In Praise of the Verse Novel: a Guest Post by Caroline Starr Rose
In honor of Poetry Month, we welcome a post written by poet & author Caroline Starr Rose. Be sure to check out our giveaway at the end!
Poetry is about love and flowers… or is it?
In my teaching years, no matter where I happened to live or what grade I was teaching, when I asked my students to define poetry they would all tell me the same thing: Poetry is about love and flowers.
These upper elementary and middle school kids were saying more than they realized. They were revealing they’d already latched onto the message that poetry isn’t for everyone — just the people who are fans of sappy sorts of things.
Every year I tried to prove this idea wrong.
I’d read my kids poetry about sports and vacuum cleaners, about growing into too big feet and laughing when you shouldn’t. We’d hunt down perfect poems to exchange with secret pals, sing Emily Dickinson’s lines to the tune of Gilligan’s Island, share memorized poems in our classroom version of a beatnik coffeehouse.
In one of my favorite lessons, we’d read aloud Robert Frost’s “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening,” clapping out the beats as we chanted the words. Sometimes we’d add in some funky rhythm, and half the room would whisper train-like chu-chu-DU sounds that lined up perfectly with each clap. We’d swap roles, playing with the poem’s sound and meter again and again.
One year a student pulled out his trombone and blurped along. It was a magical moment, our own poetry happening.
Those kids who’d said weeks before that poetry was about flowers and love? They weren’t buying it anymore.
Transformation through a Verse Novel
That sort of transformation is what I experienced the first time I picked up a verse novel. It was Karen Hesse’s Out of the Dust, and when I closed the book I had changed. The story was raw and beautiful, its spare language a straight shot to my heart. I climbed into Billie Jo’s skin, left myself behind. The same thing happened when I read Sharon Creech’s Heartbeat.
Thump-thump, thump-thump
bare feet hitting the grass
as I run run run
in the air and like the air
weaving through the trees
skimming over the ground
In reading those first lines I was with my students again, our hearts-beating-hands-clapping Robert Frost. Verse novels pushed me one step closer to the world on the page. Each word spoke doubly — first telling the story, second helping me feel it.
My students were right about the love thing. Poetry heightens the emotions. And verse novels made stories come alive for me in a way they never had before.
Using Poetry to Create Intimacy
For a genre like historical fiction which is often viewed as distant or hard to understand, verse becomes a beautiful fit. It strips away the unnecessary and gives readers an intimate picture of a book’s central characters.
I stumbled into writing my first verse novel, May B., a survival story set in 1870s Kansas, when I realized my early writing efforts felt lifeless. Once I went back to my research and re-read the private writings of frontier women, I realized I could most honestly tell May’s story through mirroring their spare language. Instead of explaining, I could let the words speak for themselves. I could get out of the way.
I chose verse deliberately for Blue Birds, my historical novel about the Lost Colony of Roanoke. My favorite passages come from the poems Alis and Kimi share together. Here are two girls from two entirely different worlds who nevertheless become friends. The structure of these dual-voice poems speak the story visually. They invite the reader to look and listen in as the girls are drawn together.
This must
remain secret.
My people
would not understand.
We share
no language.
She does not
know our customs.
Because of her tribe,
we live in fear.
The English
tried to destroy us.
Yet she’s shown
me kindness.
She knows
beauty.
She is Kimi,
a Roanoke Indian.
Alis,
an English girl.
She has
become
my friend.
Poetry isn’t exclusive, as my students first thought, but sometimes it can feel that way. That’s the beauty of the verse novel, a succinct, condensed blend of poetry and story that flows from one word to the next.
Those words sink deep, move with the familiar rhythms of the everyday. The verse novel doesn’t just tell a story, it shows us how to listen, encourages us to linger. It changes us along the way.
Listen to her conversation with Sarah from Episode 15 of the Read-Aloud Revival Podcast.
Visit her online at carolinestarrrose.com
I love the excerpt from Blue Birds! It really makes me want to read that book ;)
I didnt have any favorites when I was in highschool. I didn’t really get into it as much as I am now, and I don’t have a favorite poet just yet I really just read whatever appeals to me when I find time to be alone.
I have always loved Dickinson!
I have only started reading poetry in the past few years (my late 30’s.) But, I am so thankful that I have found it now. I read a few poems every day with my kids during our read aloud time. Some of our favorites are T.S. Eliot, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, & A.A. Milne. It still amazes me how my kids can be so restless and not wanting to sit down to RA time, and then I start reading poetry and the whole room gets still. They usually ask me “for just 1 more poem.” It’s so beautiful to see this. Makes me a little teary.
