Poetry for Kids

While this list is updated each year in April for National Poetry Month, poetry can be enjoyed and celebrated all year long! To explore more poetry titles, check out our Novel in Verse recommendations, search the LINCC catalog, or browse the books at 811 on the nonfiction shelves!

Updated November 20, 2025
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Before the ships : the birth of Black excellence
Oso, Maisha
Paper Book
Before the Ships is a powerful and poetic celebration of the early roots of Black history. The great achievements and accomplishments across Africa prior to the Transatlantic slave trade are told through melodious text and evocative illustrations, that culminate into the strength and...
Black diamond kings
Smith, Charles R., Jr.
"Each spread is a celebration of the skill and power displayed on the field...but the book takes care to balance that joy with an acknowledgement of the larger societal context in which the men played and the discrimination they faced." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books...
Climbing the volcano : a journey in haiku
Manley, Curtis
Paper Book
Through haiku, a young boy narrates his family's invigorating hike to the peak of Oregon's South Sister volcano. For centuries, haiku has offered meditation on the grace and majesty of nature. In Climbing the Volcano, old meets new as a young protagonist uses the poetic...
Dog & Cat : concrete poems & conversations
Grandits, John
Paper Book
CRISIS!  Dog and Cat find out the family is moving. Dog freaks out. He does NOT want to move. He goes through all the classic stages: denial, anger, bargaining, and depression. Cat tries to get him to acceptance. But Cat is fine--really she is--or is she? Dog and Cat...
Eating my words : and 128 other poems
Cleary, Brian P.
Paper Book
At lunch, / I ate three cans / of alphabet soup. / An hour later / I had / thesaurus / throat / ever. Would you care for a cupful of couplets? How about a helping of haiku? Brian P. Cleary offers poetry by the plateful in this clever collection! Wordplay and humor abound in poems that cover...
Five little friends : a collection of finger rhymes
Taylor, Sean
Paper Book
"This inspired offering will ensure hours of enlightening fun...A fresh, wonderfully creative, and visually engaging array of rhymes to get kids moving." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Playful, interactive, and full of whimsy, Sean Taylor's collection of poems...
For a girl becoming
Harjo, Joy
A baby girl is welcomed to the breathing world by generations of her family and set on the magnificent journey of becoming. As she grows, she is reminded of her connections to the natural world; to her family, her ancestors, her neighbors; to the source of all magic and sorrow--and of her...
A forest song
Hall, Kirsten
Paper Book
Beautifully illustrated by an award-winning artist, this cento poem about experiencing a forest with all of your senses will make the perfect read-aloud for nature lovers and curious explorers of all ages. Into the forest, dark and deep, With miles to go before I...
Girls on the rise
Gorman, Amanda
Paper Book
An electrifying 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,...

Also available as an audiobook in the Libby app.

Haiku ew! : celebrating the disgusting side of nature
Brunelle, Lynn
Paper Book
Stop right there! If you think poems about nature are all pretty flowers and rainbow sunsets, this book is not for you. If you can't handle giant whale farts, turn back right now. If you don't want to know how lobsters pee, do not read one word further. Seriously, if you open this book,...

Also available as an audiobook in the Libby app.

