Top Ten Picture Book Poetry Collections

March 22, 2021 Stefanie Hohl

Orangutan Tongs: Poems to Tangle Your Tongue by Jon Agee

Orangutan Tongs is a poetry book of more than 80 side-splitting, tongue-twisting poems! Heck, it even comes with a warning: “The poems in this book are tricky. Some of them are hard to read. Some of them are easy to read. Each poem has at least one line that will tie your tongue in knots.” Combined with the hilarious artwork, both readers and non-readers will enjoy this awesome collection of poems. We dare you to read it without cracking a smile!

In the Past by David Elliott

Got a dino lover in your family? In the Past is a collection of poems that feature creatures from the prehistoric era. The poems are informative, simple, and fun, with illustrations that help the reader to better appreciate these magnificent creatures! From a dunkleosteus to an apatosaurus, to a dragonfly-esque meganaura, there are plenty of creatures to learn about. Not only that, but it’s organized by time period, making it an especially wonderful resource for your budding paleontologists!

No More Poems! A Book in Verse that Just Gets Worse by Rhett Miller and illustrated by Dan Sanat

No More Poems! is a hysterical collection of over twenty poems dealing with relatable childhood dilemmas—annoying brothers, not wanting to go to bed, and unfinished homework, to name a few. These wacky poems are sure to bring many laughs! Together with Dan Sanat’s colorful illustrations, this will be a book that will be enjoyed by many!

Keep a Pocket in Your Poem: Classic Poems and Playful Parodies by J. Patrick Lewis and Johanna Wright

This fabulous collection introduces readers to thirteen classic poems from authors including Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, and Emily Dickinson. In addition, author J. Patrick Lewis adds his own twist by writing parodies that mirror each classic. For example, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is paired with "Stopping by Fridge on a Hungry Evening." By pairing classics with parodies, this collection both educates and entertains, and may even inspire readers to give poetry writing a try!

Monster School by Kate Coombs

The Monster School collection of poems features a host of different characters from Monster School, including vampires, banshees, nagi, pumpkin heads, and more! The rhymes are fun and clever, and the illustrations are great. And while monsters with their entertaining and creepy antics take center stage, each poem is still relatable to a very human audience!

I Am Loved by Nikki Giovanni

This collection of lovely poems includes a wide variety of themes centered around the message that each of us is loved. Paired with Ashley Bryan’s bright and colorful illustrations, each reader will leave this beautiful book knowing how cherished they are.

Clackety Track: Poems About Trains by Skila Brown and Jamey Christoph

There’s much to love in this collection of train poems! Not only will train lovers love this book, but all sorts of readers will enjoy the beautifully written poems and language. And the illustrations are a joy, adding to the overall charm of this book. Plus, the last page includes additional facts about trains!

Shout! Little Poems that Roar by Brod Bagert and Sachiko Yoshikawa

This is a collection of over twenty engaging poems relating to children, including topics such as school, playing, animals, and more! Each poem is quirky and fun, with its own rhythmic movement. The text includes bold print, capitals, sound effects, repetition, and more, all of which help engage readers and get them involved! Plus, the illustrations are upbeat, colorful, and cheery. Add this book to your next library trip!

Thunder Underground by Jane Yolen

Thunder Underground is a collection of poems that focus on the amazing world underground. In these twenty-one poems, Yolen explores things like animal burrows, subways, ancient fossils, caves, magma, and more! The mixed media illustrations are captivating, tying the words and illustrations together in beautiful ways. This collection is not only well-done, but it serves as a great mix of literature and science!

Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets by Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth

Kwame Alexander begins this collection with a preface explaining his childhood experience with books, which developed into a great love for literature and poetry. Alexander, along with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth, chose twenty classic poets to include in this collection, including Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson, and Langston Hughes. Each poem has been paired with beautiful illustrations, and each poet is described in more detail at the end of the book, with information regarding their life and other works. Check it out!

We hope you enjoyed my Top 10 Picture Book Poetry Collections!

For more great ideas, check out my Top 10 Cumulative Picture Books, Top 10 Metafictive Picture Books, or Top 10 Newer Picture Book Biographies!

And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss more great ideas!

From Inkling to Inked: Crafting a Haiku Collection with Betsy Snyder

March 15, 2021 Stefanie Hohl

We are so excited to have Betsy Snyder join us today to share information about crafting a haiku collection!