As a foreigner and non-English native speaker, I really would like to learn more about English poems and poets!
I don’t think I ever got a good introduction to poetry as a child, but I loved to read in general. And as a musician, I appreciate beautiful language. So I am starting on into the fabulous world of poetry alongside my kids and am loving it! I can’t believe I never heard or read A.A. Milne’s poetry!
It is so, so, so delightful.
I loved Shel Silverstien as a child. I wish I could say I liked someone more profound, but that was it!
I absolutely adore Christina Rossetti. I wasn’t exposed to poetry growing up but so thankful that I get a do over with my kids through homeschooling!! Can’t wait to dive into Blue Birds!
I loved Shel Silverstein
I was introduced to Shel Silverstein in elementary school and got to take home our “classroom book”. I felt so honored! I remember pouring over the pages, laughing. I even wrote some of my own in a similar style. Thanks to RAR for introducing me to so many lovely poets and ways to incorporate poetry into our daily lives.
This book is on my morning time list for next year!
Love the idea of introducing poetry to my kids in a way that hooks them into the rhythm of language. Thanks read aloud revival for introducing me to Caroline Starr Rose!
I loved e.e. cummings as a teenager
Sad to say, I don’t remember much poetry from childhood – I don’t know if it is from a lack of exposure to it, or disinterest, or just forgetfulness!
I had not heard of the books mentioned in this piece. I look forward to checking them out and reading your work.
I enjoyed Shel Silverstein, Ogden Nash, and Christina Rossetti as a child.
Loved Shakespeare as I got older.
Been working with my daughter to memorize Trees by Joyce Kilmer.
I don’t remember being introduced to poetry as a child, but now that I am homeschooling my own children, we have begun to explore and have fun with it. We try to include a Poetry Tea Time each week where we enjoy hot chocolate and treats and reading aloud our favorites poems, as well as picking out something new. Our boys are ages 8 and 14, and one of our favorite poems is “The Knight Whose Armor Didn’t Squeak” by A. A. Milne. :)
Shel Silverstein started it all for me. i still love reading his silly words to my own children.
Robert Frost, Shakespeare, Robert Louis Stevenson are a few that come to mind from childhood. I have always loved poetry, as far back as I can remember. Now, I share my love of poetry with my children. Adding your books to our list of must-reads.
I loved the poems of Tennyson because my grandmother enjoyed them and shared it with me. The relationship brings an added emotional connection while you share poetry together. great post!
I really loved/love Mother Goose!
I could have listed to Anne of Green Gables recite The Highwayman everyday of my childhood. In fact, I would love to hear it again right now.
Thank you for this post! I would have never known about Caroline if it hadn’t been for you. Great stuff!
I loved books as a child. I would get so caught up in the poetry, or words, or the illustrations that I never paid attention to the author or illustrator. As an adult I have favorites and seek out certain writers and artists. I am half way through May B. right now. I know what Caroline means about reading verse that is spare and true. It does make your heart beat a little faster with feeling. May B. is that beautiful to me.
I always enjoyed Shel Silverstein’s humor as a child.
I’ll be honest, I’m still a little nervous about poetry. There are poems I have loved, but it is intimidating to think about.
I will admit that I struggle with poetry but I want to learn to enjoy and appreciate it. RAR is definitely helping me with that!
I was always a big fan of Dr. Seuss-type rhyming books. And there was one poem in Where the Sidewalk Ends that I really got a kick out of all throughout 2nd grade…”I cannot go to school today” said little Peggy Ann McKay…I have the measles and the mumps… Strangely I still remember the whole thing 2 decades later!
I loved Shakespeare :) I would love to delve back into it!
I loved Robert Lewis Stevenson and Shel Silverstein as a child. Beautiful post.
I loved Robert Frost! But my single favorite poem was The Donkey by GK Chesterton. Just loved the symbolism. I remember in 7 th grade we had to collect and bind our favorite poems into a handmade book. I still have it.
Shel Silverstein
I didn’t read much poetry as a child, unfortunately. In college I read and enjoyed some poetry, but it wasn’t until I had kids and started reading to them that I truly fell in love with it. We love Jack Prelutsky, Shel Silverstein, Ogden Nash, Langston Hughes, Robert Louis Stevenson, and so many more.
My 2 year old loves Shirley Hughes “Out and About” and “Rhymes for Annie Rose”. We started there with our older children and by the age 12 my son can read Homer and loving it!
I don’t remember reading much poetry (I do have a few Shel books!), but this year I have been loving it with my girls. This is a great article & so informative!
I have never really read much poetry before. But this makes me excited to try it and to introduce my kids to it.
