NPM Day 16: Thematic Poetry Part 6 - Performance Poetry

Today marks the last day of the thematic poetry lists. There are many more possibilities for lists. The ones I've shared over the last few days are just the ones I've been keeping. The focus of today's list is performance poetry. 

• Boom! Bellow! Bleat! Animal Poems for Two or More Voices by Georgia Heard
• Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
• You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman 
• You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman 
• You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Mother Goose Tales to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman 
• You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman 
• You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fables to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman 
• You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Tall Tales to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman 
• Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman
• Seeds, Bees, Butterflies, and More!: Poems for Two Voices by Carole Gerber 
• Nature's Remarkable Partners: Wild Poems for Two Voices by Leslie Bulion 

Resources

• Teacher's guide for Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! on the publisher's website
• Educator's Guide for the You Read to Me, I'll Read to You series on the publisher's website
• Activity Sheets and Lesson Plans for Joyful Noise from Recorded Books via TeachingBooks
• Educator's guide and coloring page for Nature's Remarkable Partners on the publisher's website

Links to My Reviews

• Boom! Bellow! Bleat! Animal Poems for Two or More Voices

NPM Day 15: Thematic Poetry Part 5 - Seasons

Today's thematic poetry list is all about seasonal poetry. I love adding seasonal poetry to my storytimes. 

• When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons by Julie Fogliano
• Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman
• Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters
• Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko
• Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys by Bob Raczka
• Hi, Koo! A Year of Seasons by Jon J. Muth
• Lion of the Sky: Haiku for All Seasons by Laura Purdie Salas
• Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature by Nicola Davies 
• Beautiful Day! Petite Poems for All Seasons by Radoula Pappa
• Forest Has a Song by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

Resources 

• Reader's guide for Red Sings from the Treetops on the author's website
• Support materials for Firefly July from RIF Literacy Central
• Event kit for Hi, Koo! from Scholastic via TeachingBooks
• Videos and an activity page for Lion of the Sky on the author's website
• Teacher resources for Forest Has a Song on the author's website

Links to My Reviews

• Forest Has a Song
• Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys
• Hi, Koo! A Year of Seasons
• When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons
• Lion of the Sky: Haiku for All Seasons
• Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature
• Beautiful Day! Petite Poems for All Seasons
• Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems 

NPM Day 14: Thematic Poetry Part 4 - Concrete Poetry

Today's thematic poetry list focuses on a specific poetic form, concrete poetry. Concrete poetry is fun to create and read. 

• A Spectacular Selection of Sea Critters by Betsy Franco
• A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poetry selected by Paul B. Janeczko
• Wet Cement: A Mix of Concrete Poems by Bob Raczka
• A Dazzling Display of Dogs by Betsy Franco
• A Curious Collection of Cats by Betsy Franco

Resources

• Bob Raczka's Wordsmithing videos on his website

Links to My Reviews 

• A Curious Collection of Cats
• A Dazzling Display of Dogs
• A Spectacular Selection of Sea Critters

NPM Day 13: Thematic Poetry Day 3 - Fairy Tales

Today's thematic poetry list is fairy tales. Fairy tales are one of my favorite things along with poetry. 

• Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse by Marilyn Singer
• Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems
• Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist by Jane Yolen & Rebecca Kai Dotlich
• Sleep Tight, Snow White: 15 Bewitching Bedtime Rhymes by Jen Arena 
• Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It: False Apology Poems by Gail Carson Levine (not all of the poems are fairy tale themed, but there are a few)
• You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman

Resources 

• Educator's Guide for the You Read to Me, I'll Read to You series on the publisher's website
• Consider using Fairly Fairy Tales by Esmé Raji Codell to create your own fairy tale poems. For example, Jack and the Beanstalk but with spaghetti. 
• In the introduction (pp. 18-23) to Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It, Levine gives advice about how to write your own false apology poems. You might also take a look at her two creative writing books, Writing Magic and Writer to Writer. 
• In a note to readers at the beginning to Grumbles from the Forest, the authors invite readers to try their hands at writing their own fairy tale poems from a different perspective. 
• At the end of Mirror Mirror, Singer introduces the reverso, a poetic form she created, and invites readers to try their hand at writing one. 

Links to My Reviews 

• Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems 
• Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse
• Sleep Tight Snow White: 15 Bewitching Bedtime Rhymes
• Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It: False Apology Poems

NPM Day 12: Thematic Poetry Part 2 - Birds

Today's thematic poetry list is all about birds. I've found that keeping themed lists makes it easy for me to find poetry to share with children.

• Today at the Bluebird Café: A Branchful of Birds by Deborah Ruddell
• Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems by Kristine O’Connell George
• On the Wing by David Elliott
• Superlative Birds by Leslie Bulion
• Feathers: Poems about Birds by Eileen Spinelli
• The Cuckoo’s Haiku and Other Birding Poems by Michael J. Rosen
• On the Wing: Bird Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian 
• Snow Birds by Kirsten Hall 

You might also look at animal themed poetry collections to see if they have a bird section. 

