Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Topic: Primary Poetry

Recommended Poetry Books for Primary Children in KS2, KS1 and EYFS

On this primary poetry booklist, we have picked a selection of quality poetry books recommended for children aged 3-11. Scroll down to find the best children’s poetry collections recommended for EYFS, KS1 and KS2.

At BooksForTopics, we think that poetry is a superpower! It’s the fastest way to inject rhythm, language play and brilliant vocabulary into children’s lives – as well as empathy and consideration of different perspectives (where else can children imagine being a pebble, or a caterpillar, or a stranger arriving on a shore?). Far from being a dusty genre, primary poetry is immediate, imaginative and one of the best tools for boosting reading in the classroom.

This poetry booklist is your essential resource for finding high-quality poetry books for every primary age and stage. Whether you need an anthology packed with giggles for two-minute read-aloud slots like Whale of a Time, a collection to inspire a curriculum topic like A First Book of Dinosaurs, nature poetry like I Hear the Trees or engaging poetry on real-life themes like Overheard in a Tower Block, you’ll find it here. We also have separate booklists for poetry for KS3 and KS2 verse novels.

Explore our expertly curated booklists and let’s bring the wonder of poetry to every child.

A collection of sixteen energetic poems and rhymes to ignite the senses, with topics including fireworks, food, dragons and splashy puddles. Colourful illustrations make the book a delight to look at as well as to listen to being read aloud.

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.

A brightly-illustrated collection of catchy poems about the different sorts of dinosaurs, from the author of the popular Commotion in the Ocean. These rhymes are ideal for reading aloud and learning by heart.

We love this whacky A-Z of weird and wonderful pets. With a different pet poem for each letter of the alphabet (from armadillos to zebras via kookaburras to umbrella birds!), the poems are quirky and energetic, making them perfect to read aloud. Children will enjoy finding the poem that matches their name’s initial or just dipping in and out of the rhythmical menagerie of verses.

Poet Brian Moses selects an appealing variety of poems about different festivals in this illustrated anthology suitable for Key Stage 1. Different styles of poetry capture the spirit of a range of festivals, from Pancake Day and Holi to Eid-ul-Fitr and Chinese New Year.

A collection of Julia Donaldson’s amusing poems and rhymes that are perfect for reading aloud and sharing. The laugh-out-loud poems about everyday topics are brimming with word-play and rhyme, making this collection an excellent choice for helping children to engage with poetry in an entertaining way.

A collection of poems for children who love solving brainteasers and cracking codes. The illustrated anthology includes riddles, acrostics, kennings and paradiddles (you’ll have to read the book if – like me- you didn’t already know what a paradiddle poem is…). There is also a section of the book designated to how to write different types of puzzle poems. A brilliantly fun introduction to poetry designed to get puzzle-loving children engaged with a variety of poetic forms.

This collection of poems was shortlisted for the 2017 Laugh Out Loud Book Awards and it is not hard to see why, as each poem is designed to raise a chuckle. From the clever and witty to the downright silly, this imaginative collection of verses is likely to win over reluctant readers and be passed from pupil to pupil in KS2 classrooms.

Blast off into galaxies unknown with this illustrated collection of poems about space by a variety of children’s poets. With a diversity of poetic forms covering topics from planets and asteroids to black holes and shooting stars, this cosmic collection is likely to be enjoyed again and again by children in KS2 classroom.

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