Author and illustrator Betsy Snyder made her publishing debut in 2007 after several years working as in-house artist and trend group leader at American Greetings. She has since created over twenty picture and novelty books, teaming with a diverse mix of publishers and earning recognition from groups such as the Society of Illustrators, The New York Times, Amazon Best Books lists, Scholastic Parent & Child Magazine, Indie Next List, and the Cooperative Children’s Book Center. Betsy’s smile-inspiring art has also been licensed for other products including games, puzzles, greeting cards, gift wrap, party goods, plush, decor, fabric and wallpaper.

From Inkling to Inked: Crafting a Haiku Collection

by Betsy Snyder

The inkling

I wasn’t a prolific poet or haiku guru—my interest in haiku came more from my artist side, sparked by a love of Japanese woodcuts and their nature-related subjects. Alongside this passion, I saw an opportunity—in researching the market, I didn’t see many, if any, haiku books meant for baby. What if I could make the art of haiku more friendly and accessible to the youngest readers?

Like most elusive book ideas (aren’t they all?), the inkling of Haiku Baby twinkled in my heart and mind for some time until I was finally called to capture it on paper. That calling was quite literally a phone call from my agent—an editor at Random House was interested in my art, in search of baby book ideas, and inquiring if I had any writing of my own to share. I said “Yes!”, panicked a little because I didn’t (yet), and got to work.

The pitch

I hadn’t quit my day job (yet), so I moonlighted, working to shape my inklings into more concrete concepts. In a few weeks, I sent my first-ever book pitches out into the universe, including the one shared below. Soon after, I received an email from my agent with the subject line “Get out the champagne!!!” Much to my surprise and delight, I had been offered a three-book contract with that inquiring (and so talented) editor, Heidi Kilgras, at Random House. Haiku Baby would be my first authored book, a mini board book collection centered around baby’s first experiences with nature.

The collection

I had an editor who shared my vision and a signed contract. But now what? In addition to honing my haiku writing (I share some haiku-specific writing advice here), I needed to find a way to string each poem together into a cohesive whole. I created an arc, ordering my poems from spring to winter, and also day to night. In the art, I gave readers a bluebird to find and follow through the scenes and seasons.

Voice was another tool that helped hold the collection together and set it apart from other haiku books. I sought word choices that felt playful, bouncy and more approachable to my young audience.

Paying homage to haiku’s Asian roots was important to me. True to haiku, I incorporated a kigo, a season word, into my poems. Each haiku was paired with a first word in English and its calligraphic kanji counterpart. In my illustrations, I adopted nuances of Japanese woodcuts into my imagery, line work, sky gradients and collage patterns.

The tabbed board book format also helped support the collection’s theme. Side tabs featured icons for each haiku and helped guide little hands through the pages. The book’s small size created a more intimate, cozy reading experience.

The companion

Nine years after Haiku Baby was published, I was asked to create its companion book, which became Haiku Night. I already had a formula and format to follow, but this theme presented some new challenges. One hiccup was that some of the kanji for the night animals and icons I was considering were two or more characters long—I had to omit the options that felt too clunky in the layout. And landing on the correct kanji wasn’t always straightforward—sometimes there were multiple kanji options for the English word, and some had negative connotations in the Asian culture. I consulted friends and experts to help me translate.

I also struggled with choosing the right little critter to follow throughout the book (like the bluebird in Haiku Baby). I liked the idea of a moth, but it didn’t feel quite right alongside some of my featured night animals (for example, wouldn’t the bats eat a moth?). Fortunately, I had an epiphany that suddenly seemed so obvious—a metamorphosis! The moth could begin as a hatching caterpillar, transform into a cocoon (hanging upside-down with the bats!), and finally emerge as a moth in the final spread. As it turned out, a moth was the perfect character to unite my night collection—I just needed to see it in a new light.

The insight

Looking back, it’s much easier to see what brings a collection together. But when I am in the midst (and sometimes muck) of writing, the answers aren’t always so clear. I was new to haiku, but I found resources along the way and learned as I went—and you can, too! So, I’ll part with some collection-writing tips and tricks I gleaned along the way that may help you craft your poetry collection.

•Find your glue

What is that special something that holds your poems together as a family? What’s at the core? This will be your ultimate barometer when curating your collection.

•Seize the opportunity.

Are there gaps in the marketplace? Can you answer a publisher’s need? Shape an opportunity into the hook for your book.

•Remember your muse.

Who is your audience? I always start and go back to this. You may have written the best poem ever, but is it right for this collection and audience?

