Away with Words! Wise and Witty Poems for Language Lovers by Mary Ann Hoberman

This collection of clever poems that play with words covers everything from A to Z.

Thoughts: What a fun poetry collection! I can't wait to share some of these poems with elementary school students. I think Away with Words! will really make them think about how and why we use words the way we do. Some of the poems were tongue twisters so I'll need to practice or read them slowly when I share them with children. My favorite poems are Introduction, ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ, Com-Pear-ing, Dear Deers, Etymology, Horse, Just Think, Me, Note, and Parting. The illustrations are colorful and engaging. I especially like the faces Perry gives to letters and punctuation. My favorite illustrations are Contents,  ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ, Etymology, Me, Note, Punctuation, and the copyright page. 

You could use the poem ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ for a writing and art project. Name all the letters in the alphabet and then make them in the same style as the illustration for that poem. Them write a poem for each letter/person in your alphabet. 

Other Poetry Collections about wordplay, grammar, books, reading, and writing: 

• Write! Write! Write! by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
• Read! Read! Read! by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
• Lemonade & Other Poems Squeezed from One Word by Bob Raczka
• Bookspeak!: Poems about Books by Laura Purdie Salas
• A Bunch of Punctuation selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins

Themes: Elementary, Word Play

(Illustrated by Perry Hoberman. Little, Brown and Company, 2022.)

If This Bird Had Pockets: A Poem in Your Pocket Day Celebration by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

Poem in Your Pocket Day is a distinctly human celebration. What if animals had pockets? What kind of poems would you find in their pockets? 

Featured Animals: Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, Eastern Newt, Goliath Birdeater, Leafcutter Ant, Bottlenose Dolphin, Short-Tailed Chinchilla, Northern Giraffe, Spotted Turtle, Red Fox, Barren-Ground Caribou, Bluegill, American Alligator, Gray Wolf, Royal Starfish, Atlantic Horseshoe Crab, Monarch Butterfly, Star-Nosed Mole, Sea Otter, Chicks

Thoughts: Such an interesting premise! I love that all the poems are written from the animals' points-of-view and that the reader learns so much about each animal in the poems. (I could have used "It's Not Difficult" years ago.) I have a feeling kids will want to know even more about the animals in this poetry collection. My favorite poems are "Sipping Song," "Metaphor in a Meadow," and "Wilderness and Safety." The digitally painted illustrations are colorful and detailed.  My favorite illustrations are the chinchillas, the giraffes, the sea otter, and the last illustration where the girl is thinking about all the different animals. I can't wait to incorporate the ocean animal poems into my storytimes and events this summer. (The Collaborative Summer Library Program theme this year is oceanography.) 

This collection can spark creativity. Children could use the illustrations to inspire their own poems. Have children write a poem from the point-of-view of their favorite animals. Chances are most are not featured in If This Bird Had Pockets. Create your own animal pocket poem collection. The educator guide linked below has poetry prompts to get you started. 

Find bonus activities and an educator guide on the publisher's website here. 

Themes: Animals 

(Illustrated by Emma J. Virján. Wordsong, 2022.)

Zoobilations! Animal Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian

A celebration of animals, Zoobilations! features 20 poems about 21 different animals 

Featured animals: weasel, mandrill, centipede/millipede, seagull, rabbit, naked mole rat, dove, hammerhead shark, parrot, llama, horse, bullfrog, crow, giraffe, flying fox, antelope, African elephant, orangutan, midwife toad, starling

Thoughts: Douglas Florian has done it again! Zoobilations! is a collection of poems that feature wordplay and tongue-in-cheek humor and they are paired with colorful illustrations that have tons of kid appeal. I have to wonder if he had a hard time finding animals he hadn't already written poems about given the number of animal themed poetry collections he's published. Some of the poems are suitable for younger kids while others need slightly older readers to get all the humor. I could see myself sharing this whole collection in first and second grade classrooms or just adding a poem to a storytime. For example, "The Bullfrog" would be a great addition to a frog themed storytime while "Mandrill," "Giraffe," and "The African Elephant" could be added to an Africa themed storytime. The possibilities are endless. My favorite poems are "Seagull," "The Parrot," "Horses," "Giraffe," "The Antelope," and "Starling." I've said this before, but I think the main appeal in Douglas Florian's illustrations are that they look like something a child would or could create. I know his preferred medium is gouache watercolor paint, but his illustrations remind me so much of crayon drawings. It's hard to pick a favorite illustration, but I think the seagull and the antelope are my favorites. (Note to self: pair "The Antelope" with "Menu for a Gray Day" from The Popcorn Astronauts and Other Biteable Rhymes by Deborah Ruddell.)

