Poetry for Young Readers post written by the Ent on 2/5/21. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
With the recent phenomenon that Amanda Gorman has created around poetry with her astounding pieace “The Hills We Climb” at the Inauguration. Followed up by her piece honoring essential and healthcare workers during the 2021 super bowl. There is no better time to dive into poetry for young readers. There is such a rich, beautiful world of poetry just waiting to be explored. We have compiled a list of some of our favorite poetry (including for younger readers!) along with small reviews and why you should read them!
Poetry for Young Readers: Infant to Elementary
We want to acknowledge that there are many children’s books and series that utilize poetry. Some of my favorites are The Bear series by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman, When I Pray for You or any book by Matthew Paul Turner, and classics like Chick Chicka Boom Boom and Hop on Pop. But for this post we are going to focus more on collections of poetry.
A Child’s Garden of Verses
Title: A Child’s Garden of Verses
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Illustrator: Tasha Tudor
Length: 67 pages
Age Suggestion: Any Age
Warnings: Some older racial ideas in one poem, so read them to yourself before reading them out loud. We talk with our little one about why we’re skipping that one and just move on to the rest.
Quick A Child’s Garden of Verses Review
Stevenson’s book of poetry is filled with great, relatively simple poems made for children. Each poem dives into things that were relatable of children, especially of the time, that can help them understand their world. The illustrations are very beautiful [there are a lot of different versions of this with different illustrations!] and the poems are generally appropriate for any audience.
Why Read It
Like many kid’s books, A Child’s Garden of Verses introduces kids to simple rhyming patterns with words that are easy to learn. Unlike many other children’s books, this poetry book is also a fun intro to some older words that can be interesting for slightly older readers (4-6 year olds). In general, these poems are pretty short, so they are perfect for right-before-bed reading.
Other Suggestions
–The Random House Book of Poetry for Children: This is a large collection of over 500 poems for children. A great book for any household with young children.
–Hip Hop Speaks to Children: 50 Inspiring Poems with a Beat: This book explores the poetry that can be found in the music genre of Hip Hop. There has been an innumerable amount of beauty in this genre, and this book is a great introduction to some of the kid friendly poetry there.
Poetry for Young Readers: Elementary to Middle School
Poems to See By
Title: Poems to See By
Author and Illustrator: Julian Peters and Various Poets [compilations of great poems by Maya Angelou, Emily Dickenson, Robert Frost and More]
Length: 168 pages
Age Suggestion: 10 and up
Warnings: Some depictions of Nazi Germany, mild violence, and some dark/mournful poems
Quick Poems to See By Review
Poems to See By presents classic poems by a variety of authors/poets reimagined through the artistry of Julian Peters. If you’ve got a comic or graphic novel fan you want to introduce to poetry- this is an amazing way to introduce it!! The artwork is absolutely perfect and transports the reader into a brand new world of poetry. Many of these poems are the most popular poems of all time, and yet, there is still something fresh and new to be pulled from them by reading this book. We highly recommend this book to any reader who can handle some of the heavier topics.
Why Read It
For any age reader, the way the poems in this book are presented will be brought into a wonderful world of art. For younger readers, it will help ground the worlds of the poem into the real world, helping with understanding. For older readers and adults, it may bring life to some classics and put a shine on them that you may not have had before. We highly recommend this book for young readers and families to discuss.
Other Suggestions
–Freedom Over Me: The book of narrative poetry explores the world of eleven slaves and how their worth is so much more than what could be placed on a sales receipt
–Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices: The book crawls into the beautiful world of insects and the unexpected joy that they bring to our Earth.
Poetry for Young Readers: High School
The Poet X
Title: The Poet X
Author: Elizabeth Acevedo
Length: 384 pages
Age Suggestion: 13 and up
Warnings: This one would be rated PG-13 as a movie. There is a lot of raw discussion/thoughts about a teenager’s views on dating/sexuality, parents, friends.
Quick The Poet X Review
The Poet X dives into the world of a Xiomara Batista, a Dominican American, who is consistently dealing with her inner thoughts and turmoil as she deals with high school, family, and relationships. Each poem has a slightly different style with varying lengths and topics, but still manages to tell one comprehensive, compelling story. Although it does deal with some heavier topics, we still highly recommend this book of poetry.
Why Read It
The Poet X provides a great coming of age story of a girl who is trying to reconcile her womanhood, her religion, her romantic relationships, and her family. There are so many relatable emotions and thoughts that are important to validate and discuss. On top of all this, it is simply a well-written, enthralling read that is presented in beautiful prose.
Other Suggestions
–The Hill We Climb: Amanda Gorman poetry has begun to take the world by storm. Her beautiful speech at the inauguration has led to her book to be one of the most pre-ordered books on Amazon.
–Bilbo’s Last Song: In this Epilogue to the Lord of the Rings, Bilbo pens his last song as he must say goodbye to Middle Earth
–Poetry Speaks Who I Am: This is a very unique book of poetry as it simultaneously helps young readers dive through the complexities of who they are and leaves space for them to write their own narrative.
Before You Leave, Check Out These Posts!
–Award-Winning Children and Teen Books from 2020
-Our new Favorite Early Chapter Book: Skunk and Badger
-And Amanda Gorman’s Upcoming Books
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It is a wonderful idea to recommend poetry books for kids! As a poet, I started reading poetry since I was a young kid and I know from experience how good this was. Thanks so much for compiling this great list of poetry intro books for young readers!
That’s wonderful! It really is a gift to be read to, especially poetry!
Thanks for the compliment and commenting!
What a great collection of poetry for young people. Thank you also for the notes about content to watch for…so useful.
Thanks so much! Yes, books don’t come with specific ratings like TV shows, but there are so many things that parents need to be aware of. Thanks for commenting! 🙂
I love poetry but haven’t even thought of introducing it to my toddlers because I wasn’t sure what would be appropriate for their age. Thanks so much for your wonderful suggestions!
I absolutely understand. My favorite poetry to read with my toddler are the Nancy Tillman books at night time. They usually don’t pay much attention but enjoy hearing us read them while they do puzzles and play with their stuffies. I let them play for most books and then we all snuggle up for the last book of the night. Thanks for stopping by!
This is such a wonderful post! My daughter and I were talking yesterday about how much we both love to read. And poetry is something we need to experience more. I was so moved by Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem. It was beautiful to hear such wisdom from someone so young. We’ll be reading more of her work. Thanks for the recommendations for high schoolers.
Yay! I was moved by her poetry too! So inspiring!! I really think that y’all would like the book Poems to See By based on your book posts! It’s one of my new favorites! Thanks for stopping by and commenting 🙂