Maurynne "Em" Maxwell

Miss Em’s Favorite Poetry Teaching Books & Websites. In No Particular Order…

Fox, John. Finding What You Didn’t Lose: Expressing Your Truth and Creativity through Poem-making. Tarcher/Putnam. New York: 1995.
Fox teaches in the California Poets in the Schools Program, and is nationally known for his work in poetry therapy. His book is full of great writing exercises. For examples he uses the work of both famous poets and of adult students in his classes; it’s a good reminder that poetry can be part of our daily lives, not just in or from books.

Gendler, J. Ruth. The Book of Qualities. New York, Harper & Row. 1988

Hirsch, Edward. How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry. Harcourt. Orlando, FL: 1999.
This book introduces a wide range of poetry and poets the world over. Hirsch’s own love of the genre is enthusiastic and contagious. He also supplies a generous glossary and an extensive reading list. “Learn about poetry from the poem,” Hirsch says.

Howe, Florence. No More Masks! an anthology of 2oth century American women poets. New York, HarperCollins, 1993. 

McClatchy, J. D. ed. The Vintage Book of Contemporary World Poetry. New York, Vintage, 1996 

Medina, Tony and Louis Reyes Rivera, eds. Bum Rush the Page: a def poetry jam. New York, Random House. 2001

Moyers, Bill. The Language of Life: A Festival of Poets. Doubleday. NY: 1995.
This is the companion to a PBS series. Moyers interviews contemporary poets about their own poems and poetry in general. The poets’ own discussion of their work is joyous, provocative, and inspiring. The PBS videos are also great to watch if you can find them.    

Padgett, Ron, ed. The Teachers & Writers Handbook of Poetic Forms. Teachers & Writers Collaborative. New York: 2000.
This book is essential for any poetry library. Padgett presents more than 70 poetic forms with clear descriptions and examples of each. It is as useful for writers—both novice and professional—as it is for teachers.

Paglia, Camille. Break, Blow, Burn: Camille Paglia Reads Forty-three of the World’s Best Poems. Random House. New York: 2005.
Reading this, one can see why Paglia is celebrated as a classroom teacher. Her readings are passionate and she argues for poetry’s function as a vehicle of personal and universal expression, relevant to the world.

Wooldridge, Susan G. Poemcrazy: freeing your life with words. New York, Random House, 1996.

Kalliope Online Poetry Workshop www.anitraweb.org/kalliope/index.html  
Kalliope is a grassroots online workshop that offers free writing exercises, teaching ideas, and discussions. If you choose to participate in the workshop, it provides simple, encouraging suggestions and support.

University of Arizona Poetry Center www.poetrycenter.arizona.edu
The University of Arizona Poetry Center maintains a current list of links to poetry resources, organizations, online journals, libraries, and festivals. You can also go to the Poetry Center website for news about Poetry for Young Children, the program in which VERSE! was conceived and developed.  
 
Heard, Georgia. Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in Elementary and Middle School. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1998.
Many of Heard’s exercises can be adapted for 4 to 6 year olds. Her joy in poetry and in teaching shines through on every page. The appendices and bibliography are valuable resources in themselves and the book contains many examples of student work, which will inspire your children.
creative imagination and educating the young.


Weisbart, Jodi. Joyful Ways to Teach Young Children to Write Poetry. Jefferson City, MO: Scholastic Professional Books, 2001.
How to inspire emergent readers and writers with poetry; using the word-wall, integrating the curriculum—and again, with plenty of student examples for kids to know they can do it, too!


Academy of American Poets http://www.poets.org
The Academy of American Poets sponsors this useful website full of poetry and information about poets. Click on the “For Educators” link to find OPC, or Online Poetry Classroom. The pages are full of lesson plans, poems, and discussions about teaching poetry.

Magnificent Rainbow http://www.poetspath.com/exhibits/magnificentrainbow.html
Magnificent Rainbow is an exhibit of children’s poetry and artwork posted by the Museum of American Poetics. There are examples of different kinds of poems that children made with poet-in-the-schools master teacher Jack Collum. The poems originally appeared in Poetry Everywhere, published by Teachers & Writers Collaborative.