I have never really read much poetry, but this makes me excited to try it and to introduce my kids to it.
As children we had a book called “I like this Poem – A collection of poems chosen by children for children in aid of The International Year of the Child.” As this contained a wide variety of poems, it was a great introduction to many different poems & poets & I had several favourites among them too. One of these was “Daddy Fell into the Pond” by Alfred Noyes.
It was interesting that I pulled A Children’s Garden Book of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson from the library shelves to read to my kids last fall. I mentioned to mom how much we were enjoying it only to find she had read to me as a little girl!
Thank you for this! This book looks amazing! :) We use poetry during our poetry tea times! (Shout out to Bravewriter!)
I can’t remember having a favorite poet as a child. I have given poetry “a try” many times in my life, but it never really stuck. In fact, I don’t think I began to really enjoy poetry until I had children of my own. Now, with so many excellent anthologies, I share a growing love of poetry with my boys.
I’ve always loved poetry! I fell in love while reading Robert Louis Stevenson & Christina Rossetti. Now, I’m enjoying watching my children fall in love as we memorize various poems. :D
Emily Dickinson. “I’m nobody, who are you?” …I always felt I didn’t fit in as a kid, so this poem spoke to me.
so excited to do this again!! thanks for all your hard work RAR
I wish I’d known more poetry as a kid, but I definitely jumped on the Shel Silverstein wagon. As I got older, I appreciated some of the greater poets more; I think my favorite has always been Robert Frost.
Jack Pretlusky and Shel Silverstein are all I can really remember. Some Mother Goose, too. Thanks for sharing this title and genre of reading material. I had never heard of novels in verse. Mom is always learning too!
I feel as a homeschool mom that I’m reclaiming my education. I remember not liking to read AT ALL and I’m realizing how much I missed. Having grown up in Belize, the only poets I knew were Belizean poets.
The first poem I remember being moved by was in eighth grade, and it was Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
Shel Silverstein was the only poet I read in my childhood. We have be doing lots of poetry and our kiddos love it. A.A. Milne is a favorite.
Robert Frost was my favorite poet as a child.
I don’t recall reading much poetry as a kid, and in high school I had to analyze it instead of enjoy it, so I am learning to enjoy it now.
Shel Silverstein was my favorite. My kids like them too, and we are looking forward to reading yours 😊
Poetry tea time is fast becoming a favourite with all my children. So exciting to see.
I feel cheated in that I had very little exposure to poetry as a child. I read a bit of Robert Frost and still have an affinity for his poems. Now, my children and I read poetry daily and we are latching on to personal favorites. Last summer I read Beowulf and fell in love with it. I would say I’m making progress. :)
Now THAT’S a verse novel!
I liked Shel Silverstein a lot, but the earliest poem I remember sticking in my little soul is Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Land of Counterpane. He’s my favorite poet for young kids to this day!
I loved your interview on the RAR podcast, and grabbed May B from the library, but to be honest I didn’t really think I’d like reading a whole novel in verse. I couldn’t have been more wrong. May B sucked me in, and I read the entire novel in one sitting. I can’t wait until my kids are old enough for it!
This is entirely understandable. I’m glad you gave it a shot and enjoyed!
I would love to win! Thanks for the opportunity.
My mom is my favorite poet. She’s not published or anything, but she’s so creative. She wrote me a poem when I was a baby and then when I got married she added s few verses to it. Such a treasured gift!
I love this.
Loving Read Aloud Revival!!!!
i didnt read poetry as a child, i didnt read much actually, got through pubic school with honors with only reading two books. wow. BUT my kiddos love shel silverstein and so many others, i love that my son with learning challenges is inspired by poetry, he “gets it” more than the more advanced kiddos because he sees in pictures but his siblings see in words and often struggle with poetry. thanks for sharing!!
I have always loved pastey Anna I live that I found RAR to introduce it to my kids.
I meant to say I have always LOVED POETRY.
I didn’t read a lot of poetry as a child (I thought it was “too hard”) but I did fall in love with Anne Shirley’s reading/performance of The Highwayman. It’s still one of my favorites!
I actually can’t remember much of my childhood. I think I block things out. Not that it was bad. But I don’t remember ever really liking poetry. But then my daughters and I started doing poetry and tea time and I found I love poetry. My girls and I love learning about different types of poetry. I just listened to Caroline on What to read next and I really enjoyed the episode. My goal is to expand our reading to include more verse and see if I can get my kids interested too.
I wasn’t really exposed to poetry until I started homeschooling – so very sad.
