In Flanders Field	Granfield, Linda	Wilson, Janet	Doubleday Book for Young Readers	1996	Poem as book. Actually purchased this at a small bookstore in Toronto…haven’t seen it in US. Full poem listed in front… History of poem interspersed in full-page illustrations with a line of poem. Elegant. Important.
The Tyger	Blake, William	Waldman, Neil	Harcourt Brace	1993	Poem as book. Black/white illustrations on left with section of poem…color on the right. Full poem given at end. One of the gems of the canon.
The Greatest Table: A Banquet to Fight Against Hunger	Rosen, Michael (written/edited)	mixed illustrators	Harcourt Brace	1994	Poem as book. An amazing accordion book (8-1/2 x 11) which spreads easily on a table. $$ to go to “Share Out Strength” fight against hunger. Have created reader’s theatre by using one page line per reader…valuable book, valuable message.
Soul Looks Back in Wonder	Feelings, Tom editor	Feelings Tom	Dial Books	1993	Mixed anthology. One of my most treasured signed books … with the sadness of Feelings no longer being with us. Poems by Angelou, Clifton, DeVeaux, Evans, Holmes, Hughes, Ismaili, Madhubuti, Myers, Okantah, Redmond, Toure, Walker… Distributed this book as award to middle schoolers poetry contest …
Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle…	Dunning, Stephen; Leuders, Edward; and Smith, Hugh editors	photographs… credits in front of book	Scott Foresman	1967	Mixed anthology. One of the best anthologies… short to long… upper grades. Title poem, one I always used for read-a-loud instruction….
A Pocketful of Poems	Grimes, Nikki	Steptoe, Javaka	Clarion	2000	Anthology, single. Paired poems – a lyrical verse, coupled with a haiku of same topic. Collage illustrations with paper and found objects – clay alphabet letters with such things as feathers, pipecleaners, straws… A pure delight each time I view the pages.
Dancing Teepees: Poems of American Indian Youth	Sneve, Virginia Driving Hawk (selected by)	Gammell, Stephen	Holiday House	1989	Anthology, mixed. One of the few Native collections I have...and that I feel accepted by Oyate. Illustrations of soft colors, borders, symbols that ring true. Author's comment: "Many of the selections here have been passed from the old to the young. Others are from contemporary tribal poets, who as children, learned to respect the power of the spoken word."
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices	Fleischman, Paul	Beddows, Eric	Harper & Row	1988	Anthology, single Oh, how I love this collection! Two-voice poems move from simple to complex ... all with musical rhythms. My signed copy is a treasure. Consider this book to be a necessity in any collection.
The Dreams of Hummingbirds: Poems from Nature	Colemann, Mary Ann	Masheris, Robert	Albert Whitman	1993	Anthology, single Poems to remind the reader of the wonders of nature ... with elegant illustrations by Masheris. The gems of the natural world -- such as dolphin, saguaro cactus, a lake. We lost Coleman in the fall of 2002 ... seeing her autograph in my book, I am saddened once again.
Grassroots: Poems by Carl Sandburg	Sandburg, Carl	Minor, Wendell	Harcourt Brace	1998	Anthology, single. Sandburg a treasure ... a part of the canon I love. "When water turns ice, does it remember one time it was water?" The poet's words, combined with Minor's paintings a luscious combination. Mainly poem on one page, illustration next -- with a few 2-page paintings to catch one's breath.
Old Black Fly	Aylesworth, Jim	Gammell, Stephen	Henry Holt	1992	Poem as book Shoo fly! An unexpected abc book with couplet rhymes and alliteration that bring continued chuckles. A story of fly that irritated everything ... and suffered the consequences! The brash, bright colors and unusual designs of Gammell add to the quirkiness of this tale.
