National Poetry Month 2025 - Books for Children

Updated March 26, 2025
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Elliott, David
Paper Book
A celebration of the extraordinary and ordinary power of dogs of all kinds, in sly and cheerful verse from celebrated poet David Elliott. Features artwork from an all-star cast of eighteen bestselling and award-winning illustrators. In so many hearts you're number one! Agile!...
Beware the Dragon and the Nozzlewock: A Graphic Novel Poetry Collection Full of Surprising Characters!
Madan, Vikram
Paper Book
A Boston Globe Best Book of the Year Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year Evanston Public Library 101 Great Books for Kids ★ Kirkus Reviews, starred review ★ The Horn Book, starred review Perfect for fans of Jack Prelutsky and Shel...
Black star
Alexander, Kwame
Paper Book
A Coretta Scott King Honor Book The thrilling second book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Door of No Return trilogy stars Kofi's granddaughter, Charley, who's set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball but who...
Deer run home : a novel in verse
LeZotte, Ann Clare
Paper Book
Effie is Deaf, and no one in her family speaks sign language, her language. This moving story of survival and found family, inspired by a true court case, is perfect for fans of Wonder and Out of My Mind. * "Quietly extraordinary." --Kirkus Reviews,...
A Face Is a Poem
Morstad, Julie
Paper Book
Look through the one-of-a-kind eyes of acclaimed author/illustrator Julie Morstad and explore the beauty, diversity and wonder of faces all around. A face is a poem with all the parts put together, adding up to someone you love.
Girls on the rise
Gorman, Amanda
Paper Book
An electrifying new picture book by #1 New York Times bestselling author and presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman Who are we? We are a billion voices, bright and brave; we are light, standing together in the fight. Girls are strong and powerful alone, but even...
How to write a poem
Alexander, Kwame
Paper Book
In this evocative and playful companion to their New York Times bestselling picture book How to Read a Book, Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander teams up with poet Deanna Nikaido and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet to celebrate the magic of discovering your very own poetry in the world...
Imagine
Herrera, Juan Felipe
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! A buoyant, breathtaking poem from Juan Felipe Herrera -- brilliantly illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Lauren Castillo -- speaks to every dreaming heart. Have you ever imagined what you might be when you grow up? When he was very...
In praise of mystery
Limón, Ada
Paper Book
As part of her tenure as U.S. poet laureate, Ada Limón has written "In Praise of Mystery," which will be engraved on the Europa Clipper spacecraft that launches to Jupiter and its moons in October 2024. Published here as Limón's debut picture book, this luminous poem is illustrated by celebrated...
Jam, too?
Brown-Wood, JaNay
Paper Book
Lustrous illustrations and a rhythmic text featuring a cumulative list of sounds bring to life the thrill of an impromptu jam session and the joy of making music together. A drum circle is forming on the beach, and one fascinated child would love to join in. Soon there's...
Louder than hunger
Schu, John
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book "Every so often a book comes along that is so brave and necessary, it extends a lifeline when it's needed most. This is one of those books." --Katherine Applegate, author of the Newbery Medal-winning,...
Moonwalking
Elliott, Zetta
Paper Book
"This novel in verse, alternately narrated by two boys in 1980s Greenpoint, Brooklyn, one channeled by Elliott and one by Miller-Lachmann, eloquently tackles race, culture and life on the spectrum." -- The New York Times For fans of Jason Reynolds and Jacqueline Woodson,...
Murray out of water
Tracy, Taylor
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead, Natalie Lloyd, and Jasmine Warga, this beautiful novel in verse explores one girl's struggle to regain her magic after a hurricane forces her to move away from her beloved ocean that, she believes, has given her special powers. Bighearted...
One big open sky
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Paper Book
A Newbery Honor Book Three women narrate a perilous wagon journey westward that could set them free--or cost them everything they have--in this intergenerational verse novel that explores the history of the Black homesteader movement. 1879, Mississippi. Young dreamer...
