Poetry

A howling wolf, a stalking tiger, a playful panda, a dancing bird — pairing the beautiful photography of National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore with the delicate poetry of Newbery award-winning author Kwame Alexander, this lush picture book celebrates the beauty, diversity, and fragility of the animal world. Featuring more than 40 unique animal portraits, the pages invite kids to explore each creature's markings, textures, and attributes in amazing detail.

These traditional rhymes and songs from Latin America are presented in both English and Spanish. Gentle illustrations accompany the short verses, and show both cities and the countryside. Children and adults from Spanish-speaking backgrounds will recognize many of these fun songs and rhymes.

Short, evocative poems – haiku – present clues about familiar animals. With a turn of the page, the answer is revealed in bold typeface and a charming illustration. This short poetic form is effectively used to play a guessing game.

A series of 26 poems, all haiku, mark each of the four seasons starting with autumn while highlighting the letters of the alphabet. Each short poem is accompanied by Koo, the young panda, who is joined by two children and illustrated in handsome, spare watercolors.

Learn through poetry about twenty-one insects that will bug or beguile kids. From swooping dragonflies and twirling whirligig beetles to marching army ants and feasting mosquitoes, here is one pest infestation you’ll welcome into your home!

Can a poem capture the excitement, exhilaration, or anguish of defeat when playing sports? The poems here do all that and more! It's an easy-to-read collection that's illustrated with just the right light touch.

Share the sights, sounds, smells, and humor of a family camping trip through this collection of engaging poems illustrated with vivid paintings. From setting up the tent to the ultimate return home, campers and non-campers alike will enjoy this vacation and all its outdoor pleasures.

In this powerful, affirming poem, a Black child explores his shifting emotions throughout the year. The poem explores the depth and nuances of a child’s experiences following a police shooting―through grief and protests, healing and community.

Of all the miracles of life, it is life’s persistence that astounds the most. In the endless black of the deepest caves, blind fish find their way. In a frozen forest, snow monkeys find a cozy hot spring to keep warm. Even in the salt desert’s barren cold, flamingoes bloom like vivid flowers. The 14 animals in this book defy the odds and make their homes in the unlikeliest of places—under the weight of seas, in the belly of tar pits, in the sandstorm’s mouth.

Poetry comes in many forms; some rhymes, some doesn’t. Inspiration comes from many places, too. “Poems tall or short or wide — /All are infinite inside…” of each of us. Slightly abstract illustrations of children together or admiring the world around them completes this thoughtful look at language and poetry.

Poems introduce sea creatures and their habitats using different poetic forms (e.g., concrete, for two voices). Factual information is provided with each poem. This small, attractive collection concludes with where to find out more and a brief explanation of the poetic forms.

This collection of poems, first published in 1956, reveals the heroes we see in our everyday lives. Vibrant paintings add a fresh, new dimension and bring the poet's Chicago neighborhood to life.

Welcome to Crawly School for Bugs! Termites, stink bugs, gnats, and every insect in between attend this buzzy school where crickets take classes like “How to Be Annoying in 4 Easy Steps.” Some students struggle with the temptation to eat fellow classmates, while others deal with a mosquito nurse who always wants to draw blood, or attempt to make friends despite their own microscopic size.

Engaging poems combine with lighthearted illustrations to celebrate the stuff of which a child's day is made from toothbrush to scissors, from crayons to hot dogs, and more.

A picture-book biography of celebrated poet Gwendolyn Brooks, the first Black person to win the Pulitzer Prize. The book explores the intersections of race, gender, and the ubiquitous poverty of the Great Depression.

Through poems, stories, scientific facts and beautiful art and photography, this book highlights the role birds play in human life from centuries ago to present day. Young birders will learn all about migration and the importance of habitat conservation. They'll find stories about bird rescues and fun facts about the fastest, strongest, and tiniest fliers. They'll also discover the best bird nests, sweet songs to sing, ways to listen for and identify the birds around them, and more.

As the weather warms farmers’ markets begin to open. Celebrate the start of the season through lively illustrations and short poems that allow communities from large cities to small towns to “… teem with farmers and their goods — /tasty transformations.”

If you thought that haiku was a staid poetic form, then you haven't come across this collection! Boys and all things boy are presented for each of the four seasons. Sprinkled throughout are humorous line drawings that extend the light tone.

Experienced readers will enjoy this stunning and sophisticated visit to Harlem in word and image. Landmarks like the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater are included and invite discussion.

Whenever Maya visits the river, the river jumps up to greet her. It cools her when the summer sun is too hot and holds her up when she dives in. It keeps her company in the quiet of winter. The river takes care of Maya and Maya takes care of the river. In this charming story about the wonders of nature presented in both English and Spanish.

A collection of original poems centered on giving and spontaneous acts of kindness, which also incorporate larger themes of community, intergenerational relationships, young mentors, and care for the environment.

Everyone knows that there are two sides to every story. Read a cleverly illustrated poem one way for one side; read the same poem in reverse and learn the other. Well-known fairy tales are presented through reversible poems sure to intrigue sophisticated readers of all ages. Each book comes with a CD, so pop it in and follow along!

