Prelutsky, J. (1996). A pizza the size of the sun. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Prelutsky does a great job of writing high interest poetry for children. Similar to Shel Silberstein, Prelutsky invites the reader to the world of poetry with silly topics and outlandish comments. This is a great resource to start talking to students about rhyme scheme, stanzas and lines, as students will be happy to analyze and discuss poems such as Bugs! Bugs! or I Think My Computer is Crazy.

Highly Recommended *****

Hines, A. G. (2001) Pieces: A year in poems and quilts. New York : Greenwillow Books

Hines has created a book that is based on quilts that she has created. The quilts are supposed to represent the four seasons, and there are poems that go along with the seasons. It is a short book, but it was very difficult for me (as an adult) to get through it. It is hard for me to believe that any children would be interested in this book, because what child is really interested in quilts? On top of that, the poetry is dry and uninteresting.

Not really recommended *

Hoberman, M. A. (1998). The llama who had no pajama: 100 favorite poems. San Diego: Harcourt, Inc.

I was excited to start reading this book, which is a collection of Hoberman’s poetry. I was very disappointed with the poetry, as it did not keep my attention. While the poems are fun to read aloud, and some of the poems are witty, the majority of the collection struggled to keep me.. well I'm even bored writing a review of it....

Not recommended

Attenborough, L. (2001). Poetry by heart: A child’s book of poems to remember. New York: Scholastic Inc.

This is a great collection of children’s poems, which include authors such as Roald Dahl, Shakespeare and Robert Frost. It is a good book to be used to introduce poetry to children, as there is a wide array of types of poems. Some of the poems are serious such as The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost, while others are silly such as How Doth the Little Crocodile by Lewis Carroll. A good addition to any children’s collection.

Its alright **

Borden, L. (2002). America is… New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

This book is an illustrated poem, that explores the idea of what America is. This would be a great way to start teaching students about American history, or what it means to be an American. It explores concepts such as states, the pledge of allegiance, and the national anthem. It shows the immense differences that are found in the United States, such as the large cities, or the small towns. This books is a good way to start conversations with students about poetry or US history.

Its alright **

Cyrus, K. (2008). Tadpole rex. Orlando: Harcourt.

Tadpole Rex is a story about a young tadpole that was alive during prehistoric times. This book begs to be read aloud to young children, and then recited as a group. The use of rhyme in the story is very appealing and could be used as an introduction to poetry. Also, Tadpole Rex has an inner tyrannosaurus rex, that many children (and even adults) can relate to! The end of the story has an author’s note about the evolution of frogs, and how they in fact do have an “inner tyrannosaurus rex” as they have lived for so long on the earth.

Recommended ***