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Poetry for Children

First off, these aren't just for kids. A good poem has universal appeal, and if it captures a child's imagination it ought to capture an adult's as well. The main difference between "poems for kids" and "poems for adults" is that the former are easier to understand and enjoy at face value.

T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland goes over heads because it's full of allusions and analogies only the well-read are likely to get, whereas Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein is self-contained (though there's plenty more going on beneath the surface for older readers to appreciate). And who can argue that John Donne is easier to understand than A.A. Milne?

Of course, "at face value" doesn't mean there are no hidden meanings in children's poetry. It just means kids don't have to pick them up to be impacted by the poem. At the same time, teaching them to do so from a young age with the poetry they love will give them a huge advantage when they're older and encounter Milton, Frost, and Yeats.

Poetry intended for young readers is often marked by what some consider a juvenile rhyme scheme. Yet organizing thoughts and words in a metrical pattern and making it seem effortless isn't the work of some "kiddie writer," but of a master.

Kindling in children a love of poetry (not just rhymes) is essential for helping them reach their full imaginative potential. Stories are important, but poems impart a sense of wonder and an attitude of curiosity and investigation that mere prose can never accomplish. If Keats could transport grown men and women to other realms, why would we think Grahame, Carroll, or Stevenson couldn't do exactly the same thing for kids?

Readers often forget that poetry is intended to be read aloud. While children can have plenty of fun curled up on the couch with their favorite book of poems (probably mouthing each word silently as they read, deaf to the rest of the world), reading aloud with them opens their ears to the beauty of language, its cadences, its mysticism and enchantment. It'll probably do the same thing for you.