Home
Simler, Isabelle
Paper Book
ALSC Notable Children's Books List - Middle Readers (2025) A 2025 Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book "Unites STEM learning with literary excellence . . . an essential purchase." -- School Library Journal (STARRED REVIEW) ...
Hope is the thing with feathers
Dickinson, Emily
Paper Book
A FOREWARD INDIES 2024 FINALIST FOR PICTURE BOOKS! Emily Dickinson's beloved poem is beautifully brought to life by bestselling artist Tim Hopgood in this beautiful picturebook that champions poetry and shows that, even in the darkest times, there is always hope. ...
How elegant the elephant : poems about animals and insects
Hoberman, Mary Ann
Paper Book
A rollicking collection of poems about the enchanting world of animals and insects, from former children's poet laureate and New York Times bestselling author Mary Ann Hoberman and Caldecott Honoree illustrator Marla Frazee. So...
If I could choose a best day : poems of possibility
Latham, Irene
Paper Book
An ode to imagination and the power of "if," this exhilarating poetry collection features the voices of thirty-one diverse poets. If I could choose a best day it would be sunny it would be summer and I would be with you. ...
In and out the window
Yolen, Jane
Paper Book
The largest single anthology of Jane Yolen's poetry, containing more than one hundred poems for all occasions--with fun black-and-white art throughout. Our Kitchen Smells of mornings, blueberry muffins, hot chocolate, tea.
Leafy landmarks : travels with trees
Schaub, Michelle
Paper Book
Winner of the Eureka! Gold Non-Fiction Children's Book Award NCTE Children's Poetry Award Notable Books List Winner Road trips can be a lot of fun, especially when there are intriguing places to visit and new things to learn. Through a variety of poetic forms, readers are taken on an...
Nightmare Jones: Poems
Bramer, Shannon
A collection of jaunty and mischievously unsettling poems for middle-grade readers from award-winning poet Shannon Bramer and artist Cindy Derby, who brought us Climbing Shadows (NCTE Notable Poetry Book and Verse Novel, shortlisted for the Rocky Mountain Book Award). Shannon's twenty...
The pine cone's secret : a life cycle poem
Barnaby, Hannah Rodgers
Paper Book
Did you know a pine tree starts as a cone, turns into a gift, and can become a blanket? In this rhyming life cycle picture book, a pine cone becomes something new with each turn of the page, from a tower to a feast, from a magic trick to a Christmas tree. Extensive back matter on...
A planet is a poem
Lewis, Amanda West
Paper Book
Science and poetry combine in an out-of-this-world exploration of the wonders of our solar system. From a ballad of Earth and an ode to the sun to a villanelle for Venus and a sestina for Saturn, here are 14 original poems about planets and other bodies in our solar system. Each...
Poetry comics
Snider, Grant
Paper Book
Combining poetry and comics in a whole new way, this fun and imaginative book is perfect for poetry lovers and reluctant readers alike. "Poetry Comics is a sprint through a sprinkler, a cool evening breeze, and the discovery of static electricity all at...
Queer and fearless : poems celebrating the lives of LGBTQ+ heroes
Sanders, Rob
Paper Book
Learn about the lives of some of the most important LGBTQ+ heroes in this unique picture book that combines poetry and biographical information to honor those at the forefront of LGBTQ+ history. Young readers will learn about the lives and legacies of seventeen heroes of the...
Round and round the year we go
Higgins, Carter
Paper Book
Eric Carle meets Chicken Soup with Rice in this joyful dance through the year one month at a time, sure to whirl young readers right along with it. Time never passed so happily! From sledding and snowman-crafting in January to the New Year's countdown in December,...
This is not a small voice : poems by Black poets
Todd, Traci N.
A beautiful, bold and moving collection of 100 poems by Black poets for the whole family to treasure.
Torrible puns : a collection of punny poems
Torrible, Tricia
Paper Book
A 2025 Eureka! Nonfiction Book Award Honoree - Silver Get ready to laugh out loud at some of the most ridiculous - and hilarious - puns you've heard, from poet extraordinaire, Tricia Torrible! Spring and Summer were no fun at all, but Humpty Dumpty had a...
A universe of rainbows : multicolored poems for a multicolored world
Esenwine, Matt Forrest
Paper Book
Rainbows in all their glory are celebrated in this STEAM-filled poetry collection from an all-star roster of children's poets. Perfect for Poetry Month and Earth Day. What do Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic Spring, Peru's Vinicunca mountain,...
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<...
Wonder why
Perron, Lisa Varchol
Paper Book
Giant sky, brightest blue, like an artist painted you. How I wonder, wonder why, why are you so blue, big sky Enchanting and educational! This picture book takes the young reader through the arc of the day and answers "Why" in beautiful verse that begs to...

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