NPM Day 25: Poetry for Tweens & Teens

Tweens and teens can enjoy poetry, too. Sometimes it's a harder sell because as part of their education they've had to over analyze poems. All the previous poets and collections I've shared that are for children may also appeal to tweens and teens. In addition I'd like to highlight some poetry collection, verse novels, and nonfiction in verse. 

Verse novels can appeal to tweens and teens because they read quickly. 

A few of my favorite verse novels are Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, Borrowed Names by Jeannine Atkins, and Your Own, Sylvia by Stephanie Hemphill, but I admit that I don't read verse novels as often as I do poetry collections. 

Poetry Collections for Tweens and Teens 

• Somebody Give This Heart a Pen by Sophia Thakur
• Respect the Mic: Celebrating 20 years of Poetry from a Chicagoland High School edited by Peter Kahn, Hanif Abdurraqib, Dan “Sully” Sullivan and Franny Choi
• When the Stars Wrote Back by Trista Mateer
• You Don’t Have to Be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves edited by Diana Whitney
• Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson
• Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes
• Dark Testament: Blackout Poems by Crystal Simone Smith
• Ink Knows No Borders: Poems of the Immigrant and Refugee Experience edited by Patrice Vecchione & Alyssa Raymond
• One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes 

Verse Novels for Tweens and Teens 

• Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit by Colby Cedar Smith
• Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds
• Red, White, and Whole by Ranjani LaRocca
• Me (Moth) by Amber McBride
• Enter the Body by Joy McCullough
• The Watch that Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic by Allan Wolf
• The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep: Voices from the Donner Party by Allan Wolf
• Bull by David Elliott
• Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc by David Elliott
• The Seventh Raven by David Elliott 

Nonfiction in Verse for Tweens and Teens 

• Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir by Nikki Grimes
• A Long Time Coming: A Lyrical Biography of Race in America from Ona Judge to Barack Obama by Ray Anthony Shepard
• Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson
• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
• Stone Mirrors: The Sculpture and Silence of Edmonia Lewis by Jeannine Atkins 

Resources 

• Discussion guide for Black Girl You Are Atlas on the author's website
• Educator's guide for One Last Word on the author's website
• Classroom Activities for Ink Knows No Borders on the publisher's website
• Teaching guide for Ink Knows No Borders on the publisher's website
• Reading guide for Call Me Athena on the publisher's website
• Curriculum guide for Ain't Burned All the Bright on the publisher's website
• Educator's guide for Red, White, and Whole on the author's website
• Resources for Me (Moth) on the author's website
• Teacher's guide for Enter the Body on the publisher's website
• Teacher's guide for The Watch That Ends the Night on the publisher's website
• Discussion guide for The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep on the publisher's website
• Discussion guide for Ordinary Hazards from the publisher via TeachingBooks
• Educator's guide for A Long Time Coming on the author's website
• Teacher's guide for Shout on the publisher's website
• Teacher's guide for Brown Girl Dreaming on the publisher's website
• Educator resources for Stone Mirrors on the author's website

Links to My Reviews 

• Borrowed Names by Jeannine Atkins
• Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath by Stephanie Hemphill

NPM Day 24: Poetry Tag

Poetry Tag was created by Sylvia Vardell as a fun game on her blog during April 2010. You can read all about it here. In the March 2011 issue of Book Links, she shared the idea with teachers and librarians in her Everyday Poetry column seen below. I was inspired to create my own poetry tag games. I've shared them with students and I would really like to create more games with the kids, but I'd need more time and lots of poetry books to look through. 

You could even write poems based on the idea of connections between poems. Start with a poem you wrote or just one you like a lot and respond to it. Here's one of the Poetry Tag games I created way back in 2012. I'm still sharing it with kids and teens to this day. 

• “Nobody’s Pet” from A Whiff of Pine, A Hint of Skunk by Deborah Ruddell
• “My Dog May Be a Genius” from My Dog May Be a Genius by Jack Prelutsky (p.7)
• “The Spellican” from I’ve Lost My Hippopotamus by Jack Prelutsky (p. 126)
• “Sea Speak” from A Rumpus of Rhymes by Bobbi Katz
• “Wanda’s Swimsuit” from Button Up! Wrinkled Rhymes by Alice Schertle (p. 20)
• “Sharks” from Twosomes: Love Poems from the Animal Kingdom by Marilyn Singer
• “The Detested Radishark” from Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky (p. 29)
• “Red Radish, Green Garnish” from The Bookworm’s Feast by J. Patrick Lewis

Resources 

• Sylvia Vardell's Poetry for Children Blog
• Poetry TagTime Companion Blog
• Jack Prelutsky's website
• Teaching guide to The World of Jack Prelutsky on the publisher's website
• Activity guide to Celebrate National Poetry Month with Jack Prelutsky on the publisher's website
• Jack Prelusky Interview on the publisher's website
• Reader's guide for Button Up on Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Teaching Toolbox blog
• Lesson plan for Button Up! from the publisher via TeachingBooks

Links to my Reviews

• A Whiff of Pine, A Hint of Skunk: A Forest of Poems
• My Dog May Be a Genius
• I've Lost My Hippopotamus 
• Twosomes: Love Poems from the Animal Kingdom

NPM Day 23: Writing Poetry

There are many books about writing poetry written specifically for children and teens. Teens might also look at poetry writing books written for adults. Both age groups might also benefit from looking at general creative writing books. One of my favorite books is Panning for Gold in the Kitchen Sink: Everyday Creative Writing by Michael C. Smith and Suzanne Greenberg. What follows is just a selection of the books available for children and teens interested in writing poetry. 

