionist, and poet, Hughes also wrote books for children. He wrote a series called “The First Book of…” which covered topics highly-integrated into the African-American experience, like jazz and the West Indies. In 1954’s The First Book of Rhythms, Hughes helps young readers identify the visual and rhythmic patterns of life, from a falling snowflake to the flow of the Mississippi River. The book was reprinted in 2000 as The Book of Rhythms. Make reading this book an interactive experience. Follow up a reading with walk around Whatcom Falls Park to appreciate the intricate patterns of the foliage and rock formations, and the unique rhythms of the cascading falls.
Where the Sidewalk Ends – We had a copy of this book on our bookshelf for as long as I can remember. The white dust jacket was ripped and the pages were smudged with loved from being read so many times. This Shel Silverstein collection of poetry and illustrations for children was originally published in 1974; a 30th Anniversary Special Edition contains 12 new poems. Perhaps I was always partial to Silverstein’s collection because it featured a poem about pancakes (one of my favorite childhood meals) and a character named “Terrible Teresa.” But I think this book, as well as some of his other books like The Giving Tree, continue to resonate with adults because his poets, while often silly and fantastical, also capture a feeling of realism and nostalgia. Where the Sidewalk Ends was a book that taught me that it was okay to be a little weird, to draw figures with wobbly edges, and to listen to poetry like it was a living thing, not just words on a page.
More Spice Than Sugar: Poems about Feisty Females – Poet Lillian Morrison compiled this book of poetry by and about ‘feisty females’ in 2001. Poets like Emily Dickinson, Nikki Giovanni and Alice Walker lend their talents to tell stories about real women, like Rosa Parks, Elizabeth Blackwell, and Anne Frank. This is a great collection to enjoy if you’d like kids in upper elementary and middle school to learn about some positive historical female role models. Perhaps one of the poems will spark interest in getting a biography about one of these inspirational women.
What were some of your favorite poems as a child? What books of poetry for children would you recommend to other parents? Leave a Comment or post in the Forum to let us know!