Here are a few books that I recommend and use frequently when teaching poetry to kids. I hope youˇ you'll find one or two that are helpful for your teaching style.

Also, please, please don't hesitate to write me and ask additional questions about using poetry in your classroom. It is breathtaking to see how effective poetry can be in helping your young writers find their voices and get excited about writing something for the very first time.

Mostly these texts are listed in alphabetical order, except for Georgia Heard, because she's special.

Heard, Georgia Awakening the Heart. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1998. Wow, what an amazing resource! Still the best around. It inspires me each time I pick it up. Filled with ideas & tips, but also provides depth for understanding the tools and power of poetry for kids. Mostly elementary in focus.

Heard, Georgia For the Good of the Earth and Sun: Teaching Poetry. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1989. Heard's first book. Also a gem, brimming with practical teaching tips and inspiration. Elementary grades mostly.

Denman, Gregory A. When You've Made it Your Own: Teaching Poetry to Young People, Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH 1988. An older text that I've just discovered, Denman's text combines broad and specific strategies for using poetry in the elementary classroom. Not quite as instantly user friendly as Harrison and Janeczko below. Grade 2-6

Harrison, David L. Easy Poetry Lessons that Dazzle and Delight. New York, NY: Scholastic Professional Books, 1999. Like Paul Janeczko's two great Scholastic texts below, this is a marvelously teacher-friendly resource. 50 reproducible poems and activities with loads of great tips and lessons for teachers. Grades 3-6.

Harrison, David L. and Kathy Holderith Using the Power of Poetry to Teach language Arts, Social Studies, Math and More. New York, NY: Scholastic Professional Books, 2003 When you need poetry to connect across the curriculum, this workbook has many fun lessons and writing activities you can plug right in and use. Grades 3-6

Hewitt, Geof. Today You Are My Favorite Poet: Writing poems with teenagers Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1998. This is an excellent book for working with teenagers. The tone and the exercises have just the right inspiration and irreverence to get teen emotions rolling into poems. High and middle school.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett Pass The Poetry, Please!, New York, HarperCollins, 1998. (3rd Edition) This book is filled with good references for teachers, but is thin on actual examples. Good short bios of the most famous children's poets of this century. Scholarly.

Janeczko, Paul B. Favorite Poetry Lessons. New York, NY: Scholastic Professional Books, 1998. Wow, what a teacher-friendly reference! Clear explanations, lots of great examples, and he lays the lessons out in wonderfully logical progressions. Grades 4-8.

Janeczko, Paul B. Teaching Ten Fabulous Forms of Poetry. New York, NY: Scholastic Professional Books, 2000. This teacher-friendly resource has great lessons very carefully planned for instant use with great directions. Grades 4-8.

Janeczko, Paul B. Poetry from A to Z - A Guide for Young Writers, New York, NY: Bradford Press, 1994. Filled with fun ideas and encouragement for kids writing poetry. Aimed at upper elementary kids, but great ideas for teachers, too.

Koch, Kenneth Rose, Where Did You Get That Red? New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1990. (Second Edition). More scholarly and traditional, with ten in-depth lessons using classic/famous poems and providing lots of great models from young poets and established ones.

Routman, Regie Kid's Poems. New York, NY: Scholastic Professional Books, 2000. With four books (Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3/4th grades), Routman provides clear justification and process for teaching poetry with kids, along with some great examples of kid's work for teachers to use as models. A bit thin on ideas for different lessons and poetry types. By grade.

Stanley, Nile Creating Readers with Poetry, Maupin House, Gainesville, FL 2004. This text focuses more specifically on the power of poetry to help struggling readers. Lots of easy-to-use-lessons and poem examples. Grades 1-5.

Steinbergh, Judith W.Reading and Writing Poetry: A Guide for Teachers/Grades K-4. New York: Scholastic Trade, 1994. Excellent lessons combined with many fine models of kids' writing. I hope this is still in print, but fear it may not be.

Tiedt, Iris McClellan Tiger Lilies, Toadstools, and Thunderbolts, IRA, Newark, DE, 2002. This is a new addition to my library, and it seems easy to use and read. It covers using poetry across the curriculum, and has lesson plans. Grades 1-8.