Poetry Month for Children
April is National Poetry Month and for my weekly column I’d love to share some wonderful poetry picture books for children. I have fond memories of reading poems with my mother when I was a young girl. Our favorite poet was the quirky, delightful, and sometimes macabre, Shel Silverstein. My mother passed away in 1990 and I still have her original copy of “Where the Sidewalk Ends.” The pages of our favorite poems are paperclipped and rust has started to form on the metal, but I will never remove them. They are little reminders of big memories that I hold dear. Sitting next to her on the couch, lamenting about how hard it must be for Captain Hook to pick his nose. Saddened by the giant ice cream cone that ended up on the ground. Dramatically pretending to be eaten by a boa constrictor.
My mother, with her beautiful cursive writing, also wrote the titles of our favorite poems on the inside cover. One poem on that list is “The Unicorn.” This poem was originally published as a song on Silverstein’s 1962 album titled “Inside Folk Songs” and was made popular in 1968 by the Canadian band The Irish Rovers. I loved to think about the possibility of unicorns being real and, if they would have only stopped playing silly games, they could have boarded Noah’s ark with the other pairs of animals. We have a large poetry collection in the children’s area. Most books of poetry can be found in the 811 section of nonfiction. Listed below are six poetry books available at the Fergus Falls Public Library. Although they are in picture book format, I recommend them for all ages.
Haiku, Ew! Celebrating the Disgusting Side of Nature. Written by Lynn Brunelle and illustrated by Julia Patton (2024).
Silly? Yes. Disgusting? Absolutely? Engaging, interesting, and captivating? Definitely. Each double page spread contains a Haiku poem and fascinating facts about animals, insects, and fungi. You’ll learn about urohidrosis; a fancy way of saying that flamingos poop on themselves to help stay cool. Do you think sloths are cute animals? Perhaps learning that algae and moss grow on these creatures which, in turn, attracts insects like moths and beetles, might change your mind. Not only does the algae give the sloth a unique aroma; insects make their home on the sloth’s fur and lay their eggs in its poop. I warned you it would be disgusting. However, I bet you know several people in your life that would eat this information up!
Home. Written and illustrated by Isabelle Simler. Translated by Vineet Lal (2024).
Translated from French, this beautiful book of poems takes a look at the houses and habitats of a variety of birds, bugs, and animals on land and in sea. This is a 2025 Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book as well as a 2025 Notable Children’s Book from the Association for Library Service for Children. Scientific names are given for all of the animals as well as additional information on the back pages. The stunning illustrations and accessible poems really make this book stand out.
Life Doesn’t Frighten Me. Written by Maya Angelou and illustrated by Jean-Michel Basquiat (2018).
This book contains just one poem by the great Maya Angelou. This poem is an empowering and brave reminder, not just for children, to be fearless in life. Whether it be unknown noises, tough guys, or dragons, Angelou’s refrain of “life doesn’t frighten me at all” builds courage as it is echoed throughout the pages. The pairing of the text with Basquiat’s elevated, graffiti-style artwork works well as it evokes a sense of chaos that we might feel in our younger years as well as into adulthood. Artist biographies and selected bibliographies are included in the back matter.
Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse. Written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josee Masse (2010).
This is a really fun take on beloved fairy tales. Each page contains two poems that center around a fairy tale or one of its characters. Not only does each of the poems provide two different viewpoints of the story, you read them from top to bottom and then from bottom to top! It’s quite clever and almost seems like magic when you read them.
Oh, No! Where Are My Pants? And Other Disasters: Poems. Edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch (2005).
If you’ve ever had a bad day, unpleasant experience, or an embarrassing moment, you’ll find the collection of disaster poems highly relatable. Fifteen poets have come together to write about stage fright, bad haircuts, nightmares, being afraid of the ball, and more, in this humorous offering every person can understand.
Remember. Written by Joy Harjo and illustrated by Michaela Goade (2023).
This is a picture book version of the U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo’s wondrous poem called “Remember.” Harjo, a member of the Mvskoke Nation, calls for readers of all ages to reflect on the natural world we live in and to remember the connectedness that we share with all living things and our environment. The illustrations by Caldecott medalist Goade, are lush and vibrant.
Arielle McCune is the Youth Services Librarian at the Fergus Falls Public Library.