Other Collections by Douglas Florian

• Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings
• Ice: Poems about Polar Life
• Mammalabila
• Poetrees   
• UnBEElievables: Honeybee Poems & Paintings
• Friends and Foes: Poems About Us All

Themes: Animals 

(Beach Lane Books, 2022.)

Delicious! Poems Celebrating Street Food Around the World by Julie Larios

Travel around the world and learn about different types of street food with the fourteen poems in Delicious!. 

Thoughts: This collection will leave you hungry! Delicious! is a great way to explore other cultures. My favortite poems are "Carts in the Park," "By the Sea," and "Train Station." The illustrations are bright, colorful, and diverse.  Poetry about food would be a fascinating way to study geography. Pair with What's Your Favorite Food? by Eric Carle and Friends and other food themed picture books and poetry collections for a fun food themed storytime. You could also use individual poems to highlight a certain location. For example, pair the poem "Train Station" with The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk by by Kabir Sehgal and Surishtha Sehgal. 

Locations Mentioned in Delicious! 

• New York, New York, USA
• Oaxaca, Mexico
• Jaffa, Israel
• Marrakech, Morocco
• Launceston, Tasmania, Australia 
• Saint Petersburg, Russia 
• Lima, Peru 
• Mumbai, India 
• Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia 
• Seoul, South Korea
• Athens, Greece 
• Dakar, Senegal
• Beijing, China 
• Boston, Massachusetts, USA 

Other Food Themed Poetry Collections

• Fresh-Picked Poetry by Michelle Schaub
• Fresh Delicious by Irene Latham 
• Follow the Recipe by Marilyn Singer
• The Popcorn Astronauts and Other Biteable Rhymes by Deborah Ruddell

Themes: Food, Different Cultures

(Illustrated by Julie Paschkis. Beach Lane Books, 2021.)

A Spectacular Selection of Sea Critters by Betsy Franco

A colorful collection of concrete poems explores ocean creatures. 

Thoughts: A colorful interesting collection! I think A Spectacular Selection of Sea Critters has broad appeal. Kids who like colorful books, kids who like graphic novels, kids who like the ocean. This collection will come in handy for my summer programs as the CSLP theme is oceanography. My favorite poems are "Box Jellies," "Seahorse," "Limerick: Trumpet Fish," "Fishy Names," "Parrot Fish," and "Boxfish/Cowfish." I love Wertz' limited palette of blues, oranges, reds, and yellows. My favorite illustration is "Fishy Names." 

Other Poetry Collections by Betsy Franco 

• Bees, Snails, and Peacock Tails: Patterns and Shapes...Naturally
• A Curious Collection of Cats
• A Dazzling Display of  Dogs

Other Concrete Poetry Books

• A Poke in the I collected by Paul B. Janeczko
• Ode to a Commode by Brian P. Cleary
• Wet Cement: A Mix of Concrete Poems by Bob Raczka 

Themes: Ocean, Fish

(Illustrated by Michael Wertz. Millbrook Press, 2015.)

Hi, Koo! A Year of Seasons by Jon J. Muth

26 short poems take you through the seasons--fall, winter, spring, and summer. 

Thoughts: A lovely collection of haiku suitable for the youngest children. I love the images the poems put in my mind even before I note the pages' illustrations. The watercolor and ink illustrations are charming. I want to have my very own panda bear like Koo! I have a poetry storytime scheduled for later this month and I've settled on spring as my theme. I'm going to share the spring sections of various seasonal poetry collections along with a few spring themed picture books. I would like to do the same with all the other seasons as they happen this year. My favorite poems are dance, king, crocuses, and tic-tac-toe. 

