Monday, April 9, 2012

April Is Poetry Month!!!

April is National Poetry Month...I am a teensy bit late but my post is about children and poetry and some lovely poetry books that I used when I taught.


When I was teaching second grade I would always start the day with a poem. It would always be written on a huge sheet of chart paper...it would always cause discussion...and it would most often come from this book.  It was a part of our morning to sing and recite and chant and tap out syllables and dance and rhyme to the poem of the day.  If for some reason I forgot or didn't have a poem ready...my students would remind me and we would choose an old one. 









I used this book so much that the pages were loose and floppy.


It has wonderful illustrations and a mix of old and newer poems and it was beloved by me and my young students.


Another total favorite was anything and everything by Shel Silverstein. My students would beg for certain poems to be read over and over and over...a special favorite was called "Sick". It was about a little girl named Peggy Ann McKay who couldn't go to school today...they loved it!!!











My second graders also loved the poems of Jack Prelutsky...these were their favorite books.



The poems are silly and ridiculous and sing songy and lovely!!!

There are so many fun and unique and delightful poetry books to share with  children...it is so important to not forget that part of your library when reading books to your children!!!


Happy Poetry Month!!!

Clicking on the above link will take you to the blog tour site for National Poetry Month...there are lots of cool blogs listed there that are exploring poetry!!!

I leave you with a Jack Prelutsky classic...one of my personal favorites!!!



11 comments:

  1. I just adore children's poetry and read it to my daughter ....Thanks for joining the tour.

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  2. Loved this! I'm sure many of your students owe their love of poetry to you and your morning poem :)

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  3. Hee that last one is adorable!

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  4. My son loved Prelutsky and Silverstein too.

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  5. Oh, what wonderful books! I've always enjoyed Silverstein, but now I'll add Prelutsky. The New Kid on the Block probably resonates with so many kids.

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  6. I love Shel Silverstein. His stories are so sparse, but so right!

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  7. The Nose poem is fantastic! I am a big Shel Silverstein fan and practically have Sick memorized. What a great way to start each day- poems are so fun!!

    ~Jess

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  8. I have a wonderful called The Children s Treasury by Spike
    Milligan

    On the Ning Nang Nong
    Where the Cows go Bong!
    and the monkeys all say BOO!
    There's a Nong Nang Ning
    Where the trees go Ping!
    And the tea pots jibber jabber joo.
    On the Nong Ning Nang
    All the mice go Clang
    And you just can't catch 'em when they do!
    So its Ning Nang Nong
    Cows go Bong!
    Nong Nang Ning
    Trees go ping
    Nong Ning Nang
    The mice go Clang
    What a noisy place to belong
    is the Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!!

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  9. I'll have to check out Jack Prelutsky--especially if he's collaborating with the delightful James Stevenson (Could Be Worse is famous in our family). Thank you for sharing! :)

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