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Poetry for All Ages
Celebrate poetry with this lyrical selection of readings. You'll find Mother Goose, alphabet poems in Spanish and English, an ode to Harlem – even a rhyming dog. The playful language in all of these recommended books for kids ages 0-9 makes for great read-aloud fun.

This section contains 10 articles.

All the Small Poems and Fourteen More

By: Valerie Worth
Illustrated by: Natalie Babbit

Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

The very short poems compiled here explore the ordinary in extraordinary ways. The terse language and simple illustrations do not abbreviate but heighten wonder and delight.

Dog Days: Rhymes Around the Year

By: Jack Prelutsky
Illustrated by: Dyanna Wolcott

Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Told from a dog’s point of view and viewed from unusual artistic perspectives, these funny, rhythmic and child-like poems bound through a year from January to December.

Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English

By: Alma Flor Ada
Illustrated by: Simon Silva

Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Using the alphabet as a pattern, paintings and brief poems explore rural life in Mexico presented first in Spanish and followed by English. From A to Z, brilliant illustrations and fluid poems evoke the plants, and more and the emotional impact on the lives of farm workers.

Hailstones and Halibut Bones: Adventures in Color

By: Mary O'Neill
Illustrated by: John Wallner

Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

Evocative poems explore a rainbow of color and emotion in vivid language, satisfying rhythm and handsome illustrations.

Harlem

By: Walter Dean Myers
Illustrated by: Christopher Myers

Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

Experienced readers will enjoy this stunning and sophisticated visit to Harlem in word and image. Landmarks like the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater are included and invite discussion.

My Shadow

By: Robert Louis Stevenson
Illustrated by: Glenna Lang

Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

A contemporary child delights in observing his shadow is depicted by crisp line and wash paintings in this accessible picture book of a classic poem.

My Very First Mother Goose

By: Iona Opie
Illustrated by: Rosemary Wells

Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

More than sixty rhymes are in this collection, mostly the old-time favorites, but also more recent ones such as "Shoo Fly" and "Down by the Station." Ranging in size from tiny vignettes to double-page spreads, the lavish, action-filled, ink-and-watercolor drawings are arranged to complement the text.

Sing a Song of Popcorn: Every Child's Book of Poems

By: Beatrice Shenk De Regniers
Illustrated by: Margot Zemach

Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Illustrations by nine Caldecott Medal artists are as varied in style and tone as the poems in this handsome, themed and well-organized collection of poetry.

Under the Sunday Tree

By: Eloise Greenfield
Illustrated by: Amos Ferguson

Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

Poetry and vibrant paintings in the primitive style by a recognized Bahamian artist create memorable portrayals in this unique collaboration of words and images.

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Together

By: Mary Ann Hoberman
Illustrated by: Michael Emberley

Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Rhyming tales written for two voices makes an ideal — and humorous — introduction to readers' theater. Well known fairy tales have been adapted, reorganized and reinvigorated with lively language and sprightly illustrations, worthy of many dramatizations.