Onyx & Beyond
McBride, Amber
Paper Book
Praised as "a story of perserverance and love" in a starred review by Kirkus, here is a story about keeping dreams alive. Onyx lives with his mother, who is showing signs of early-onset dementia. He doesn't want to bring attention to his home -- if Child Protective...
The Other Side of Tomorrow
Cho, Tina
Paper Book
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection Perfect for fans of Illegal and When Stars Are Scattered, this poignant and moving graphic novel in verse captures the dangers and hope that come with fleeing North Korea and reaching for a brighter future through the lives of...
Poetry Comics
Snider, Grant
Paper Book
"A poetry-filled graphic novel that is powerful in its simplicity." ―Publishers Weekly, Starred Review   "Personal but personable, too, with glints of quiet humor." ―Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review   ...
Poetry for Kids: William Shakespeare
Shakespeare, William
Paper Book
Thirty-five of Shakespeares best-known and most-loved verses and poems, wonderfully illustrated for children ages 8 to 12.
Reasons to look at the night sky
Daniel, Danielle
Paper Book
Luna has always loved the night sky. She's an eleven-year-old who knows everything there is to know about space, and dreams of one day becoming an astronaut. The first step in her plan to get there is to ace the space unit in her science class and secure a spot in NASA's summer space camp. But when...
Remember
Harjo, Joy
Paper Book
THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER .AN AMERICAN INDIAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION HONOR BOOK.A BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK HONOR AWARD . NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY School Library Journal . Publishers Weekly . The Horn Book .NPR . The Bulletin . Kirkus Reviews
The scraps book : notes from a colorful life
Ehlert, Lois
Paper Book
The renowned Caldecott Honoree and illustrator of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom provides a moving, intimate, and inspiring inside look at her colorful picture book career. Lois Ehlert always knew she was an artist. Her parents encouraged her from a young age by teaching her how...
Something, someday
Gorman, Amanda
Paper Book
The stunning new picture book by presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman and Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Christian Robinson You're told that This won't work, But how will you know If you never try? Presidential...
Thank you, garden
Scanlon, Elizabeth Garton
Paper Book
From the author of the Caldecott Honor-winning picture book All the World comes an exuberant, lyrical celebration of the plants--and people--that grow and thrive in a busy community garden. A community garden unites children and neighbors in this celebration of all...
This land is a lullaby = cistomâwasowin ôma askiy
Simpson, Tonya
Paper Book
★"In warm, soothing language, a mother speaks to her infant, poetically describing their ancestral surroundings and reflecting on traditional Cree knowledge...Luxuriantly alive with glowing colors and textured patterns, Dumont's (Onion Lake Cree Nation) exquisite pointillist illustrations...
Unsinkable Cayenne
Vitalis, Jessica
Paper Book
2025 NCTE Notable Verse Novel "Intensely readable." --School Library Journal (starred review) When her unconventional parents finally agree to settle down in one place, twelve-year-old Cayenne's dreams come true--but the reality of fitting in is much harder than she imagined....
When I wrap my hair
Grant, Shauntay
Paper Book
In the vein of I Am Enough and Hold Them Close, this inspiring and beautiful picture book celebrates how hair wrapping ties together past and present. When I wrap, my roots run deep. As deep as an African marketplace or a city sidewalk or the...
Wild Brunch: Poems about How Creatures Eat
Harrison, David L.
Paper Book
Young wildlife lovers are invited to explore how and why animals eat what they do in this nonfiction poetry picture book collection for kids. Explore how narwhals, jellyfish, hippos, piranhas, and many more species of swimming, land-based, and flying animals satisfy their...
Windsongs: Poems about Weather
Florian, Douglas
Paper Book
A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book 2024 Discover the fascinating world of weather through clever and entertaining poetry in this "delightfully sunny" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) picture book from celebrated poet Douglas Florian, creator of Dinothesaurus<...
Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin
Moss, Lloyd
Digital file

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