•Start with the title

Feeling stuck with where to start? Many of my best book ideas have been sparked by a catchy and original title. Play with words, rhymes, alliteration, puns, idioms—even make up your own words! Get creative and you may find your collection. Or, maybe a subtitle would help? Motor Goose: Rhymes That Go! (by Rebecca Colby, illustrated by Jef Kaminsky) is a great example of a strong title hook.

•Build an arc

Can you create more continuity by ordering your poems in a certain way, or giving your collection a beginning and end? The whole collection of When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons (by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Julie Morstad) follows a calendar through the seasons, with each poem dated as if it is a journal entry. It has a brilliant circular arc, ending with the same poem it begins with.

Or—would a recurring character, or cast of characters, help your arc? (Remember, the art can pull a lot of weight here.). All the World (by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee) has smaller arcs within a bigger arc, with families of characters woven throughout the art, and brought together at the end.

•Pay homage

Does your poetic form have roots in a certain culture? Can you make creative choices that feel authentic to your theme?

•Physical Format

If your book is for babies, toddlers or preschoolers, is there a unique format or feature that might help hold your collection together? You can include format ideas in your book pitch (or editors often have their own ideas for this).

•Challenge yourself

Are you procrastinating, or feeling overwhelmed? Create your own mini assignments and make yourself accountable! One year for National Poetry Month, I committed to writing and tweeting one haiku per day. My haiku writing improved quickly, and I ended up with extra, unused ideas in the hopper for next time. I also found it made me more observant and tuned into my everyday life.

Thanks for joining us, Betsy!

You can learn more about Betsy and her books at www.betsysnyder.com.

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The Joy of Writing (and Reading) Picture Book Poetry Collections with Sam Smith

March 1, 2021 Stefanie Hohl

We are so excited to have Sam Smith join us today to share the joy of writing (and reading) picture book poetry collections.

Sam Smith is a freelance commercial writer and children’s book author. Her first picture book, CATE’S MAGIC GARDEN, celebrates the power of positivity. It was published by Two Hoots Press in 2017. Sam has served on the SCBWI PA WEST Leadership Team, participates in two writing critique groups and loves writing poetry for people of all ages. She lives with her husband and their two sons in poetry-loving Pittsburgh.

Picture books are poetry to me. They’re usually sparely written with meaningful breaks and pauses, they feature word plays, metaphors, similes and even distilled dialogue — and when the stories are combined with art, there is real poetic magic in the marriage. Both picture books and poetry sometimes feature rhyme. Both beg to be read aloud. Both evoke emotions. And both tend to be brief — but powerful. That’s why there is such a natural fit for poetry inside picture books, whether the picture book itself is a poem or it houses a collection of poetry.

So How Do You Write a Collection of Poetry for Children?

Author Darcy Pattison provides excellent advice on how to start. She recommends that you:

Review poetry collections to familiarize yourself with what’s popular and then find the ideas that haven’t happened yet. You might mine curricula for fresh thoughts — or brainstorm ideas on your own.

Stick to about 15-30 poems on a topic so you’ll also be categorized as a poetry collection for classrooms as well, and teachers will be able to find your book easily.

Use different types of structures to keep the stories interesting. Or, you can stick with one genre but cover different topics.

Mix rhyming and prose, structured haiku and iambic pentameter; concrete (shaped) or mask (from the POV of an animal, object or person that is not you); or play with a rhyme scheme all your own.

The best part about writing poetry for children is that there are no real rules, but creativity rules it all!

Get Inspired with Shel Silverstein

Poetry collections abound! One of the most well-known writers of poetry collections for children is Shel Silverstein. He definitely inspired me to become a poet when I was younger! Although Silverstein didn’t initially plan on writing poetry for children, his style is irresistibly child-friendly. His poetry is clever and features stories about children and animals that are often silly, outlandish and just plain fun — and brought to greater life with charming pen and ink drawings. Silverstein’s poetry often rhymes but does not always have a standard — or discernable meter. That’s part of the magic.

Here is a sampling of his books you must try:

Where the Sidewalk Ends
“If you are a dreamer, come in,
If you are a dreamer,
A wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er,
A magic bean buyer …

Come in! You’ll enter directly into a child’s imagination, where you’ll find a girl who eats a whale one bite-at-a-time, a boy who turns into a TV set and a place where you can plant diamond gardens. It’s greatly entertaining and limitless in possibility.