ReadWriteThink http://www.ReadWriteThink.org
This site is co-hosted by the International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, and MarcoPolo. There are some very good poetry lesson plans for K-2.

Teachers and Writers Collaborative www.twc.org
Teachers and Writers Collaborative supports and serves teachers, writers, and teaching writers. Their WriteNet program enables teachers to find and share ideas, lesson plans, and student poems. T&W also publishes great books for teachers; their catalog is available on the website.

Baxter, Leon, et al., illus. Mother Goose: The Children’s Classic Edition. Philadelphia: Courage Books, 1997.

Baylor, Byrd. Desert Voices. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1981.

Berry, James. Around the World in Eighty Poems. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2002.
Poems from around the world, chosen with children in mind.

Brenner, Barbara. Voices: Poetry and Art from Around the World. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2000.
Another collection worth paging through; most are for older audiences, but there are a few gems for the young ones.

Brown, Margaret Wise. The Important Book. New York: HarperTrophy, 1977.
This book-length poem is another perfect gem from the author. Each stanza on each page is a circle verse, enabling children to predict the ending lines. It’s a great springboard for discussion, appreciation, and creating new poems.

Carlson, Lori Marie, ed. Sol a Sol. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1998
The perfect book of bilingual poems for the younger set. Bright illustrations enhance these short, beautiful poems, by Carlson herself and other poets.

Day, A. Grove. The Sky Clears: Poetry of the American Indians. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1964.
This anthology is a great introduction to Native American Poetry. The beauty and simplicity of some of the poems have great appeal for children.

de Regniers, Beatrice Schenk. Sing a Song of Popcorn: Every Child’s Book of Poems. New York: Scholastic, 1988.
Collected specifically for the enjoyment of students and the use of teachers, this great anthology was originally subtitled “poems children will sit still for.”  Poems were selected for the joy of sound and rhythm with reading aloud in mind. It is divided into Fun with Rhymes, Mostly Weather, Spooky Poems, Story Poems, Mostly Animals, Mostly People, Mostly Nonsense, Seeing, Feeling, and Thinking, and In a Few Words. Perfect for both home and classroom use.

Farber, Norma and Myra Cohn Livingston. These Small Stones. New York: Harper & Row, 1997.
The poems in this anthology celebrate small things in all sorts of ways. The poets represent a range of countries and centuries, from an anonymous 8th century Japanese writer to Chilean Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda. Many of these poems are not available in other children’s collections.

Fletcher, Ralph. A Writing Kind of Day. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2005.
Ralph Fletcher works with teachers and children in schools across the United States. From this collection, use Hungry for Poetry, Snow Angel, Venus Flytrap Rap, and Bedroom Ocean for the younger ones. And whatever else your kids will like—you know them best!  Also see I Am Wings, another of Fletcher’s books and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.

Florian, Douglas. Insectlopedia. San Diego: Harcourt. 1998.
This was author/illustrator Florian’s breakout book. His poems about insects are accompanied by exceptional paintings. Florian focuses on particular facts about the creatures he features, and the poems often have a humorous twist. His books are great for weaving poetry throughout school curriculum. Also see In the Swim, poems about sea creatures, and Mammalabilia, poems about mammals.

---. Zoo’s Who. Orlando: Harcourt, 2005.
    Zippity Zoo-dah! Come back from your field trip and write poems.

Foster, John.  My First Oxford Book of Poems.  Oxford University Press.  Oxford: 2000.
A wonderful collection for children, full of imagination and fun.

Gollub, Matthew. Cool Melons—Turn to Frogs! The Life and Poems of Issa. New York: Lee & Low, 1998.
The marriage of story, haiku, and illustration in this book is perfect. Issa’s life touches the heart; the choice of haiku shows how poetry comes from our everyday lives. The tender illustrations by Kazuko G. Stone demonstrate the concept that these short poems are about capturing a moment.

Greenfield, Eloise. Honey, I Love. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 1995.
You will find this book on almost every recommended list, deservedly so. Greenfield is one of our best children’s poets.

Hall, Donald, ed. The Oxford Book of Children’s Verse in America. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985.
The Oxford collections are always wonderful; Hall writes for children, so he has a good sensibility. From the more formal verse of earlier centuries to the whimsy of today, this collection covers all. It belongs in every library.