Which brings us back to the first point: poetry for children is also poetry for adults. Nowhere else is the ethos of childhood so perfectly rendered than in poems of this kind, where the happiness, terror and innocence of the young is brought to full light not just in the images and words themselves, but in the very way they're structured on the page and spoken out loud. If you feel lost or dead to the world of childhood, read some of the poetry written to and for kids before adulthood squelches any youthfulness of soul you have left.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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Active Filters: 6th grade (Ages 11-12)
Beastly Boys and Ghastly Girls
by William Cole, illustrated by Tomi Ungerer
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Beauty of the Beast
by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Meilo So
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Birds, Beasts and the Third Thing
by D. H. Lawrence; illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen
from Viking Press
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Casey at the Bat
by Ernest L. Thayer & Christopher Bing
1st edition from Chronicle Books
for 2nd-6th grade
2001 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$19.99
Child's Anthology of Poetry
by Elizabeth Hauge Sword
from Ecco Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Child's Anthology of Poetry
by Elizabeth Hauge Sword
for 1st-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Child's Garden of Verses
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Jessie Wilcox Smith
from Random House
for 4th-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Child's Garden of Verses
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Alice & Martin Provensen
from Golden Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Child's Garden of Verses
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith
from Dilithium Press, Ltd.
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Child's Introduction to Poetry
Books for Young Explorers
by Michael Driscoll & Meredith Hamilton
from Black Dog & Leventhal
for 2nd-8th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Child's Introduction to Poetry
Books for Young Explorers
by Michael Driscoll & Meredith Hamilton
First Revised Edition from Black Dog & Leventhal
for 2nd-8th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$19.99
Children's Own Longfellow
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
from Sandpiper Books
for Ages 9-12
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Classic Poetry
by Michael Rosen & Paul Howard
Reprint from Candlewick Press
for 1st-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$15.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Cornstalks: A Bushel of Poems
by James Stevenson
from Avyx, Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$8.00 (4 in stock)
Dream Keeper And Other Poems
by Langston Hughes
from Scholastic Inc.
for 5th-9th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Edgar Allen Poe’s Pie
by J. Patrick Lewis
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for 2nd-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$7.99
Erie Canal
by Peter Spier
from Doubleday & Company
for 2nd-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Favorite Poems for Children
by Holly Pell McConnaughy, editor
from Barnes & Noble
for 1st-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Garland of Verse for Young People
by Alfred H. Miles (editor)
from Stanley Paul & Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Poetry (Location: VIN-POET)
Hiawatha
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
1st edition from Puffin Books
Poetry for 4th-8th
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.99
Highwayman
by Alfred Noyes
1st edition
for 3rd-8th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Highwayman
by Alfred Noyes, illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak
1st edition
for 3rd-8th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
If I Were In Charge of the World and Other Worries
by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Lynne Cherry
from Aladdin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Joyful Noise
by Paul Fleischman
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-6th grade
1989 Newbery Medal winner
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$6.99
Joyful Noise
by Paul Fleischman
1st edition from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Joyful Noise
by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Eric Beddows
1st edition from Harper & Row
for 4th-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Knock at a Star
by X. J. Kennedy and Dorothy M. Kennedy
from Little, Brown & Company
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Lessons from Nature
by John Bunyan
from Back Home Industries
Lyrical Poems for 3rd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$24.00
Loony Limericks from Alabama to Wyoming
by Jack Stokes
from Doubleday & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Love Songs of Childhood
by Eugene Field
1916th edition from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 2nd-Adult
in Vintage Poetry (Location: VIN-POET)
Mouse of Amherst
by Elizabeth Spires, Illustrated by Claire A. Nivola
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
My America
by Lee Bennett Hopkins
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Out of the Dust
by Karen Hesse
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Fiction for 6th-8th grade
1998 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Out of the Dust
by Karen Hesse
1st edition from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Fiction for 6th-8th grade
1998 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Oxford Book of Children's Verse
by Iona and Peter Opie
from Oxford University
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Oxford Book of Children's Verse in America
by Donald Hall
from Oxford University
for 1st-8th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Oxford Book of Children's Verse in America
by Donald Hall, ed.
from Oxford University
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Oxford Book of Poetry for Children
by Edward Blishen (editor), illustrated by Brian Wildsmith
from Franklin Watts
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Poetry (Location: VIN-POET)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
Paul Revere's Ride
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, illustrated by Ted Rand
from Puffin Books
American Poetry for 2nd-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Paul Revere's Ride
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, illustrated by Charles Santore
1st edition from HarperCollins
for 2nd-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Peacock Pie
by Walter de la Mare
for 4th-7th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poem Stew
by William Cole
from HarperCollins
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Poems Every Child Should Know
by Mary E. Burt, ed.
from Yesterday's Classics
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$16.95
Poetry for Young People: Alfred, Lord Tennyson
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
from Sterling Publishing Co.
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: American Poetry
by John Hollander
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 4th-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Carl Sandburg
by Carl Sandburg
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Edgar Allan Poe
Poetry for Young People
by Edgar Allan Poe
from Scholastic Inc.
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$3.50 (2 in stock)
Poetry for Young People: Edgar Allan Poe
Poetry for Young People
by Edgar Allan Poe, edited by Brod Bagert, illustrated by Carolynn Cobliegh
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Edna St. Vincent Millay
by Edna St. Vincent Millay, edited by Frances Schoonmaker & illustrated by Mike Bryce
from Sterling Publishing Co.
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Edna St. Vincent Millay
Poetry for Young People
by Edna St. Vincent Millay, edited by Frances Schoonmaker & illustrated by Mike Bryce
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Edward Lear
by Edward Lear
from Sterling Publishing Co.
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Edward Lear
by Edward Lear, edited by Edward Mendelson, illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Poetry for Young People
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, edited by Frances Schoonmaker, illustrated by Chad Wallace
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Robert Browning
by Robert Browning
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 1st-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost
by Robert Frost
A Magnolia eds. bk from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost
Poetry for Young People
by Robert Frost, edited by Gary D. Schmidt, illustrated by Henri Sorensen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Robert Louis Stevenson
by Robert Louis Stevenson
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Robert Louis Stevenson
by Robert Louis Stevenson
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Rudyard Kipling
by Rudyard Kipling
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Rudyard Kipling
by Rudyard Kipling, edited by Eileen Gillooly, illustrated by Jim Sharpe
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Seasons
Poetry for Young People
by John N. Serio
from Scholastic Inc.
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Walt Whitman
Poetry for Young People
from Scholastic Inc.
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Walt Whitman
Poetry for Young People
by Walt Whitman, edited by Jonathan Levin, illustrated by Jim Burke
from Sterling Publishing Co.
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: William Shakespeare
Poetry for Young People
by William Shakespeare; David Scott Kastan, Marina Kastan, eds.
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: William Shakespeare
Poetry for Young People
by William Shakespeare; David Scott Kastan, Marina Kastan, eds.
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: William Wordsworth
by Robert Frost
A Magnolia eds. bk from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry Speaks to Children w/CD
by Elise Paschen (editor), illustrated by Judy Love, Wendy Rasmussen, Paula Zinngrabe Wendland
from Sourcebooks
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Reading of Poetry
by William D. Sheldon, Nellie Lyons,, Polly Rouault
from Allyn and Bacon
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
Rhymes and Verses
by Walter De la Mare
2002 Reprint from Henry Holt and Company
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Sounds of a Young Hunter
a Sounds of Language Reader
by Edited by Bill Martin Jr.
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for 6th-7th grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Sounds of Mystery
a Sounds of Language Reader
by Edited by Bill Martin Jr.
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for 5th-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
St. Nicholas Book of Verse
by Mary Budd Skinner and Joseph Osmun Skinner, illustrated by W. O. Berger
from Century Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Vintage Poetry (Location: VIN-POET)
Star-Spangled Banner
by Peter Spier
from Yearling
American History for 2nd-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$10.99
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost, Illustrated by Susan Jeffers
from Dutton Children's Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Sweet Corn
by James Stevenson
1st edition from Greenwillow Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Talking to the Sun
by Selected by Kenneth Koch and Kate Farrell
from Henry Holt and Company
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Treasury of Poetry for Young People
by Anthology - Various
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for Preschool-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$22.00 (1 in stock)
Treasury of Verse for School and Home
by M. G. Edgar and Eric Chilman, editors
from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Poetry (Location: VIN-POET)
$40.00 (1 in stock)
Waiting to Waltz
by Cynthia Rylant
from Atheneum
for 1st-7th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$19.99
You Come Too
by Robert Frost
from Henry Holt and Company
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$13.99
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