National Poetry Month: 10 Recommendations from Teacher-Librarians!
It's National Poetry Month and we're recognizing the occasion with poetry recommendations from our Teacher-Librarians. These ten recommendations include novels in verse and more traditional poetry books. Novels in verse are a great way to introduce students in the middle grades to poetry.
Odder by Katherine Applegate
Told in verse and inspired by real events, this story follows a playful sea otter who is rescued, released, and later returned to an aquarium after a shark attack. Unable to go back to the wild, Odder discovers a new purpose helping orphaned pups learn to survive.
Spark by Chris Baron
The story centers around a town trying to rebuild and move forward after devastating fires destroy everything. Finn and his friend, Rabbit, care deeply about their environment and their cameras capture the “spark” that started the fire. An absolutely amazing story for helping kids understand wildfires and our human impact on the natural world.
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
Jack hates poetry. He thinks that only girls write it and every time he tries to, his brain feels empty. But his teacher, Miss Stretchberry, won't stop giving her class poetry assignments—and Jack can't avoid them. But then something amazing happens. The more he writes, the more he learns that he does have something to say.
And Then, Boom! By Lisa Fipps
This story follows Joe, a boy whose life suddenly unravels when his family faces financial hardship, forcing him to navigate housing insecurity, hunger, and uncertainty. As everything familiar disappears, Joe has to find strength and hope in the midst of it all.
Alone by Megan E. Freeman
When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone - left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned. With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten.
The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner
Finn’s father died during 9/11 while trying to save others, and Finn is left angry at the world. After a series of vandalizing incidents, he is tasked to climb all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks over the summer, alone except for his dog.
A Poem for Every Question by Brian Bilston
This is a hilarious non-fiction collection of 100 poems – each one answering a curious question with subjects ranging from science and animals to unicorns, pyramids, technology!
Dear Acorn by Joyce Sidman
This is a spectacular poetry book made up of back-and-forth letter poems between an Oak tree and an Acorn; between a Brick and a School. There are 6 other sets of back-and-forth poems.
Rap It Up! by Carole Boston Weatherford
From scribbling words on the page to spitting rhymes on the mic, a joyful narrator guides readers through the emotions, literary techniques, structures and motifs that help make rap so amazing.
Poems For Every Season by Bette Westera
Each season opens with a haiku, following with the season’s months and their poems. Readers will dance into March with a rondel for a newborn lamb, wave in the August wind with a five-line tanka for a summer sunflower, snuggle in for December with a limerick for all those who stayed home instead of going south...
Do you have questions about these recommendations? Ask a Teacher-Librarian!
Established in Canada in 1998 by the League of Canadian Poets, National Poetry Month takes place every April and brings together schools, publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, communities and poets from across the country to celebrate poetry and its vital place in Canada's culture.
Learn about National Poetry Month: https://poets.ca/.
Find poetry resources for educators: https://poets.ca/offerings/resources/#educators.