The Academy of American Poets celebrates National Poetry Month each April. The month of April also plays host to the annual Week of the Young Child, sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. These two coinciding events make April the perfect time to introduce the youngest members of society to quality poetry and to the wonderful sounds of the English language.
Poetry for toddlers and preschoolers can be difficult to find. However, anthologies of poems relevant to young children, with language that is simple without being simplistic, and with lengths suited to shorter attention spans, do exist. Some of the poetry is silly nonsense that plays with the sounds of language, while other anthologies introduce children to serious themes. All of them treat their subject matters and readers without condescension.
Poetry about Nature
Five poems about bunnies, originally published as part of a larger collection of nature poems in 1959, accompany new animal paintings in Nibble, Nibble, by Margaret Wise Brown [HarperCollins, 2007]. Some of the poems, most notably the one from which the title of the anthology is derived, are repetitive enough for older toddlers to memorize – perhaps as a loving bedtime ritual.
One Leaf Rides the Wind, by Celeste Mannis [Puffin, 2005] packs many things into a 32 page picture book – counting, information about traditional Japanese culture, haiku, and gorgeous watercolor paintings. The book follows a young Japanese girl as she finds and counts different objects in a garden – one leaf, two dogs, three bonsai trees, etc. Each two page spread features a haiku about the objects the girl is counting. With so much to keep track of, each reading of the book is different.
Poetry is Child’s Play
Inspired by Myles Pinkney’s photographs of children at play, Nikki Grimes composed 12 poems focusing on the joy of being young. The resulting book, It’s Raining Laughter [Boyds Mill Press, 2005], pairs each poem with one of Pinkney’s photographs. It will be easy for preschoolers to relate to the poems as they are all about the everyday life of a child – laughing, playing, reading, and getting along with friends.
Several noted children’s book authors have lent their work to Good Books, Good Times! by Lee Bennett Hopkins [HarperCollins, 2000], an anthology of poems about books and reading. Poems by Arnold Lobel, Karla Kuskin, and David McCord, among others, celebrate something every child can relate to – losing oneself in the imaginary world of books.
Poems to Elicit Giggles
Jack Prelutsky writes poems that are silly with a capital “S.” His classic, The New Kid on the Block [Greenwillow, 1984], epitomizes his style of humorous poetry with unpredictable punch lines. The poems employ simple, literal language that young children can easily understand, while demonstrating the joy of rhyme, rhythm, and alliteration. Prelutsky’s poems provide an excellent introduction to how fun – and funny – it can be to play around with language.
Go! Poetry in Motion, by Dee Lillegard [Knopf, 2006] capitalizes on a subject that fascinates preschoolers – things that move and make noise. The anthology is dedicated to poems about a variety of machines in motion, including vehicles, tools, and even amusement park rides. Short enough to read aloud to a group, the poems will have children wiggling in their seats, eager to act out each one.
Young children are particularly open to descriptive and beautiful language. Each one of these anthologies introduces them to the enriching pleasure of poetry.
Nicole Fravel - Ms. Fravel is an educator, curriculum developer, and parent with over 15 years of experience in elementary and early childhood ...
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