daniel salmieri | Books Around The Table

From time to time, I want to share books from my own book bag with you here – “around the table.” This is what I have in my book bag today:

FAVORITE POETRY BOOKS FOR CHILDREN – 2011

I’ve read so many “Best Books of 2011” lists since January – and discovered so many titles I might otherwise have missed – that I’d like to share my list of nine favorite poetry books for children in 2011. I chose them based on the craftsmanship behind the poems themselves, the beauty and delight of their illustrations, and the kid appeal (or, sometimes, teacher appeal – though hopefully both) of the whole package. Above are cover images – just click on those for larger images. And click on titles in the list below to read more about them at Goodreads.com – I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word by Bob Raczka, illustrated by Nancy Doniger
Brother Sun, Sister Moon: Canticles of the Creatures by St. Francis of Assisi, reimagined by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Pamela Dalton
His Shoes Were Far Too Tight by Edward Lear, edited by Daniel Pinkwater, illustrated by Calef Brown
Around the World on Eighty Legs by Amy Gibson, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
Spinster Goose: Twisted Rhymes for Naughty Children by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Twosomes: Love Poems from the Animal Kingdom by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Lee Wildish
A Little Bitty Man and Other Poems for the Very Young by Halfdan Rasmussen, translated by Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
Never Forgotten by Patricia McKissack, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
BookSpeak! Poems About Books by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Josee Bisaillon

If you’re interested in these books – either as a reader or a writer – be sure to follow Sylvia Vardell’s wonderful blog, Poetry for Children as well as Librarians’ Choices, the blog project headed up by Ms. Vardell, where you’ll find a Master List of worthy poetry titles for kids, put together by librarians around the country. And visit blogs of people who participate in Poetry Friday from week to week – you’ll find a list of people who host the Poetry Friday Round-Up through June over at A Year of Reading.