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Children can be introduced to different forms of rhyming at an early age. Not all poetry rhymes and that can be the difficult part to teach children about this form of writing. Children will either love poetry or they will hate it. The easiest way to get young children enthusiastic about poetry is through poetry books. If a child can relate to the poem and the illustrations in the book are interesting, kids will be more willing to open their minds and read this beautiful form of art.

There is a wonderful selection of poetry books for parents toselect from. The books that have poetry collections will give the most selections and will vary the type of poetry included. There are three poetry books in our collection that have been enjoyed by my children. They include a variety of poems with a range of subject content and writing styles.

WHERE THE SIDEWAKS ENDS by Shel Silverstein

Published in 1974, this book is as popular Todayas it was when I was young. The book includes a collection of poems aimed at young children that are not only humorous but imaginative. What other book has shoes that fly and a girl that eats a whale? The illustrations are charming and will catch the imagination. Other Shel Silverstein poetry books include “A Light in the Attic” and “Falling Up”.

Early Bird by Shel Silverstein

Oh if you are a bird, be an early bird

And catch the worm for your breakfast plate

If you’re a bird, be an early bird

But if you are a worm, sleep late.

THE RANDOM HOUSE BOOK OF POETRY FOR CHILDREN by Jack Prelutsky

If you were to only have one book of poetry in your home, this would be the one. This is another collection of poetry with over five hundred poems. Included is work by Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Shel Silverstein, Robert Louis Stevenson and many other talented authors. The poems are divided within the book by theme and include brilliant and lively illustrations.

Fireflies in the Garden by Robert Frost

Here come real stars to fill the upper skies,

And here on earth come emulating flies,

That though they never equal stars in size,

(And they were never really stars at heart)

Achieve at times a very star-like start.

Only, of course, they can’t sustain the part.

A FAMILY OF POEMS: MY FAVORITE POETRY FOR CHILDREN by Caroline Kennedy

This is a wonderful collection of poems that include some of the classics and some you may have never heard. The brilliant watercolor illustrations were created by Jon J. Muth and will catch the eye of any young child. There are many short poems that are catchy and easy for children to remember and I promise, children will repeat them over and over.

As I was going up the stair

I met a man who was not there

He was not there again today

I wish, I wish he had stay away

By William Hughes Mearns

By introducing young children to imaginative and fun poems, we may be able to change their views on this form of art. By introducing the classic poetry books like those by Shel Silverstein and more recent works like that from Maya Angelou, we can create a tradition in our children that they can pass along to their children. Starting kids young with simple rhymes from Mother Goose canbegin them on a journey to appreciate creators like Robert Frost, Maya Angelou and Lewis Carroll.