Everything On It

If you’re game for another wild ride, this poetry collection lives up to its title. It espouses the joys of growing down, getting tongue-tied with Stick-a-Tongue-Out-Sid and what happens when you get a case of the Lovetobutcants.

And don’t miss his A Light in the Attic, Falling Up and The Missing Piece (not a collection, but a poem in itself), which are always wonderful companions with which to curl up.

Get Inspired with Jack Prelutsky

Our first Young People’s Poet Laureate (2006-08), Jack Prelutsky has authored more than 50 poetry collections and is a well-loved figure in the children’s poetry sphere. He says he hated poetry while growing up, but loved to draw imaginary turtles. Upon a friend’s prompting, he submitted the turtles to a publisher and at the last minute added some poetry. A star was born! He was amazed that they chose the poetry that took him two hours, but not the turtles that he had labored over for months….

Some of Prelutsky’s poetry collections include Stardines Swim High Across the Sky and Other Poems, The Swamps of Sleethe: Poems From Beyond the Solar System and Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face and Other Poems. He has also edited collections of poetry for children, including The 20th Century Children’s Poetry Treasury. Prelutsky wrote the book Pizza, Pigs and Poetry: How to Write a Poem for kids, but adults can find great advice for writing for kids here too.

Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face and Other Poems: Some of the Best of Jack Prelutsky

You’ll enter a magical world where ogres run wild, frogs wear red suspenders in a rainstorm of pigs and noodles and Scranimals gallivant under a pizza the size of the sun. Crazy rhymes and hilarious stories run rampant in Prelutsky’s most beloved tales!

Celebrate Diversity

Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me

Written by Eloise Greenfield and Illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi

A new collection of poetry for kids from Coretta Scott King Book Award winner Eloise
Greenfield. In this book, even the puppy is a poet!

Words with Wings: A Treasury of African-American Poetry and Art

Compiled by Belinda Rochelle

This beautiful collection features African-American poetry and art from the the nineteenth century through the present, with twenty poems from distinguished African-American poets and twenty works of art by acclaimed African-American artists. Renowned poets and artists such as Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Rita Dove, Countee Cullen, Jacob Lawrence and Paul Lawrence Dunbar grace the pages.

The Poetry of Us: More than 200 Poems that Celebrate the People, Places, and Passions of the United States

Edited by J. Patrick Lewis

Former U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis chronicles the wonders of America’s people and places through 200+ inspiring poems and stunning photographs, contributed by Langston Hughes, Dorothy Parker, Robert Frost, Naomi Shihab Nye, Walt Whitman, and more.

Concentrate on One Genre or Subject

H Is For Haiku: A Treasury of Haiku from A to Z

Written by Sydell Rosenberg and Illustrated by Sawsan Chalabi

The late poet Sydell Rosenberg, a charter member of the Haiku Society of America and a New York City public school teacher — and illustrator Sawsan Chalabi have put together an A-Z collection of haiku that finds the fun and poetry in everyday moments.

Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World

Written by Susan Hood and Illustrated by Sophie Blackall, Emily Winfield Martin, Shadra Strickland, Melissa Sweet, LeUyen Pham, Oge Mora, Julie Morstad, Lisa Brown, Selina Alko, Hadley Hooper, Isabel Roxas, Erin Robinson, and Sara Palacios.

This collection of poetry honors the stories of women who changed the world, from a brave six-year old who helped to end segregation in the South to a 21-year old whose design for a war memorial won — yet she had to defend her right to create to Congress.

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices

Written by Paul Fleischman and Illustrated by Eric Beddows

This book was written to be read aloud by two voices — sometimes alternating, sometimes simultaneous; these poems celebrate the insect world, from the short life of the mayfly to the love song of the book louse.

Let Your Imagination Loose

The Ice Cream Store

Written by Dennis Lee and Illustrated by David McPhail

Completely kid-focused, this light-hearted verse roams from digging holes to foreign lands to searching for the perfect pet.

Let Art Inspire You

World Make Way: New Poems Inspired by Art from The Metropolitan Museum

Edited By Lee Bennett Hopkins

“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.”

—Leonardo da Vinci
Inspired by this simple statement, poets including Marilyn Singer, Alma Flor Alda, and Carole Boston Weatherford wrote new poems to pay homage to some of the most popular works in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Ready to Write?

There are many, many more collections to explore. And we are on the cusp of National Poetry Month, which kicks off in April. It’s the perfect time to get inspired and then try your hand at this genre of unlimited possibilities — to play with words and pictures until they are poetry to your ears. Enjoy the ride, and let us know how you fare!