Harrison, David L. The Animals’ Song. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills, 1997.
A parade of animals and the noises they make marches across the pages with gleeful rhyme. Use this book if you want your children to make noise!

Harrison, Michael, ed. The Oxford Treasury of Children’s Poems. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
A wonderful collection of short poems by many great poets, including Ogden Nash, Victor Hugo, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Christina Rossetti.

Herrera, Juan Felipe. Laughing Out Loud, I Fly: Poems in English and Spanish. New York: Joanna Cotler Books, 1998.
Wonderfully imaginative and inspired by Picasso, these poems are teeming with great images. Ask your kids to watch the pictures in their minds as you read aloud.
    
Hucko, Bruce, ed. A Rainbow at Night. San Franciso: Chronicle Books, 1996. Art & writing of Navajo children.

Hudson, Wade. Pass it On. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1993.
A collection of poetry by famous African American poets. All the poems capture the joy and discoveries of childhood within the context of the African American experience. These poems shine with warmth and wonder.

Hughes, Langston. The Dream Keeper and Other Poems. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1996.
Langston Hughes was one of the best known artists to emerge from the Harlem Renaissance and is one of the most influential poets of the 20th century. The Dream Keeper and Other Poems is an inspiring collection for children and an American classic.
Jerome, Gillian. Verse! Poetry for Young Children. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Poetry Center, 2006.
Lessons for 4-6 year olds, some of which adapt easily upwards or downwards. Miss M helped edit this book, and tested some of the lessons. There is a far more comprehensive bibliography in it. The one you’re reading now contains my personally field-tested favorites.

Keisuke, Nishimoto. Haiku Picturebook for Children. Torrance, CA: Heian International, 1999.
Arranged seasonally, these haiku from ten great masters are a wonderful introduction to the form.

Kennedy, Caroline, ed. A Family of Poems. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2005.
The Kennedy children were encouraged by their mother to pick their favorite poems and copy and illustrate them for holiday gifts. Jacqueline Kennedy kept these gifts in a poetry scrapbook. Using that scrapbook, as well as poems she discovered while working in New York City schools, Caroline Kennedy gathered the poems for this collection. It’s a wonderful selection of classic and contemporary poetry.

Kennedy, Dorothy M. and X. J. Kennedy, eds. Knock At a Star: A Child’s Introduction to Poetry. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1982.
This book is filled with the work of many great poets and divided into sections helpful for teachers, such as Word Music, Images, and Humor. One of the essentials for any visiting poet or classroom teacher.

Koch, Kenneth and Kate Farell, eds. Talking to the Sun: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems for Young People. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1985.
The poems in this collection are accompanied by stunning photographs from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Monet, Matisse, Hopper, Picasso and more are presented with poems by such masters as Yeats, Blake, Neruda, Shakespeare, and Li Po. Because there is so much material—artwork, poetry and information—in this book, you’ll want to consider it a reference text to support your teaching rather than a primary teaching text. This book has much to offer children and adults alike.

Kuskin, Karla. Moon, Have You Met My Mother? New York: Laura Geringer Books, 2003.
This book collects more than 40 years of Kuskin’s poetry. The poems are arranged thematically (animals, seasons, magical creatures, etc.) and can easily be extracted to include in all sorts of lessons.

Lansky, Bruce. My Dog Ate My Homework. Minnetonka, MN: Meadowbrook Press, 2002.
When Bruce Lansky wrote this book, previously published under the title Poetry Party, he asked 1,000 students and teachers to recommend their favorite poems for inclusion. The result is a laugh-out-loud funny collection of poems.

Lesynski, Loris. Dirty Dog Boogie. Wilowdale, Ontario, Canada: Annick Press, 1999. Loris writes & illustrates many books of poetry for children. There’s a poem about hating poetry sure to convert reluctant writers!

Livingston, Myra Cohn. I Like You, If You Like Me: Poems About Friendship. New York:  Holiday House, 1987.
A collection of 90 poems about friendship by both contemporary and traditional poets, divided into nine sections reflecting the diversity of feelings and thoughts on the subject.