The author's note explains what haiku is and makes readers aware of an alphabet scavenger hunt throughout the book. Can you find all 26 words A to Z? I've had an idea for a writing exercise for older kids to go along with the book. Read Hi, Koo! and then use the alphabet words to create your own haiku. The alphabet words: autumn, broom, coat, dance, eating, friend, gathers, heart, icicles, just, king, long, morning, new, out, puddles, quiet, reading, sad, tiny, up, violet, water, Xs, your, and zero.

Other Seasonal Poetry Collections for Children: 

• Beautiful Day! Petite Poems for All Seasons by Rodoula Pappa 
• Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys by Bob Raczka
• Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko
• When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons by Julie Fogliano
• Lion of the Sky: Haiku for All Seasons by Laura Purdie Salas
• Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman
• Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature by Nicola Davies

Themes: Seasons, Poetry, Elementary

(Scholastic, 2014.)

Beautiful Day! Petite Poems for All Seasons by Rodoula Pappa

Twenty haiku-inspired poems that take you through the seasons. 

Thoughts: Lovely little poems (five for each season) paired with gorgeous illustrations makes this poetry collection for the youngest readers a gem. I love that the poems are haiku-inspired and don't adhere rigidly to the rules. The information on the front flap of the book cover provides a succinct introduction to haiku and even gives a writing tip. Seng Soun's illustrations are a visual feast. The bright colors paired with Japanese patterns (I'm assuming from fabric and paper) are so lovely to look at. I found myself going back to look at them repeatedly and I saw new details every time. I love all the illustrations, but I especially like the kites, birds, origami, and kokeshi dolls. I think this book would make a fabulous addition to my storytimes and home libraries. 

Fun fact about me: I crocheted a kokeshi doll for a good friend who lived in Japan briefly as a child when her dad was in the military.  

Other Seasonal Poetry Collections for Children: 

• Hi, Koo!: A Year of Seasons by Jon J. Muth
• Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys by Bob Raczka
• Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko
• When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons by Julie Fogliano
• Lion of the Sky: Haiku for All Seasons by Laura Purdie Salas
• Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman
• Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature by Nicola Davies

Themes: Seasons, Play, Nature 

(Illustrated by Seng Soun Ratanavanh. Cameron Kids, 2021.)

The Dirt Book: Poems about Animals that Live Beneath Our Feet by David L. Harrison

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the dirt beneath your feet? The Dirt Book offers poems about fifteen animals that live down in the ground. 

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this poetry collection. I love the rhythm of the poems and the language Harrison uses. One phrase that caught my fancy was "mole troll soul" from the poem "Mole: Worm Search." My favorite poems in addition to mole are "Earthworm: Dirty Work," "Mouse: Nightfall Calls," and "Gopher Tortoise: The Inn Keeper." I can definitely see myself incorporating these poems into storytime. If I use the collection as a whole it would be great for an underground animals storytime. I could also use the poems individually to add a bit of STEM poetry to a storytime theme. For reference, the animals in the collection are doodlebug, trapdoor spider, earthworm, ant, grub, mouse, bumblebee, yellow jacket wasp, mole, toad, chipmunk, and gopher tortoise. 

The illustrations are fabulous! They are both colorful and detailed. I love the soft colors of the colored pencils. Cosgrove's illustrations are quite reminiscent of watercolor. I like the lack of outlines. The vertical panorama style suits the subject perfectly. My favorite illustrations are earthworm (love the purple turnips), mouse (love the lavish use of lavender), bumblebee (again with the purples), and toad.

The Author Notes provide more information about all the animals mentioned in the poems as well as the dirt in which they live. The bibliography as well as the knowledge that the information in the collection was reviewed by an expert, reassures readers, parents, teachers, and librarians that this book is well-researched in addition to being engaging.  

An NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students
An NCTE Notable Poetry Book
A 2021 Cybils Poetry Nomination

Download activity sheets from the publisher's website here. 

Themes: Underground Animals, Insects 

(Illustrated by Kate Cosgrove. Holiday House, 2021.)