Poetry Speaks to Children	Paschen, Elise (editor)	Love, Judy; Wendy Rasmussen; Paul Wendland	Sourcebooks	2005	Anthology, mixed 52 poems read by 36 poets and artists... CD comes with the book! A wonderful spin-off from the 2001 POETRY SPEAKS ... poets 1892-1997, again with CD
Wing Nuts: Screwy Haiku	Janeczko, Paul and J. Patrick Lewis	Tusa, Tricia	Little, Brown	2006	Anthology, single Great partnership ... two clever poets and an illustrator who extends the words with lots of grins. A twist on the haiku form ...with catchy application of wordplay "Freedom vanishes as the babysitter arrives ... kids are tied in nots"
The Banging Book	Grossman, Bill	Zimmerman, Robert	HarperCollins	1995	Poem as book Disaster in the toy room ... bangety, bangety. And then, "fix and fix to put things back." On the money examples of onomatopoeia: bang, bop, smash, clang, whack... Keep an eye on the two toy soldiers!
Big Talk: Poems for Four Voices	Fleischman, Paul	Giacobbe, Beppe	Candlewick	2000	Poem as book Feeling tongue tangled after Paul's poems for 2 voices? Jump into this one and hold on for a wild ride! A clear connection to the "reading" of music, and the following of the beat. Three poems ... each with its own personality, and difficulty. A must for any collection.
Meet Danitra Brown	Grimes, Nikki	Cooper, Floyd	Lothrop, Lee	1995	Anthology, single. An anthology, and also a story...moments and people in the life of Danitra -- her friends, her neighborhood, her family. Cooper's illustrations adding the visual depth to the eloquence of Grimes' words. A favorite in my collection...
My Own True Name: New and Selected Poems for Young Adults 1984-1999	Mora, Pat	Accardo, Anthony	Arte Publico	2000	Anthology, single. poetry...Mexican Americans Some with Spanish within the poems; some poems with poem in its entirety in English and Spanish. The poems ... a catch in my throat in their combination of simplicity and complexity. I revisit this collection and learn with every reading...
Magnetic Poetry Book and Creativity Kit	Kapell, Dave and Sally Steenland	--	Workman	1998	Book with information about thinking like a poet; 200 magnetic word tiles; and magnet-ready board ... Good beginning for this kind of poetry exploration...
Color: a poem by Christina Rosetti (no pic available)	Rosetti, Christina	Teichman, Mary	Harper Collins	1992	Poem as book Full poem on last page of book... First, color sample (what is blue?); then, 2-page spread of example -- "the sky is blue, where the clouds flfoat thro'"
A Brighter Garden	Dickinson, Emily collected by KarenAckerman	Tudor, Tasha	Philomel	1990	Anthology, single Short poems ... illustration/painting in oval frame, on opposite page Poems grouped by seasons -- summer, autumn, winter, spring... Index of first lines (vs. a poem title) given at end of book "I'm nobody, who are you?" ... surely part of my own family canon...
Good Luck Gold and Other Poems	Wong, Janet S.	--	McElderry Books	1994	Anthology, single. Reflecting author's experiences growing up Asian-American in LA. (Chinese immigrant father/Korean immigrant mother). My first introduction to Wong...after that, I stop-look-listen whenever I see her name. Might seem simple...but complex in message.
A Suitcase of Seaweed and Other Poems	Wong, Janet S.	--	McElderry Books	1996	Anthology, single Three parts -- Korean poems, Chinese poems, and American poems. Author reflects briefly about poems before each section. My second purchase of Wong poetry ... and others to follow because her work perceptive, and accessible poetry.
Something Permanent	Rylant, Cynthia	Evans, Walker (photographs)	Harcourt Brace	1994	Anthology, single. Book jacket describes this treasure so well: "..a voice reverent and clear, celebrating the stark beauty of lives lived in extreme circumstances." In combination with Evans' photos of people during time of Depression... I visit this volume regularly, captured by Rylant's eloquence.
God Went to Beauty School	Rylant, Cynthia	--	HarperCollins	2003	Anthology, single. God living in the human world ... with human experiences: getting a dog, making spaghetti, going to doctor, taking a bath... Each poem a bit of humor and wisdom in one package. As always, Rylant never disappoints.
Red Dragonfly on My Shoulder	Translators/Haiku Sylvia Cassedy Kunihiro Suetake	Bang, Molly	HarperCollins	1995	Haiku (anthology/mixed) such as Buson, Issa, Basho... Not necessarily literal translations, but, per editors, true to imagery and intent. Collage illustrations with unique playfulness -- everyday items ...potato, hairpin, Scotch tape... and a key for each page provided.