• National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry edited by J. Patrick Lewis 
• The Beauty of the Beast edited by Jack Prelutsky
• Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals by Nicola Davies 

Resources 

• Teacher's guide for Hummingbird Nest on the author's website
• Teacher's guide for Superlative Birds from the publisher's website
• Teacher and Parent Activity Kit for Snow Birds on the publisher's website

Links to My Reviews

• On the Wing by David Elliott
• Today at the Bluebird Café: A Branchful of Birds
• Snow Birds
• The Cuckoo's Haiku and Other Birding Poems 
• Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals
• National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry edited by J. Patrick Lewis

NPM Day 11: Thematic Poetry Part 1 - Cats, Dogs, Pets

Over the next few days, I'll be sharing some themed lists of poetry books for children. I've found that keeping themed lists makes it easy for me to find poetry to share with children. The first list is for cats, dogs, and pets. 

Cats 

• Cat Talk by Patricia MacLachlan & Emily MacLachlan Charest
• The Maine Coon’s Haiku and Other Poems for Cat Lovers by Michael J. Rosen
• Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw
• Won Ton and Chopstick: A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw
• A Curious Collection of Cats by Betsy Franco

Dogs 

• Little Dog Poems by Kristine O’Connell George
• Once I Ate a Pie Patricia MacLachlan & Emily MacLachlan Charest
• I Didn’t Do It Patricia MacLachlan & Emily MacLachlan Charest
• Name That Dog! Puppy Poems from A to Z by Peggy Archer
• A Dazzling Display of Dogs by Betsy Franco
• Every Day’s a Dog’s Day: A Year in Poems by Marilyn Singer
• The Hound Dog's Haiku and Other Poems for Dog Lovers by Michael J. Rosen 

Pets 

• The Pet Project: Cute and Cuddly Vicious Verses by Lisa Wheeler 
• Who Named Their Pony Macaroni? Poems about White House Pets by Marilyn Singer 
• Bless Our Pets: Poems of Gratitude for Our Animal Friends edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins

Resources

• Teacher's guide for Won Ton on the author's website 
• Teacher's guide and activity kit for Won Ton and Chopstick on the author's website
• Teacher's guide for Little Dog Poems on the author's website

Links to My Reviews 

• A Curious Collection of Cats
• A Dazzling Display of Dogs
• Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku
• The Pet Project: Cute and Cuddly Vicious Verses
• Who Named Their Pony Macaroni? Poems about White House Pets
• I Didn't Do It

NPM Day 10: Poetry Programs for Kids

Outreach Visits to Elementary Classrooms 

• 2012: Animal Poetry (In the Wild by David Elliott, If Not for the Cat by Jack Prelutsky) and Riddle Poetry (If Not for the Cat by Jack Prelutsky, Spot the Plot: A Riddle Book of Book Riddles by J. Patrick Lewis, Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow by Joyce Sidman) 
• 2013: Selections from I've Lost My Hippopotamus by Jack Prelutsky, The Underwear Salesman and Other Poems for Better or Verse by J. Patrick Lewis, and Please Bury Me in the Library by J. Patrick Lewis. See full details here. 
• 2015: Bird Poetry (On the Wing by David Elliott and Today at the Bluebird Cafe by Deborah Ruddell)
• 2018: Selections from Something Big Has Been Here by Jack Prelutsky, World Rat Day by J. Patrick Lewis, and If Not for the Cat by Jack Prelutsky
• 2019: Selections from some of my favorite poets (Deborah Ruddell, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, and Joyce Sidman). See full details here. 

Poetry Programs for Private School Classes and Homeschool Groups 

• 2016 and 2017: Poetry Egg Hunt, Book Spine Poetry, Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from One Word by Bob Raczka, Poetry Tag, Acrostic Name Poem, and Riddle Poems
• 2012: Poetry Introduction for 1st-3rd grade. See full details here.

Poetry Special Events

• Poetry Break Storytimes
• 2011: Animals. See full details here.
• 2012: It's Raining Cats and Dogs. See full details here.
• Poetry Picnic (2024): Food theme poems and snacks. See full details here.

Resources

• Activities for Forest Has a Song on the author's website
• Activities for With My Hands on the author's website
• Reader's guide and activity guide for Red Sings from the Treetops on the author's website
• Reader's guide for Ubiquitous on the author's website
• Reader's guide for Butterfly Eyes on the author's website

Links to My Reviews

• Forest Has a Song
• Read! Read! Read!
• With My Hands: Poems about Making Things
• Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from One Word
• In the Wild
• On the Wing
• The Popcorn Astronauts and Other Biteable Rhymes
• Today at the Bluebird Café: A Branchful of Birds
• A Whiff of Pine, A Hint of Skunk: A Forest of Poems
• Spot the Plot: A Riddle Book of Book Riddles 
• The Underwear Salesman and Other Jobs for Better or Verse
• If Not for the Cat
• I've Lost My Hippopotamus