Poets and Anthologies for Children Poetry is an important genre to introduce to young children.

It increases their intelligence, responds to their innate sense of rhythm and solidifies parental bonds.

ByCatherine Owen on Feb 19, 2008 Young children love the musical sounds and magical rhythms of language. They are receptive to and fascinated by odd word combinations, rhymes and repetition. From infancy to pre-school age is a great time to introduce your child to poetry. Poetry will increase their spoken and later, written vocabulary, improve the likelihood that they will become proficient readers and expand their love for literature. Importantly, reciting poetry to the young child is also a way for the parent to strengthen their bond with them. These three poets and three poetry anthologies are a good place to start.

A.A.Milne The famous author of Winnie the Pooh also wrote some wonderful books of verse. His most well known are When we were very Young and Now we are Six [EP Dutton and Co, 1927/1974]. These collections were first published in the 1920s in England with black and white illustrations by Ernest Shepherd. Many of the poems were written for A.A's son, the real life Christopher Robin, and feature him hiding, getting ill, having adventures and finding beetles. There are also terrific pieces about kings, nannies and two little bears, one of them bad and one of them good. Lots of dialogue and narrative in these poems.

Edward Lear Known as the father of nonsense, Lear, who wrote in the nineteenth century, is most famous for his limericks. He illustrated them himself with an extreme and fantastical style. Children of about six love this form, as it usually features adults acting in silly, incomprehensible and bizarre ways, as with the Old Man of Whitehaven who "danced a quadrille with a raven," or the woman who baked the Man of Peru in her pie. He also wrote The Owl and the Pussycat, The Hunting of the Snark , and The Pobble Who has No Toes [Wordsworth Classics, 1994].

Dennis Lee

For a Canadian poet of the twentieth century, check out Dennis Lee. Also known as a poet for adults, Lee wrote some of the best loved Canadian verse for children in the seventies and eighties. His poems are full of Canadian history, word play, strange characters like Nicholas Knock, and lots of humour. Favorite books include Alligator Pie [McMillan, 1974], whose poems are perfect for singing to children, and the deliciously lurid Garbage Delight. All are illustrated by the quirky drawings of Frank Newfield.

Three Anthologies There are many highly recommended collections of verse available for children. Some feature poems specifically written for kids, while others offer selections of poems from well known adult poets that particularly appeal to children. Illustrated Poems for Children was published in 1973 [Hubbard Press]. It is a large, hardbound book, illustrated boldly and colourfully by Krystyna Orska. The book features a range of memorable poems from famous poets like e.e. cummings, Emily Dickinson and Lord Byron. The poems are not organized in themes but appear to be chosen for their use of language, like Jabberwocky, or for their drama as Paul Revere's ride. Many are longer pieces for older children. worms wiggle, bugs jiggle is a thematically focused book [Reader's Digest, nd]. All the poems are about nature. Some verses are traditional, others by famous poets like Christina Rosetti. Some are also written by more modern writers. The poems are cute, highly readable, and at times humorous as with the one about the millipede who had to do up many laces before he caught the bus. Illustrations surround the poems by Iris Schweitzer. The Merry-Go-Round Poetry Book emerged most recently [Delacorte Press, 1989]. Many of the poems are about weather, the seasons or holidays. Some are written by classic children's poets like Margaret Wise Brown and Eve Merriam, others by more contemporary authors. Mother Goose rhymes are also included. Illustrations are in black and white, often humorous sketches, by Karen Gundersheimer.

Copyright Catherine Owen

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