Values of Poetry for Values of Poetry for ChildrenChildren

Pure enjoymentPure enjoyment

knowledge of worldknowledge of world

appropriate language and expand appropriate language and expand vocabularyvocabulary

identify with people and situationsidentify with people and situations

Familiar moods and feelingsFamiliar moods and feelings

Insights into themselves and Insights into themselves and othersothers

Sensitivity to universal needs and Sensitivity to universal needs and feelingsfeelings

NCTE Outstanding PoetsNCTE Outstanding Poets

19771977 David McCordDavid McCord 19781978 Aileen FisherAileen Fisher 19791979 Karla KuskinKarla Kuskin 19801980 Myra Cohn LivingstonMyra Cohn Livingston 19811981 Eve MerriamEve Merriam 19821982 John CiardiJohn Ciardi 19851985 Lillian MooreLillian Moore

19881988 Arnold AdoffArnold Adoff 19911991 Valerie WorthValerie Worth 19941994 Barbara EsbensenBarbara Esbensen 19971997 Eloise GreenfieldEloise Greenfield 20002000

Newbery WinnersNewbery Winners

19821982 Nancy Willard’s Nancy Willard’s A Visit to A Visit to William Blake’s InnWilliam Blake’s Inn

19891989 Sid Fleisman’s Sid Fleisman’s A Joyful A Joyful NoiseNoise

New York Times Best New York Times Best Seller ListSeller List

19811981 Shel Silverstein’s Shel Silverstein’s A Light in A Light in the Atticthe Attic; Best Seller List 182 weeks; Best Seller List 182 weeks

19821982 T.S. Elliot’s T.S. Elliot’s Old Possum’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical CatsBook of Practical Cats; CATS -- musical; CATS -- musical

3 million copies sold 3 million copies sold Where the Where the Sidewalks EndsSidewalks Ends

Poems Children PreferPoems Children Prefer

Contemporary poemsContemporary poems Poems about familiar & enjoyable Poems about familiar & enjoyable

experiencesexperiences Story poems Story poems HumorHumor Poems with rhythm & rhymePoems with rhythm & rhyme

Criteria for Selecting Criteria for Selecting PoetryPoetry

Exciting meters & rhythmsExciting meters & rhythms

Sound & word playSound & word play

Strong imagery Strong imagery

Simple stories, lots of actionSimple stories, lots of action

Not condescendingNot condescending

Children required to interpret and Children required to interpret and extendextend

Delightful, happy, funnyDelightful, happy, funny

Good enough to be read repeatedlyGood enough to be read repeatedly

Elements of PoetryElements of Poetry

RhythmRhythm

Rhyme and other Sound PatternsRhyme and other Sound Patterns• alliterationalliteration• assonanceassonance• onomatopoeiaonomatopoeia

RepetitionRepetition ImageryImagery

• metaphorsmetaphors• similessimiles• personificationpersonification• hyperbolehyperbole

ShapeShape

Forms of PoetryForms of Poetry

LyricLyric NarrativeNarrative BalladsBallads LimericksLimericks Concrete PoemsConcrete Poems HaikuHaiku

Poems and PoetsPoems and Poets

Nursery RhymesNursery Rhymes Nature PoemsNature Poems Characters, Situations, and Characters, Situations, and

LocationsLocations Moods and FeelingsMoods and Feelings AnimalsAnimals Witches and GhostsWitches and Ghosts

Edward LearEdward Lear Lewis CarrollLewis Carroll Laura E. RichardsLaura E. Richards Shel SilversteinShel Silverstein Jack PrelutskyJack Prelutsky William Jay SmithWilliam Jay Smith John CiardiJohn Ciardi

Robert FrostRobert Frost Aileen FisherAileen Fisher Byrd BaylorByrd Baylor Paul FleischmanPaul Fleischman Myra Cohn LivingstonMyra Cohn Livingston Valerie WorthValerie Worth David McCordDavid McCord

Langston HughesLangston Hughes Cynthia RylantCynthia Rylant