Poetry Books for Kids-A Curated List

Including collections from MoMA. Caroline Kennedy A.A. Milne and more

Disobedience, A.A. Milne

James James
Morrison Morrison
Weatherby George Dupree
Took great
Care of his Mother,
Though he was only three.
James James Said to his Mother,
"Mother," he said, said he;
"You must never go down
to the end of the town,
if you don't go down with me."¹

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It is a truth universally acknowledged* that summer begins with Memorial Day weekend. Of course that’s not actually true, especially in the Pacific Northwest where it is currently 53 degrees, cloudy and cold with a threat of rain.

Nevertheless, summer is on everyone’s mind and if you’re a reader or a mom (or grandma), visions of books and stories and a teensy bit more time are hopefully tickling at the edges of your ((probably)) overcrowded brain.

May I suggest in those pockets of time that poetry is the perfect choice?

Below is an annotated list of ten books in my personal poetry collection—beautiful, engaging and fun to read. (Where to purchase note is below.)

1. Opposites, More Opposites and a Few Differences, Poems and Drawings by Richard Wilbur, Harcourt, Inc. 1973

   Poems Edited & Selected by Caroline Kennedy

2. The Best Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, selected and introduced by Caroline Kennedy, Hyperion, 2001

3. Poems to Learn by Heart, Edited by Caroline Kennedy, paintings by John J. Muth, Disney/Hyperion, 2013

4. A Family of Poems, My Favorite Poetry for Children, Caroline Kennedy, paintings by John J. Muth, Hyperion Books for Children, 2005. Organized by categories“That’s so Silly!”, “Bedtime”, “The Seashore” and more.

   

   Note: I had the rare privelege of hearing Caroline Kennedy speak a number of years ago in Seattle where we were regaled with stories of her growing up and learning to recite poetry with her brother John. She told us how her mother had done the same, learning to memorize poetry for the grown ups, often with Caroline’s grandmother Bouvier in attendance. Of course I asked Caroline to sign my copy of her book.

5. Talking to the Sun, An Illustrated Anthology of Poems for Young People, Selected and Introduced by Kenneth Koch and Kate Farrell, Henry Holt and Co, 1985

6. The Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems, edited by Donald Hall, Oxford University Press, 2001

7. Hailstones and Halibut Bones-Adventures in Color by Mary O'Neill, Illustrated by John Wallner, Doubleday, 1961

Like acrobats on a high trapeze

The Colors pose and bend their knees

Twist and turn and leap and blend

Into shapes and feelings without end…

From the inside cover, Hailstones & Halibut Bones

Home Schooling tip: I used Hailstones and Halibut Bones frequently in the classroom when I taught elementary school. We spent many fine hours writing poems about colors--how they made children feel, what they thought of when they saw gold, green or silver and so on. You should try it!

8. The Random House Book of Poetry for Children, A Treasury of 572 Poems, selected by Jack Prelutsky, Illustrated by Arnold Lobel.

I read my own children-now 44 and 47-many of these poems from this Random House collection.

9. Now We are Six, A.A. Milne, with decorations by Ernest H. Shepard, E.P. Dutton & Co, 1927

10. When We Were Very Young, A. Milne, with decorations by Ernest H. Shepard, A Dell Yearling Book, 60th Anniversary edition, 1924.

Where to find your own copy of one of these fine books

Most of my book buying is at second hand stores or used bookstores. Online I use Thrift Books and Abe Books, each of whom specialize in used and classic books.

Or, use this link to bookshop dot org online where a smidgin of the price go towards my small affiliate account and supports local brick and mortar stores.

bookshop link is HERE

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FREE DOWNLOAD OF LIST

I made you a printable download of these 10 books to tuck into your purse or use for your shopping. Simply click on the button below.

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P.S. Although ‘She Walks in Beauty’, included in the above bookstack photo is also edited by Caroline Kennedy, it’s for grown-ups, just so you know.

*Opening line from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, 1813.

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  Thanks ever so much, friends.

  And let me know what might be on your reading list this Summer!

1. You can read the rest of JJMMWGD (as it’s sometimes referred to) online or find it in When We Were Very Young on page 32 in the Dell Yearling Book paperback edition. ‘Disobedience’ is one of the most easily memorized children’s poems I know because of the rhyme and meter. Plus, kids think it’s hilarious!