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Children's and Young Adult Literature: Poetry

Poetry in the classroom

purple flowers"Teaching "great" poetry to students enhances their perceptions, improves their writing, challenges their minds, and enriches their lives."

"I have come to believe that if a poem is not good enough for an adult, it is not a quality poem for a child. Children, too, deserve a diet of poetry that blends laughter with elements of insight, human experience, and wonder so that they can make meaning of the world and their unique perspective."

Certo, J. L. (2004). Cold plums and the old men in the water: Let children read and write “great” poetry. The Reading Teacher, 58(3), 266-271.

Professional reading

Featured title

Book cover

Can you lasso the wind? Can you whip it a-gale? Can you make oceans bend To cradle each lost whale? Lasso the Wind is the first collection of children’s poetry by renowned poet and playwright George Elliott Clarke. By turns absurd, witty, playful, and profound, Clarke’s poems speak to the vivid wonder, the bright joys, and the secret pains of growing up in this world.

Locating poetry for children and youth

Browse the USask Library Catalogue to locate:

Aboriginal children's poetry (North American)

American children's poetry

Canadian children's poetry

English children's poetry

Teaching resources

*Hint: To locate children's poetry on a specific theme or topic, search the Library Catalogue for the subject, followed by the heading juvenile poetry--animals juvenile poetry ; cats juvenile poetry ; dogs juvenile poetry ; nature juvenile poetry