I never experienced the beauty of poetry as a girl besides being infatuated with Anne of Green Gables love for it but have recently started reading Longfellow’s Evangeline to my children since i have an Evangeline! We are enjoying it sooo much i cant wait to embark on more!
Looks like a lovely book!
It may be a bit morbid but I loved Edgar Allan Poe growing up!
I loved Robert Frost. I still do. I also loved that poem about Robert McGee
Robert Frost was a favorite.
As a young child, I loved the poems of Jack Prelutsky; my cousins and I would memorize them and recite them to each other in between fits of giggles instead of going to bed like we were supposed to.
As I got a little older, I enjoyed Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe, e.e. cummings, Pablo Neruda, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, to name just a few.
I’m excited to share poetry with my children as they get older. My oldest, at five, is already making up silly rhymes of his own.
I never read much poetry as a child, but I do remember reading Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends.
Poetry is Awesome!!! Poetry was very important to me during middle school and high school, it was “my space” to laugh and cry, to hide, to acknowledge, to learn, to give….Poetry was what I used to ask questions and share thoughts and feelings I could not do with just words. Poetry gave me the opportunity to search deep inside myself and to connect with others. It is amazing how through poetry I can perceive the world and circumstances in a different perspective. To notice things I did not noticed, appreciate things I did not appreciated before, feel what others are trying to express. Poetry is Awesome!!!!
Wonderful!!!
I love learning with my daughter!
And I certainly learned a lot with this interview (& I am inspired, too)
Thank you Sarah and Melissa!
I don’t remember much poetry from my childhood other than Shel Silverstein. I am trying to help broaden my children’s world of poetry and all literature while I have them in my grasp. :)
Shel Silverstein got my attention and made me love poetry through laughter. :)
Shel Silverstein was my favorite poet. I would lay on my belly on the floor in my room flipping through his books and laughing at the absurdity and truth of his words. “Tommy said it was a hat,” was a favorite.
Today I have one of his poems on the wall of our family room because I want it to sink in to my heart and my family’s: Listen to the Shouldnt’s.
Lovely and inspiring article, with great ideas to try with some of our favorite poems and authors. Thanks!
I didn’t read much poetry as a child – the extent of it was probably Mother Goose rhymes. I am enjoying poetry very much now as an adult, and I love that my children enjoy it too!
We started doing The Institute for Excellence in Writing poetry memorization this year. So far we have memorized a poem about a worm, celery, vultures and a boy eating too much cake at a party. No flowers there!
Thank you for sharing your book!
I really enjoyed memorizing poetry in school – I particularly remember Robert Frost’s poems!
I was homeschooled and had to copy several poems a week. This helped my familiarity with poetry. We also enjoyed memorizing poems. I love introducing poetry to my homeschooled children and would love to incorporate more!
The only one I remember and still have a book by is Shel Silverstein. I also remember liking ee cummings.
Awesome giveaway! We had read a few Robert Frost poems in school…from then on he was a favorite of mine! Right now my kids and i are reading Walter de la Mare, we are enjoying that as well.
I remember loving Shel Silverstein … haven’t explored him with my children yet, but I know they’ll get a kick out of him!
The only poetry I remember reading as a child was Shel Silverstein. I’m trying to change that for my children. We finished May B not too long ago, and are looking forward to reading Bluebirds.
When I was a child I loved Dr. Seuss! (Please tell me that counts, right?) :) I also remember my mom always reading mother goose nursery rhymes to me, and poetry selections from Childcraft. These days I really enjoy reading Christina Rossetti’s and Robert Louis Stevenson’s poems to my children.
I can’t wait to read Blue Birds. I almost cried when I read the excerpt. :)
I don’t remember reading much beyond Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein as a child. These days with my kids I am realizing there is SO MUCH good poetry for kids–and just like the best stories for children, the best children’s poems are just as delightful for adults. :)
I don’t really remember reading a lot of poetry in school. But, I love reading it now as an adult.
I loved Poe as a kid and still can remember a good portion of The Raven, which I memorized on my own. I also loved Macbeth and my friend and I would act out the first scene over and over again!
When I was a kid, I thought Robert Frost was very grown-up and important, and so memorized a few of his poems. As a teen, I discovered T.S. Eliot. I thought Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock was amazing. Imagine my surprise a few years later when I realized what it’s really about. :)
As a child, I loved Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky. I loved this post! It has opened up a whole new genre for me. I am excited to dive in!
As a child, Shel Silverstein. Robert Frost in high school.
I have never enjoyed poetry, until including it in my children’s lessons. We’ve been enjoying a few different poets, but most of what I have liked best has been from Robert Frost. We just had our first poetry tea time last week. We are now going to be doing it monthly. The grandmothers want to come too!
