{Read This} Top 10 Children's Poetry Collections

Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? Time for you to gear up, so we'll all be ready to join in on the celebrating. I'll be sharing some specific how-to ideas throughout the month, but for now let's make sure you have some good resources to pull from.

Many classic American poets are perfect for children. Think Langston Hughes' April Rain Song or Robert Frost's Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening (which I can still recite by heart thanks to my 5th grade teacher). However, there are also many fabulous poets who write specifically for children. I'd suggest dabbling in both.

While the internet is a wonderful resource to pull from, I also strongly urge you to include some poetry books in kiddos home library too. I have such fond memories of curling up with my mama and my copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends (which I still have, thank you very much, and now share with the bean). There's something very exciting to kids about a book that doesn't have to go in order. My bean loves to skip around, looking for her favorites and mine.

So... here are my top 10 favorite children's poetry collections:

The Random House Book of Poetry for Children
Sing A Song Of Popcorn: Every Child's Book Of Poems
Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young
Mother Goosethis edition is beautifully illustrated by the amazing Gyo Fujikawa
Where the Sidewalk Endsby Shel Silverstein (an absolute, must have, kiddo classic)
Honey, I Love and Other Love Poemsby Eloise Greenfield (I dare you not to say these out loud!)
Good Books, Good Times!by Lee Bennett Hopkins
All the Small Poems and Fourteen Moreby Valerie Worth (the very definition of "short and sweet")
Beast Feastby Douglas Florian (sure to inspire kiddos to write and illustrate their own animal poems)
Handspringsby Douglas Florian (a beautiful collection celebrating Spring; one part of a quartet)

Do you have a favorite collection or poet to add to the mix? Please share in the comments below!