• A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms selected by Paul B. Janeczko
• Picture Yourself Writing Poetry: Using Photos to Inspire Writing by Laura Purdie Salas
• Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem from the Inside Out by Ralph Fletcher
• How to Write Haiku and Other Short Poems by Paul Janeczko
• Pick a Picture, Write a Poem! By Kristen McCurry
• Immersed in Verse: An Informative, Slightly Irreverent, & Totally Tremendous Guide to Living the Poetic Life by Allan Wolf
• Write Your Own Haiku for Kids: See the World through “Haiku Eyes” by Patricia Donegan
• Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write a Poem by Jack Prelutsky
• What Is Poetry? The Essential Guide to Reading and Writing Poems by Michel Rosen
• How to Write Poetry by Paul B. Janeczko
• The Death of a Hat: A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects selected by Paul B. Janeczko
• My Shouting, Shattered, Whispering Voice: A Guide to Writing Poetry & Speaking Your Truth by Patrice Vecchione
• Write Your Own Poems by Jerome Martin

Resources 

• Poetry Tips from Paul B. Janeczko from the publisher's website via TeachingBooks
• Poetry exercises on Laurie Purdie Salas' website
• Tips for Young Writers on Ralph Fletcher's website
• Poetry jokes on Allan Wolf's website
• Activities for Write Your Own Poems by Jerome Martin from the publisher's website

Links to My Reviews 

• Picture Yourself Writing Poetry: Using Photos to Inspire Writing by Laura Purdie Salas
• Pizza, Pigs, Poetry: How to Write a Poem by Jack Prelutsky

NPM Day 22: Invitation to Create - Making, Crafting, Collecting, Listing

There are poetry collections for children about origami, making, crafting, collecting, and listing. All of these titles can inspire poetry writing. 

• Fold Me a Poem by Kristine O'Connell George 
• Things to Do by Elaine Magliaro 
• With My Hands: Poems about Making Things by Amy Ludwig Vanderwater
• Finding Treasure: A Collection of Collections by Michelle Schaub 

If you like the idea of list poems, don't miss Falling Down the Page: A Book of List Poems edited by Georgia Heard. 

Resources 

• Teacher's guide for Fold Me a Poem on the author's website
• About "Things to Do" Poems on Elaine's blog Wild Rose Reader
• Poetry Picture Book Guide featuring Things to Do from the publisher's website
• Teacher Resources for With My Hands on the author's website
• Educator's guide and printables for Finding Treasure on the author's website

Links to My Reviews 

• Things to Do
• With My Hands: Poems about Making Things
• Finding Treasure: A Collection of Collections
• Falling Down the Page: A Book of List Poems edited by Georgia Heard

NPM Day 21: Invitation to Create - Illustrated Books

Wordless picture books, like paintings and other art, offer a wonderful opportunity to inspire poetry and other creative writing. 

I especially like David Wiesner's wordless books, Aaron Becker's Journey trilogy, and the art books by Amy and Greg Newbold. What poem will you write today? 

• Journey by Aaron Becker
• Quest by Aaron Becker
• Return by Aaron Becker
• Flotsam by David Wiesner
• Tuesday by David Wiesner
• Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner
• If Picasso Painted a Snowman by Amy and Greg Newbold
• If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur by Amy and Greg Newbold
• If Monet Painted a Monster by Amy and Greg Newbold

Resources 

• Journey Trilogy Activity kit on the author's website
• Wordless Picture Book guide on Aaron Becker's website
• Discussion guide for Mr. Wuffles and other books from the publisher via TeachingBooks
• Activities for Kids on Amy Newbold's website

Links to My Reviews

• If Picasso Painted a Snowman
• If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur 
• If Monet Painted a Monster

NPM Day 20: Invitation to Create - Anagrams and Art

Reading poetry often leads to creating poetry. Over the next few days, I'll be sharing ways you and/or the kids and teens in your life might be inspired to create poetry. 

We'll start with anagrams. If you haven't read Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word by Bob Raczka, do it now. The idea is brilliant and reminds me of those worksheets I got as a kid: How Many Words Can You Make Out of This Phrase? In his preface, Bob invites readers to try their hand at creating poems from one word. 

Art can definitely inspire poetry as seen in the two collections World Make Way: New Poems Inspired by Art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins and Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art edited by Jan Greenberg. You can find public domain images or open access art on a few websites. Here is a selection: 

• Free Images and Open Access at National Gallery of Art
• Open Access at the Met
• Open Access Images at The Art Institute of Chicago
• Public Domain Image Archive

Resources 

• Reader's guide to Lemonade on Poetry for Children blog
• Teaching Ideas for World Make Way from The Classroom Bookshelf

Links to My Reviews

• Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from One Word
• World Make Way: New Poems Inspired by Art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins

NPM Day 19: Poetry Egg Hunt

Abby the Librarian inspired me with her Poetry Egg Hunt. You can use individual words, lines, or whole poems. It can just be for fun or part of a larger poetry program. There's no right way to do a poetry egg hunt. Just have fun and engage with your chosen audience. You need plastic eggs and poems. That's all. 

I've done this with homeschool groups and like Abby I hid the words to nursery rhymes. The kids had fun finding the eggs and deciphering the rhymes. 

Poetry egg hunts are also recommended by Poetry Teatime! 

Find public domain poems on poets.org (select public domain under theme in the filters).