I have learned to enjoy poetry as an adult. I like shakespeare as a kid (teen?), but didn’t really get poetry. Even when lead, I didn’t get the rhythm, or how things really rhymed. I get those now!
This book is on our reading list for next year! I think the history of Roanoke is absolutely fascinating.
Me too. I get chills every time I talk about it.
I don’t remember much poetry as a child. I mostly remember doing a ton of acrostics. Now I can’t believe how much my own children enjoy poetry. of course Shel Silversein is always a favorite.
Really enjoy your blog and I use poetry with my life kids all the time. We love The Llama Who Had No Pyjama (Hoberman) and I’m Still Here in the Bathtub and Other Silly Songs (the author escapes me right now). Fun!
Shel Silverstein, now introducing to my kids!
“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”…. a favorite poem from high school English. I still quote lines from it to my kids and it drives them crazy!
Also, “To An Athlete Dying Young”….so much to take in with that poem….. another favorite to this day….
I just love your books CSR!!! Thank you for this blog post!! Its so encouraging to keep reading to my son especially poems and prose!
Thank you and happy reading.
My absolute favourite poem of all time, since the 6th grade, is “The Flesh and the Spirit,” by Anne Bradstreet. My dad had a cloth-bound book called, “American Poetry,” that seemed like antiquity to me, and I loved to search its pages for something rhythmic that I could read and understand. :)
As a mother, I have come to love and enjoy Robert Louis Stevenson’s whimsical poems in A Child’s Garden of Verses, but hymns were my first introduction to the beauty of poetry. (And Paul Revere’s Ride! I always loved that one too.) :)
Who’s on First and of course Shel Silverstein may have burned within me a secret desire to never take the garbage out.
:)
Robert Frost, Robert Burns, and Tennyson were my favorites as a teenager but I don’t remember reading much poetry as a child. My daughter loves Emily Dickinson and Christina Rosetti.
To be honest- poetry scares me! I neber read it as a child but my 6 yo and I are loving Shel Silverstein together right now!
It’s okay if it’s scary. You’re doing exactly the right thing.
Tennyson. The Eagle was a favorite in middle school, and later I read and re-read The Lady of Shalott. I am also so thankful to find you through this blog. I grew up in Louisiana and lived there during Hurricane Katrina. I can not wait to get my hands on Over in the Wetlands to share with my children!
I hope you enjoy! Louisiana (and Wetlands) is close to my heart.
We love reading poetry together at lunchtime!
I have not read a book in verse, but after reading this post, I am excited to do so. Ms. Rose makes it sound so beautiful and meaningful.
I’ve loved French poet Jacques Prevert since my highschool days. French is my first language. Now I write poems :-)
My absolute favorite childhood birthday memory is when I turned six and my mom hand lettered a giant poster with A. A. Milne’s When I Was Six poem and attached a big red balloon and it was the center piece and pride of my party! I remember feeling so special and a certain amount of validation, like I had finally arrived and I was understood. Even at six it was a very powerful memory and forever endeared me to A. A. Milne and his poems. Now, in a just few short weeks, my oldest will turn six! I can hardly wait to give him this same gift!!
I adore this. AA Milne’s poems were a special part of my childhood. What an amazing gift!
I love this! Shakespeare and Dr Seuss are my favorites.
I loved Shel Silverstein too! My mom used to read me all kinds of poetry as a child : )
I didn’t appreciate poetry as a child. No one introduced it to me really. But I have come to appreciate it as an adult and my children do love it in varying degrees.
I just love Caroline Starr Rose. She helped my eldest fall in love with reading. She has been a struggling reader and last year we finally discovered why. She had some issues with her eye-brain connection that we have been correcting with therapy this year. But before that, May B was the first book that she seemed to read and fully enjoy. With her tracking issues, the format of the verse novel was so much easier on her eyes that it wasn’t the hard work she was used to doing. It also didn’t muss around with extra words which she also appreciated. I was shocked and beyond thrilled when she loved it and sled her way though it! This year she read Blue Birds and told me it was the best book she has read and that I must read it too.
This mama is so thankful for your work Caroline Starr Rose!
You have absolutely MADE MY DAY. Thank you for sharing this. My girls aren’t real girls, but nevertheless I like to think they know that their stories have touched other lives.
Thank you, and all best to your dear girl.
PS – This mama is going to cut and paste what you’ve said here to send to her own mama. :)
Would you be okay if I shared this on my website?
Absolutely! I think most parents of struggling readers would assume that a verse novel would be more of a challenge and avoid them. I would love to encourage them to give it a try and see if they are in fact easier for some kids to tackle!
