Primary Poetry Booklist
On this booklist, we have picked a selection of poetry suitable for primary school classrooms. Scroll down to find the best children’s poetry collections recommended for EYFS, KS1 and KS2.
Primary Poetry Booklist
On this booklist, we have picked a selection of poetry suitable for primary school classrooms. Scroll down to find the best children’s poetry collections recommended for EYFS, KS1 and KS2.
A collection of Michael Rosen’s poems for very young children, with delightful colour illustrations by Chris Riddell. The poems are accessible and playful, designed to capture elements of life that very small children can relate to; choosing toys, falling into a puddle or waiting for lunchtime to come. A brilliant introduction to poetry that engages young children with rhythmic and playful verses that are easy to join in with and learn by heart. You can see a few examples of the poems here.
A new collection of illustrated verses from a range of contemporary children’s poets, performers and hip-hop artists. This is the poetry collection that EYFS and KS1 classrooms have been waiting for! The poems have been selected for their suitability to read aloud and cover topics like minibeasts, pirates, animals and night time. Highly recommended.
This collection contains 22 nursery rhymes from different countries around the globe, with each poem appearing in its own language next to an English translation. Examples include ‘Song of Kites’ from Japan, ‘Spotty Spider’ from Tonga and ‘Snowman Frost’ from Denmark. For some children, this will provide a first taste of seeing printed words in other languages, while other children will delight to see their own languages featured. The selected poems are short, playful and set on full-colour illustrated spreads.
Poetry meets science and art in this beautiful picture book anthology of sea-themed poems. Each double page spread explores a different aspect of the sea, from pebbles and sandcastles to whales and puffins to lighthouses and sailors. Each new aspect is drawn out in beautifully poetic language that makes the reader reflect with awe at the natural and man-made wonders of the sea, the pleasure it provides and the unanswered questions it holds.
This beautiful poetry anthology that includes a new nature poem for every day of the year is likely to become a primary classroom essential. The collection of 366 poems (to make sure leap years are covered too!) contains a really interesting mix of poems from well-known favourites from Christina Rossetti and Walter de la Mare to more modern offerings by Benjamin Zephaniah and Carol Ann Duffy, with each poem reflecting the seasonal changes associated with that day’s position in the year. The book is structured into monthly sections and the poems accompanied by beautiful illustrations that celebrate the beauty of the natural world and changing seasons.
The Lost Words is a collaboration between Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, seeking to ‘summon what has vanished’ and celebrate a host of disappearing words relating to the natural world. This is a poetry book about preservation – of nature, of language and of childhood – and the beautifully illustrated over-sized hardback volume is in itself a book to preserve and treasure. Inside the book, readers will find acrostic ‘poem-spells’, with each one intending to preserve a nature word that has disappeared from the dictionary as well as to evoke the unique sounds, sensations and moods associated with the experiences of encountering wildlife firsthand.
Inspired by the removal of a number of nature words from children’s dictionaries while the same plants and animals are in very real decline, this magnificent book will please children and adults alike. Each word is accompanied by a breathtaking illustration and poem (or ‘spell’ – the authors encourage you to sing them). Children with an interest in the natural world will discover new words along the way.
Michael Rosen’s poetry books are a must-have in primary classrooms and this one – illustrated by Quentin Blake – has a hugely entertaining appeal in KS2. The poems zoom in on small moments from growing up, from sibling squabbles to best friends to the feeling of trying to avoid being told off by mum and dad (even when you’ve sneaked downstairs in the night to eat some chocolate cake…). Young readers may also enjoy the fact that they can see many of the poems being performed on the poet’s dedicated YouTube channel.
© BooksForTopics 2015-2023
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Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
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Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
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