While we’re sharing favorite books for our children and students at different ages, I couldn’t resist passing along two irresistible volumes of verse I found at a book fair held by one of our schools yesterday. Both should be in every library, and each has a special place in the developmental journey of childhood.
The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry
This is an exquisitely beautiful and lovingly compiled collection of nearly 200 of Bill’s favorite poems by many authors. Many people know Bill’s own books; I’ll be mentioning some of them in the weeks to come. Bill gave his professional life to children and teachers with a joy unmatched. To all of us privileged to have learned from him in any way, he taught a love of language and educational playfulness that we have all carried in our hearts and teaching to countless generations of children. This anthology, put together by Bill’s dear friend Michael Sampson with help from friends Eric Carle and Steven Kellogg, is illustrated by some of the world’s best children’s book artists. Your 4- through 8-year-olds will especially love this volume.
My Dog May Be a Genius
For the skeptical younger members of the 4 through 14 set, slipping sideways into poetry often works better than a head-on approach. This brand-new title from Jack Prelutsky, with drawings by James Stevenson, is sure to delight and tickle the funny bone, especially, I think, for third and fourth graders. But older brothers and sisters may delight in reading poems like “Call of the Long-Winded Owl” to a younger sibling.
I know of a school where “poetry heralds” go two-by-two, room to room, once a week, announcing their presence and surprising random classes with a “poetry break.” I can just hear children laughing with pleasure as the heralds read aloud from My Dog May Be a Genius!
And YOUR favorite poetry collection is . . .
Have a favorite poetry anthology? Please share!
Ask Chip a question or share your own thoughts!
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Corinne – Thanks so much for the poetry references. I second the Regie Routman recommendations and am excited to order the Cynthia Heald book!I agree – Doing poetry is the real deal! Chip
May I add some great books for teaching poetry? For Grades K-4, look for books by Regie Routman. She ensures developmentally appropriate practice by presenting the grade levels in seperate books with the exception of Grade3/4. For Grade 4 to age 109 I recommend Cynthia Heald’s “Awakening the Heart”. I’ve used these books in the classroom and to my delight the students preferred writing poetry to just about anything else. It’s important that students know that poetry is not just for listening to or reading, it’s for doing!
Hello, Rosalea,
Yes, Langston Hughes is one of my favorites too. Do you know his grown up poem “I Will Be All Light” ? Best wishes, Chip
Dear Robert,
Mona Candy, the Black Lab, beknighted by the grandchildren, thanks you for your kindness. Look forward to having a look at the book and especially the therapy dog reading programs you are involved in. Chip
Thanks Chip. I love to read poetry to children, especially English language learners. It says so much in just a few words. My favorite poetry book for children is The Dream Keeper and Other Poems by Langston Hughes. His voice speaks to all of us.
Hi, After reading the blog and your bio I would like to send you a review copy of Planet Of The Dogs, the first book in our series of dog books for children and dog lovers.
You can read sample chapters and find information about the Planet of the Dogs series at: http://www.planetofthedogs.net.
You will find information about our involvement in therapy dog reading programs at http://barkingplanet.typepad.com.
If you send an email to barkingplanet@aol.com with a postal address, we will be pleased to send you the book.
Happy Holidays,
Robert McCarty
Barking Planet Productionsg