You are absolutely right. One of the beautiful things about May B. (which I didn’t fully understand at the time I was writing it) was that not only does the structure and language mirror the spare voices of frontier women in their private writings and their stark world (this was intentional), but precisely because of this readers who struggle just like May have a less intimidating reading experience.
White space. Line breaks. Poems as opposed to chapters. The unnecessary stripped away. The ability to “conquer” a book quickly. These are gifts verse novels offer all struggling / reluctant / challenged readers and readers of any sort!
I loved to read anything by Shel Silverstein as a child.
My husband is reading Yeats to the kids and surprisingly they love it. It took my a long time to appreciate different styles of poetry, something that seems natural to my children.
Great post!…it put me in mind of a workshop I attended by Michael Clay Thompson at the Midwest Great Homeschool Convention , titled The Importance of Poetics. He said an almost exact thing about poetry not being just about love and flowers, then set out to prove it through his presentation.
We have always incorporated poetry reading in our homeschool, but I now view it in a much different light…and have a much greater appreciation for poetry in general. For example, I’m currently studying Emily Dickinson with my son. I’m a huge fan of rhyming poetry so her work was really not that appealing to me and I almost started to feel guilty because most people claim to love it so much. However, after listening to MCT speak, I have come to realize there is so much more to poetics than rhyming. Her love of nature and use of assonance and alliteration can be just as appealing as rhyme.
We also read a verse novel this year in our history study about George Washington Carver by Marilyn Nelson. It took a bit of getting used to, but left a lasting impression. I definitely agree with fewer words speaking for themselves :)
Oh my goodness, that GWC verse novel.
I remember having a boy sit in on my class who hadn’t turned in a field trip permission slip for his own teacher and as a result had to stay behind. He spent the day hearing about Emily Dickinson in my room and by the end of the day was really excited about her poetry.
As a child, reading helped me escape, travel, journey and have amazing adventures. None of which were possible in the real world of Chicago, Illinois Then we moved to Lansing, Michigan for the end of Jr high thru 12th grade. Poetry took that to another level. I had an amazing English (Dr. Coe) and Drama teacher (Ms. Schoun) in high school who both took on poetry in different ways. Dr. Coe with a high winged back chair, smoking jacket and shoes and various props while reading. Ms. Schoun with costumes and lights and soothing music or not so soothing. I wish that all children had such passionate teachers because of them I read with such enjoyment. My littles love my dramatic and my relaxed readings.
This made me teary. Teaching is such a special calling. Thank you for modeling this with your children.
As did most of us, I loved Robert Frost and Shel Silverstein as a child. As an adult, my poetry readings have mostly been shared with my kids over our weekly poetry tea time. I have enjoyed Rudyard Kipling, George Herbert, William Wordsworth (The World is Too Much with Us is a favorite), A.A Milne (one of my kids favorites as well), Emily Dickinson, Sir Walter Scott and I just finished Paradise Lost by Milton and that was amazing! Many years ago I read The Verse Book of a Homely Woman by Fay Inchfawn (don’t let the title throw you – homely as in homemaker) and I adored it. That book is available on Kindle.
My younger kids have loved Robert Louis Stevenson, Walter de la Mare Eugene Field, and Christina Rossetti.
My middle kids have enjoyed Wordsworth (so many great ones, but Fidelity is a wonderful poem to read and then follow up with the story of Hachi), Longfellow and Whittier as well as several of the same poems from the older and younger selections. They really like The Village Blacksmith and Hiawatha by Longfellow. Little Orphant Annie by James Whitcomb Riley is also a favorite during the middle years
My older kids have loved Alexander Pope, Tennyson, George Herbert, William Cowper and the Brownings. Charge of the Light Brigade is a favorite across all ages and you can find a difficult to hear wax recording of Tennyson reciting it online!
We recently read Enoch Arden by Tennyson as a family and that was wonderful.
Oh and don’t forget Shakespeare’s Sonnets. And The Destruction of Sennacherib by Byron is another great one.
When we first began reading poems, we read selections from Poems Every Child Should Know by Mary Burt (which is available for the Kindle).
We are getting ready to dive into Keats and Sandburg next year.
With so many poems/poets like these that we’ve shared over the years, my kids know poetry is more than love and flowers, although those are important themes as well. And they really love tea time. They usually will keep that on the calendar even on break weeks.
What a great list (and rich experience you’ve given your children)!
The poetry I was introduced to as a child was all through school and never anything that sparked interest in my heart. As an adult I have come to find, love, and share poetry about nature and the impact it has on the soul. I love to read poetry to my children expressing the importance of love through every moment. Although I have no knowledge of authors because I have just come by random poetry and never made note, I know there is beauty in poetry that will find me when my heart most desires it.
