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If you’re going to teach poetry, the first and most important thing to do is find good poetry. By good, I mean poetry that invites your students into the poem. Poetry that helps them connect to their own world and the world around them. Poetry that doesn’t make them snooze. If you want your kids and teens to like to read poetry, the poems they read matter. Thankfully, there are tons of awesome poetry books for kids and teens.
I love to use poetry with all subjects. Teaching science and history, putting together a unit study- poetry belongs!
Below, you’ll find the poetry books and poems I love to use in my classroom, and my kids have loved.
Awesome Poetry Books for Kids and Teens
Picture Books
Poetry for Young People- Maya Angelou– this book is beautifully illustrated, and twenty-five of her poems.
The Day You Begin- Jacqueline Woodson– I love this picture poetry book so much that I use it in one of the free creative writing classes I teach each year in April.
The Day War Came by Nicola Davies is yet another book of poetry I think should be on everyone’s shelves. A poem turned picture book; it helps kids understand how people become refugees.
The Stuff of Stars by Marion Bauer is a beautiful poem and children’s book that combines science and art to teach children about the universe, the Big Bang, and how they, we all, are the stuff of stars.
Harlem by Walter Dean Myers is a wonderful book to help kids enjoy poetry and learn history. He has so many wonderful novels as well!
Novels & Memoirs Told in Verse
Brown Girl Dreaming is another wonderful book by Jacqueline Woodson. It’s her memoir told through verse and a must-read for upper elementary-high school students.
Another novel told in verse I love to teach is Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. This is a great novel or piece of a unit study on The Great Depression for upper elementary and middle school.
I love The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan so much that I put it in one of my Creative ELA unit studies. It offers a glimpse into the challenging early life of poet Pablo Neruda.
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhhà Lai
Poetry Anthologies
The first poetry anthology I ever loved, and one of my top favorites, is This Same Sky, edited by Naomi Shihab Nye. 125 poems from 68 different countries, it is my go-to whenever I’m looking for an awesome poem for kids and teens.
Speaking of Naomi Shihab Nye, if you don’t have her poetry in your collection, you are missing out! She is my favorite poet, next to Mary Oliver, and has written so many poems for young people. Here are my favorite books of hers.
Everything Comes Next: Collected and New Poems
Voices in the Air: Poems for Listeners
Other great poetry anthologies include-
Joyful Noise by Paul Fleischman. Each poem is a poem for two voices. Not only are they fun to read, but a great writing style for writers to try.
This Place I Know: Poems of Comfort by Georgia Heard. Georgia Heard is a wonderful poetry resource as well. She came up with the concept of Heart Maps.
Poetry Books for High School
The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur is another book of poetry I treasure. Kaur writes about topics that are best for high school students or adults.
Poetry Speaks Who I Am: 100 Poems of Discovery, Inspiration, Independence, and Everything Else for Teens is new to me, but it looks amazing.
Do your kids have any favorite poems or poetry books? I’d love to add more to my list!
