Poetry books

Nelson, M. (2005). A Wreath for Emmett Till. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.

A Wreath for Emmett Till is a book of sonnets written in memory of Emmett Till (1941-1955). Emmett Till was a fourteen year old African American boy lynched in Mississippi in 1955. This event was an important event in the civil rights movement. There is a short biography in the back so students can learn more about Emmett Till as well as notes on all of the various sonnets. The illustrations, done by Philippe Lardy, are beautiful! This book is a winner of the Coretta Scott King award and is also a Printz Honor Book. This book is appropriate for middle school students buy could also be used into high school. It would work in the middle school curriculum when studying poetry or the civil rights movement. I will definitely use this book in my Social Studies class because I do lots of assignments where my students write different forms of poetry on famous people.

Fleischman, P. (1988). Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices. Harper & Row, Publishers.

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices is a wonderful poetry book written to be read aloud by two people. It is a winner of the Newbery Award. It is great for use in elementary and middle school classrooms to teach about insects or poetry. These poems make you experience the sounds of the insects and the celebration of life. Eric Beddow's illustrations just help to bring the insects to life. This book is perfect for a seventh grade interdisciplinary unit involving insects and poetry. I have used it in the past and it is very fun and challenging for students to read and try to create their own poetry for two voices. Fleishman has also written a companion book, I Am Phoenix, about birds.

Sidman, J. (2005). Song of the Water Boatman. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.

Song of the Water Boatman is a new favorite for me. The poems about pond life are outstanding and each page also contains a factual paragraph about the animals and life found at the pond. The poems are a variety of styles. There is also a glossary in the back of the book to assist with the vocabulary. It is no surprise this book was awarded the Caldecott. The art in this book is composed of prints created by Beckie Prange and the prints are gorgeous and outstanding. Printmaking is so fun to do in art and can be done with elementary or middle school students. Song of the Water Boatman can be used in the elementary or middle school to teach poetry or science (pond life, insects, animals, plants, life cycles). I would use this book as an example of a class project incorporating print-making, poetry, and content (science or social studies). This book is beautiful and a must-have.