As a teenager, I loved Eilliam Blake and John Keats. I would go to the school library during my free periods and just copy poems.
*William Blake
This was a magical post to read! You captured the exact response I had when I read Out of the Dust for the first time (it was my first experience with a verse novel as well!).
I can still remember exactly where I was when I finished: on a road trip to Washington DC the summer of 1998. Utter magic.
I love reading and memorizing poetry with my children – that part was lacking in my own childhood but so thankful I get to live it with my loved ones!
What a gift you’re giving them.
I’ve always loved Shel Silverstein. As I got older, I started to appreciate sonnets.
I was never a fan of poetry as a kid, but I distinctly remember reading ee cummings in high school — Buffalo Bill’s defunct — and being utterly enthralled. I can’t remember what I thought, but I distinctly remember being enthralled by the look of the words dancing across my page. It was poetry in motion.
Now that I homeschool my own kids, poetry is a (semi)regular part of our lives. The more I read, the more I am learning to enjoy it.
I love outdoor poetry best. So, give me John Muir, Robert Frost, Emerson and Longfellow. :)
Jabberwocky is still my fav. In 4th grade, I was given a book called All the Small Poems & it changed how I journal, partly by leaving room for personal illustrations. Right now our family is reading Vile Verses by Roald Dahl.
Jabberwocky is one I memorized in fifth grade. My teacher had us memorize and recite poems each Friday. I’m so grateful for this.
Our boys memorized it recently, to my surprise. They are 6 & 5.
As a child, I remember Robert Frost. I’m not sure I had a favorite because I wasn’t exposed to much. Now, thanks to poetry tea time, I have too many favorites! :)
I did not have much contact with poetry as a child, but that’s being redeemed with my own children. I always enjoyed e.e. cummings and Whitman in college. Excited to read Blue Birds with my daughter!
My favorite poet of all time is Emily Dickinson. My 5th grade teacher had us memorize a poem each month and I still remember Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” to this day.
I’m teaching a literature class at our co-op this year and decided to try some poetry when I ran out of short stories appropriate for their age range. I was quite surprised at how much the kids enjoyed the poems, especially some of the non-bookish students. You never know what is going to resonate with a child, so go ahead and try it!
“You never know what is going to resonate with a child.” Preach it.
Thanks for this post! I love verse novels. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson and The Crossover by Kwame Alexander are my favorites.
I loved Shel Silverstein as a child. Sarah Cynthia Stout… ahhh… the best one. I will never forget my first grade teacher introducing us to Where The Sidewalk Ends. She was a tall woman with fiery red hair and oodles of personality. A passionate lover of the potential of children and always on the prowl for ways to inspire us, she read poetry to us constantly.
As a young child, Jack Prelusky. As a teen, the English Romantics, especially Percy Bysshe Shelley.
In college my favorite became (and remains) Gerard Manley Hopkins.
We looked into and memorized only a few poems during my childhood. One that I’ve never forgotten, however, and now keep in the forefront of my mind as motivation for the school day, is Strictland Gillilan’s “A Reading Mother”. The final stanza is especially encouraging to me:
You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be —
I had a Mother who read to me.
<3
I didn’t read a lot of poetry as a child, but I do remember enjoying Shel Silverstein. :)
I starting loving the poetry of Robert Frost as a middle-schooler. He is still my favorite today.
I really enjoyed reading Blue Birds! Waiting for my girls to get a *tiny* bit older before I share it with them.
As a child, I loved Shel Silverstein, of course. I’ve been enjoying Jack Prelutsky with my girls — I had never read him before. He has a fascinating book about writing (“Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry” is the title) with amazing stories from his own childhood!
Have you ever heard the CD version of Prelutsky’s New Kid on the Block? My boys were crazy for it. We still occasionally break into “We are gloppers, goopy gloppers, / globs of undulating glopper ooze.” Completely ridiculous and utterly fun.
I haven’t heard that one! I got a series of “holiday” poems written and performed by him, but they were a little dull, to be honest. I’ll look for New Kid on the Block! Sounds fun. :)
Just heard from Caroline Starr Rose for the first time on What Should I Read Next, and loved her! How fun to poo over here and see her on Read Aloud Revival this morning!
I have to say this article resonated so much with me. Now I can’t wait to get some verse novels for my boys to read and connect with in this way!
I hope all three of you enjoy!
My 4th grade teacher was responsible for helping me to love poetry. I loved Robert Frost and knew “Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening” by heart and also really loved “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allen Poe.
