Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Format: Poetry

To celebrate 50 years since the first moon landing by Apollo 11 in 1969, here is an original collection of 50 poems. In his poems Dom tells us of two important things – the Moon is incredible: it controls our tides, to give us 24-hour days and it keeps our planet stable enough to have seasons. Dom reminds us that poetry too is incredible because it is the most flexible form of expressing ourselves and has been always how we used to tell stories, particularly about our ways of seeing this incredible Moon. The Moon is an inspiring rock of possibilities. Dom uses lots of poetry forms, short poems and long ones, silly ones and serious ones. There are haiku and sonnets, acrostics and shapes. He uses metaphors and kennings and slang. Dom says read the poems and fly to the moon!

Tonight I fancy a flight,
so I shuffle my short feathers
and jump…

Take off on a night flight, have a monster’s lunch, listen to birdsong, shout out the Apatosaurus rap and check out Alexander Fleming’s petri dish. The read the note Cinderella left for her Ugly Sisters!

A spectacular debut collection from an exciting new poet who is also a brilliant performer of her work in schools and festivals.

A collection of funny poetry, selected and curated by Michael Rosen purely to entertain and delight.

Clustered into groups that appeal to children’s common interests – food, animals, playground rhymes etc. – this collection will entertain children with a mixture of Michael Rosen’s own poems, verses by a range of famous poets, familiar-sounding traditional playground chants and tongue-twisters, and even poems written by primary children.

The thread that brings together the collection is that the poems are humorous in silly and subversive ways, with twists on old classics and brand new playful rhymes to discover.

 

From Allie Esiri, editor of the bestselling A Poem for Every Day of the Year and A Poem for Every Night of the Year , comes this beautiful gift anthology of Shakespeare’s works.

William Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays, 154 sonnets and a handful of longer poems and you can discover them all here. Each page of this unique collection contains an extract, which might be a famous poem, quote or scene, matched to the date. Allie Esiri’s introductions give her readers a new window into the work, time and life of the greatest writer in the English language.

Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year is perfect for reading or sharing and brings you Shakespeare’s best-known and best-loved classics alongside lesser known extracts. Esiri’s entertaining and insightful thoughts on each entry will fill your year with wonder, laughter, wisdom and wit.

Edward Lear was the greatest nonsensicalist of all time. He was the inventor of the limerick and created the Jumblies and The Owl and the Pussycat. This complete edition of Lear’s nonsense verse – including the limericks, longer verses, alphabets and his own illustrations – is lovingly restored and beautifully presented, for adults and children to enjoy together.

The perfect gift for children aged 8+, this stunning classic collection of poetry will delight a new generation of readers of the Faber Children’s Classics list.

Peacock Pie contains the finest of Walter de la Mare’s poems for children, accompanied by exquisite original illustrations from Edward Ardizzone. This beautiful new edition of a classic anthology is an essential part of any child’s bookshelf.

This wondrous new poetry collection captures eye-popping moments, tender observations and a thousand whimsical reflections on the sheer joy of the natural world. Thought-provoking, sensitive and delightfully original, Cherry Moon, poses big questions about life with poems and other small gatherings of words; encouraging children of every age to explore the power, enchantment and sheer wonderfulness of nature.

Rhythm and Poetry (otherwise known as RAP) is by Hip Hop artist and poet Karl Nova. The beauty of rap lyricism and Hip Hop influenced poetry is displayed with wit, humour and positivity. His approach is to meet young people where they are and engage them with the style and attitude they are familiar with. This collection reflects on his journey of growth from childhood to adulthood through the lens of Hip Hop culture.

The wonderful Roger McGough has drawn together a stunning collection of poems inspired by the five senses. Gems from the very best classic and contemporary poets such as Carol Ann Duffy, Ian McMillan, John Hegley, William Wordsworth, Vernon Scannell and Michael Rosen will captivate any reader. Prepare for a welcome assault on your senses!

The Best Ever Book of Funny Poems is a brilliantly funny anthology of the most giggle-worthy children’s poems from one of the nations most celebrated children’s poets, Brian Moses.

Perfect for gifting and for reading aloud, you’ll be chortling along with Brian as he shows you the funniest poems in the world! Explore chucklesome poems about pets, funny creatures, school, family, fantasy and fairy-tales, dinosaurs and dragons, space, and just plain SILLY poems. With poets such as Brian Bilston, Sue Hardy-Dawson, Pie Corbett and Paul Cookson next to Liz Brownlee, Mike Jubb, James Carter and Rachel Rooney, this is the ultimate hysterical collection of rib-tickling poems guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.

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