"My name is Gabriela Mistral. It is a name I chose myself because I like the sound of it." With these words, we meet the Chilean poet and author who, in 1945, became the first Latin American writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. The lyrical text and exquisite illustrations bring Gabriela's childhood and talent to life for young readers.

The snow has melted, the buttercups are blooming, and Sylvia celebrates winter's end by writing a poem. She ties her poem to a birch tree, hoping that it doesn't count as littering if it makes the world more beautiful. But when she returns, a new poem is waiting for her. Could the tree really be writing back? Sylvia decides to test her theory, and so begins a heartwarming poetic correspondence...as well as an unexpected new friendship.

This book of poems introduces fourteen revolutionary young women—each paired with a noteworthy female artist—to the next generation of activists, trail-blazers, and rabble-rousers. You'll meet Mary Anning, who was just thirteen when she unearthed a prehistoric fossil; Ruby Bridges, the brave six year old who helped end segregation in the South; and And Maya Lin, who at twenty-one won a competition to create a war memorial, and then had to appear before Congress to defend her right to create.

Short poems and child-like illustrations framed on brilliantly white pages capture the splendor ("Morning glories/Campfire stories") and sorrow of summer ("Skinned knees/Ninety degrees"). Readers will readily relate to all aspects of summer, seen in a short poem for the end of summer: "Three words/Most cruel:/Back to school."

This love letter to Earth is an exploration of the beauty and complexity of the world around us. Remarkable photographs and a rich, layered text introduce concepts of science, nature, geography, biology, poetry, and community.

The great American poet Langston Hughes chose the poems in this classic collection, originally published for young people in 1932.

Poetry and vibrant paintings in the primitive style by a recognized Bahamian artist create memorable portrayals in this unique collaboration of words and images.

Translucent watercolors and short, varied poems take readers on a trip to the sea. There they meet sea birds, fish, coral, and more in each short verse. Evocative language creates memorable images of the sea and its often hidden treasures.

What is a maker? “A maker starts with/empty space/ideas/hope/and stuff.” With those things, one can craft a boat, a card, a tie-dye shirt, or even a sock puppet. Poetry, art, and ideas come together in a charming whole to encourage, inspire, and stimulate creativity. Textured illustrations show a range of children creating, sharing and more.

African-American poetry and art take wing and soar in this collection compiled by Belinda Rochelle. Poets and artists such as Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Rita Dove, Countee Cullen, Jacob Lawrence, and Paul Lawrence Dunbar powerfully explore themes of slavery, racism, and black pride, among many others. Named as one of the New York Public Library's "100 Titles for Reading and Sharing."

There’s a lot more to gardens than meets the eye! In this collection of poems filled with fun facts, young nature enthusiasts and budding gardeners are called on to help solve a mystery by the compost bin, join a Wild West-style standoff between some good bugs and a few bad ones, interview the sun to find out what happens when it drinks a glass of water, and learn the fancy names of plants to spice up dinner conversation.

Sophisticated haiku and illustrations done with colored pencil explore the Earth inside and out. The limited colors used in impressionistic illustrations complement the poetry’s brevity. The intriguing collection concludes with factual narrative and further resources.

Learn about the life of Galileo, the brilliant Italian Renaissance astronomer, physicist, and philosopher, through poetry in this beautiful and unusual pop-up picture book biography.

Experience the breadth and depth of Paul Laurence Dunbar's poetry. From his childhood in poverty and his early promise as a poet through his struggles to find acceptance as a writer and his tumultuous romance with his wife, to his immense fame and his untimely death, Dunbar's story is one of triumph and tragedy. But his legacy remains in his much-beloved poetry — told in both Standard English and in dialect — which continues to delight and inspire readers today.

Well-known figures in American history are presented by diverse poets in a range of styles, pictured in folk art style portraits.

An introduction brings the Harlem Renaissance into focus, followed by a description of a particular form of poetry. Original “Golden Shovel” poetry by Grimes is interspersed with poetry by poets of the period including Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer, and Countee Cullen. Full-color art by a range of contemporary African American illustrators is interspersed in this small, handsome book. Additional information about the poets and artists concludes this unique collection.

The California-based River of Words trains teachers, park naturalists, and others to incorporate observation-based nature exploration and the arts into young people’s lives. Each year, they ask youth from the U.S. and 22 other countries to write on water and nature. This anthology collects the best of that writing, with accompanying artwork.

A poem about the well-known Great White begins this handsomely illustrated collection of poems each about a different sea-dwelling shark. Readers will meet the Wobbegong, a nurse shark, the goblin shark, and more. Different poetic forms combine with splendid illustrations that evoke the depths of the creatures' habitats.

Hang on tight for a raucous bounce through the solar system and back — propelled by funny, fanciful, factually sound poems and exuberant illustrations.

Dazzling watercolors turn Hughes' short poem into an unforgettable glimpse of African American history and an emotional journey through time. A concluding note details the illustrator's personal connection to the classic poem.

Fifty of the foremost diverse children's authors and illustrators — including Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, and Kwame Alexander — share answers to the question, "In this divisive world, what shall we tell our children?"