Hooray for fourth-grade teachers! “Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening” is a personal favorite, one I love think of as my own because I’ve memorized it, too. What I love about memorized poetry is you can take it out and enjoy it at any time.
My kids and I were pleasantly surprised at how much we loved reading books in prose! Bluebirds and May B were both wonderful books and we finished them way too fast! We’ve loved dipping our toes into many other books of poetry…and will continue to do so. :)
Thank you! This author is glad you had a hard time putting those books down.
I grew up in Turkey and I loved Necip Fazil Kisakurek, who was A turkish poet.
Here in the US we read with my 6 yr old son Shel Silverstein and he loves it!
I adored Out of the Dust! I can’t wait to get my hands on Caroline’s books. They seem perfect for my boys and I!
Isn’t it spectacular? I hope you and your boys enjoy.
I always loved Shel Silverstein, still do!
I adored Poe’s writings. I remember hearing “Tell-tale Heart” in class. What an impact!! Shel Silverstein of course was a favorite back in the day.
I was never exposed to a lot of poetry growing up. However, I do remember learning a few from Robert Frost and Robert Louis Stevenson. I hope to change that for my children. I want to surround my children with lots of good poetry! Thanks for all your help!!
I remember I was older before poetry was really introduced to me. I think the younger the better and so I’ve read poems to my children since they were little. This month I started having poetry and tea with them. Two of them can read which makes it it so fun, watching them choose the style of poetry that suits them.
Thank you both for sharing!
I adore this idea. What a treat!
Thank you for this beautiful post! I am so eager to introduce poetry to our adopted sons. How to best incorporate this into our homeschooling curriculum is the question before me.
Sadly, I have not read much poetry. I loved Shel Silverstein as a kid though.
I never cared for poetry as a child, actually I’ve never really cared for it because I thought it needed to be lofty and up there and hard to understand. It’s only in the past year or so that I’ve allowed myself to explore poetry and allow it to be fun and funny! My 6 year old loves poetry because I’ve relaxed about it myself and allowed us to explore it!!
It is so easy to receive the message that poetry must be one way — which often means inaccessible. Thank you for allowing it to be fun and for sharing this open mindset with your child.
It is very interesting, and I am looking forward in enjoying reading through your poetry lessons.
Robert Frost
We enjoyed Robert Frost and Robert Louis Stevenson
My great,great grandmother had a published book of poetry. She would give her friends, family and grandchildren poems for their birthdays. I used to pour over the one she had written fro my grandmother on her tenth birthday. I reminded me that she was once a little girl like me, and that one day I may be a grandmother like her.
I didn’t read any poetry as a child, but I am really enjoying Lewis Carroll, JRR Tolkien and Robert Louis Stevenson with my kids!
I didn’t really like any poetry when I was a kid; it was never taught to me in school and even though I was (and still am) a voracious reader, I never sought it out on my own. I have discovered its beauty as an adult and am doing my best to instill a love of poetry in my children!
I love that you’re doing this.
I liked Robert Frost and I was obsessed with The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Longfellow!
I was intimidated by poetry as a child, but I liked the humorous Shel Silverstein.
I loved Shel Silverstein as a child. I would copy his poems and memorize them to recite to my family.
The Swing by Robert Frost instantly fills my head every spring when I see my children skip outside on a sunny day, but probably one of my favorite poems is How Doth the Little Crocodile by Lewis Carroll because it was my papa who first shared it with me.
Lately we have been visiting haiku for mental exercise, but honestly, we don’t indulge in poetry often enough. Thank you for enriching our modern poetry experience!
This makes me want to check out some poetry! I’ve never been a big fan. I have never ventured much into different genres either and RAR is changing that!
I don’t remember much poetry in my reading as a child, aside from specific poems like the Night Before Christmas! :)
I cannot wait to begin teaching my children poetry. I love poetry and the intricate detail woven into sometimes subtle words. Like a scavenger hunt of meanings to understand the beauty of the authors intent.
Thank you!
Shel Silverstein spoke my language as a child. As adult, Pablo Neruda stole my heart.
I really didn’t read poetry as a child but love it now, as I have introduced it to my children.
I adored Ogden Nash! And in high school, Poe, and Shakespeare. And I loved “Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant.
We did Tennyson with my daughter last term. She is in fourth grade and ADORED Tennyson. She memorized two long poems of his, “The Sea Fairies,” and “The Dying Swan.” I was really proud of her!
I heard you on “Brilliant Business Moms” and can’t wait to read your book! We live in Virginia, so anything about Roanoke totally fascinates me.
Wonderful! I hope you enjoy.