by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
This book of poems will count toward the elementary school age Summer Reading Challenge to “Read a Poem”! Each full-page spread features a poem and related artwork. The poems are written from the perspective of a little girl. You may want to use this as a springboard for encouraging your child to write his or her own poems (or even your own poems!).
WATCH and LISTEN to Vanessa Brantley-Newton read from her new picture book of poetry:
POETRY on Overdrive: silly and serious
I Haiku You by Betsy E. Snyder
Twenty haiku in the 5/7/5 syllable format depict scenes of happiness and childhood friendship as seen through shared activities such as flying a kite, coloring together, and making a snow angel.
Dear Wandering Wildebeest: and Other Poems from the Water Hole by Irene Latham
Spend a day at a water hole on the African grasslands. From dawn to nightfall, animals come and go. Giraffes gulp, wildebeest graze, impalas leap, vultures squabble, and elephants wallow. Fact sidebars support the poems about the animals and their environment. Imaginative illustrations from Anna Wadham complete this collection.
I’m Just No Good at Rhyming: and Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups by Chris Harris; illustrated by Lane Smith
“Ridiculous, nonsensical, peculiar, outrageous, possibly deranged—and utterly, totally, absolutely delicious. Read it! Immediately!” —Judith Viorst, bestselling author of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham and Charles Waters
Two poets, one white and one black, explore race and childhood in this collection tailored to provoke thought and conversation.
How can Irene and Charles work together on their fifth-grade poetry project? They don’t know each other . . . and they’re not sure they want to. Irene Latham, who is white, and Charles Waters, who is black, use this fictional setup to delve into different experiences of race in a relatable way, exploring such topics as hair, hobbies, and family dinners.