Spinning through the Universe: A Novel in Poems from Room 214	Frost, Helen	--	Farrar Straus	2004	Anthology, single AND also, Verse Novel A range of traditional poetry forms ... with notes on forms of _each_ poem at the end of the book! Second section uses acrostic format ... with the acrostic word connected to character and poem content. Frost skilled in both artistry of language and craft of the form. I am reminded with this book of Fleischman's SEED FOLKS where with each character introduction, we learn more as readers about earlier, and later, characters. This is a book to be savored, and shared. A book to hug.
Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States	Carlson, Lori (edited) -Sandra Cisneros -de Alba -Ortiz Cofer -Mora -Soto and more with bio notes for each poet	--	Henry Holt	1994	Anthology, mixed From book jacket: "Poems about families and parties, insults and sad memories, hot dogs and mangos, the sweet syllables of Spanish and the snag-toothed traps of English ... the glory, and pain, of being Latino American." Poems in both original language and in translation. Some with Spanish incorporated into poem; some with both full English and full Spanish... Poems to be read aloud, to be shared. For their beauty, for their importance.
This Place I Know: Poems of Comfort	Heard, Georgia (selected by) (18 poets) ... with notes about illustrators...	multiple illustrators	Candlewick	2002	Anthology, mixed Poems that address fear, loss, despair ...came from Heard's need to gather poems for children of 911. Perhaps, with these poems, we can, as Wendell Berry says in his poem: "For a time,, I rest in the grace of the world, and am free."
The Song Within My Heart	Bouchard, David	Sapp, Allen	Raincoast Books	2002	Poem as book... Title page says "story by" though words presented in poem-like format. Listening to beating drum, singers, ... "There are some things That you can call your very own. Your stories, songs and beating heart Are truly yours and yours alone."
The Radiation Sonnets: For My Love in Sickness and in Health	Yolen, Jane	--	Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill	2003	Anthology, single On 3-28-06, David Stemple, husband of Jane Yolen, lost his battle with cancer. During his days of chemo and radiation treatments, Jane wrote these sonnets ... 43 elegant, poignant, painful sonnets. She stated in the introduction: "The sonnets not only reflect what happened on a particular day, they also chart my mood at the time." Struggles with eating, with family relationships, side effects -- the roller coaster ride of experiencing the battles and ravages of cancer. This book was recommended by Jane to me when I was dealing with the cancer of a very dear friend. I continue to share it, with gratitude always to Yolen's gifts to all of us for her writing.
Food Fight poets join the fight against hunger with poems to favorite foods -- SHARE OUR STRENGTH	Rosen, Michael J. (edited)	Rosen, Michael J.	Harcourt Brace	1996	Anthology, mixed Celebrating the "goodness and greatness" of food. A book for both "good eating and good reading." Note that link to Share Our Strength, organization to which funds are sent, is linked. Such as -- artichoke, pasta, corn, chocolate cake, pretzels, .... May be gone from the bookstores, but well worth seeking this one out. Delights to read ... and I definitely hit the refrigerator soon after reading!
A Writing Kind of Day: Poems for Young Poets	Fletcher, Ralph (this title dedicated to Cynthia Rylant..)	Ward, April	Boyds Mills (Birdsong)	2005	Anthology, single Poems about poems ... and poetry forms. A new poet for me ... will be watching his work. This collection worth the investment... A "recipe" for poetry? "..two similes, one metaphor, three unusual words, and a dash of rhyme..." which the student could not do... so used best friend's pen ... "opened my notebook and started to write."
Talking with Mother Earth Hablando con Madre Tierra	Argueta, Jorge	Perez, Lucia Angela	House of Anansi Press (Groundwood Books)	2006	Anthology, single. Bilingual poems by noted Salvadoran poet .. young boy's connection to Mother Earth ... and issues of racism. Mountain, wind, corn, stones... Spanish on left, English on right. And an illustration that covers both pages.
Neighborhood Odes	Soto, Gary	Diaz, David	HarcourtBrace	1992	Anthology, single Celebration of neighborhood life -- sprinklers, fireworks, weddings, ... Poems in English ... with Spanish words throughout. End of book/list of Spanish words and phrases. Black/white illustrations appear to be paper-cuts... unique additions to this collection.