Mora, Pat. The Desert is My Mother / El desierto es mi madre. Houston: Arte Publico, 1994.
This poem perfectly captures a child’s relationship with the desert’s nurturing power.

---. Listen to the Desert / Oye al desierto. New York: Clarion, 1994.

Nye, Naomi Shihab, ed. The Tree Is Older Than You Are: A Bilingual Gathering of Poems & Stories from Mexico with Paintings by Mexican Artists. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1998.
Quite a few of the shorter poems will easily work with younger children. Don’t be afraid to read the longer ones aloud; kids will still appreciate their musicality and imagery.

____. Salting the Ocean: 100 Poems by Young Poets. Poems from workshops Nye has done with children over the years, from grades 1-12. The only thing lacking is the ages/grades of the children. When you’re saying, “A kid wrote this, you can do it, too,” sometimes it would be helpful to know the age. Young children can surprise you with the sophistication of their ideas and language.

O’Neill, Mary. Hailstones and Halibut Bones: Adventures in Color. New York:  Delacorte Press, 1989.
These are wonderful poems about colors. They will stretch the imagination and inspire great poetry.

Paschen, Elise, ed. Poetry Speaks to Children. Napierville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2005.
In the tradition of the wonderful Poetry Speaks, this collection includes a CD of poets reading their own work. Read and hear Gwendolyn Brooks, Carl Sandburg, Sonia Sanchez, Roald Dahl, Robert Frost....the list goes on. Paschen and advisory editors Billy Collins, Nikki Giovanni, and X. J. Kennedy have selected works with the right amounts of imagination, humor, and joy. The illustrations are beautiful, too.

Prelutsky, Jack, ed. The 20th Century Children’s Poetry Treasury. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1999.
What a labor of love!  Children's poet and anthologist Jack Prelutsky has collected 211 of his favorite poems by 137 poets, representing the best of verse from each decade of the 20th century. The only odd thing is that there aren’t any sad poems. But any poetry collection is not complete without it.

---, ed. For Laughing Out Loud: Poems to Tickle Your Funny Bone. New York: Knopf, 1991.
If you believe in the old saying, “Laugh, and the world laughs with you,” then give a copy of this book to every little giggler you know. It’s filled with funny poems by a wide range of great poets including Dennis Lee, Karla Kuskin, William Cole and X. J. Kennedy.

---. A Pizza  the Size of the Sun. New York: Greenwillow, 1996.
Yet another masterful collection of poems by the prolific Prelutsky, filled with zany people, improbable creatures, and rhythm and rhyme galore. These poems celebrate the unusual, the mundane, and the slightly gruesome. Also recommended: The New Kid on the Block, another collection of just Prelutsky poems, and Awful Ogre’s Awful Day, a great story poem.

---. Scranimals. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2003.
A scintillating read for kids with large imaginations and big brains for wordplay. Scranimal Island is a mythical place populated by the Rhinocerose and the cunning Brocco-lions.

Scheer, Julian. Rain Makes Applesauce. New York: Holiday House, 1964.
A celebration of imagination, nonsense, and wonder; a Caldecott Honor Book; a treasure, a pleasure, a favorite.

Seuss, Dr. Dr. Seuss’s ABC: the Amazing Alphabet Book. New York: Random House, 1991.
One cannot say enough about Ted Geisel, who, in the persona of Dr. Seuss, revolutionized children’s literature in the United States. So we recommend everything, really. In particular, for imagination, Oh the Thinks You Can Think.

Sierra, Judy, ed. Schoolyard Rhymes: Kids' Own Rhymes for Rope Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plain Fun. New York: Knopf, 2005.
The title says it all! From "Columbus went to sea, sea, sea," to "Anna Banana," to "Teddy bear, Teddy bear, turn around," these rhymes will make the little ones giggle and most importantly, foster their facility at language play. There are also some great variations on "Roses are red."

Spooner, Michael. A Moon in Your Lunchbox. New York: Henry Holt, 1993.
Moon poems and lovely language play: “…the play of rhymes like sunbeams / on the page; the flight of thoughts like birds.”  In addition to the title poem, Don’t Kill the Bee and Mud Love are great for the small ones.

Stockland, Patricia M. Fur, Fangs, and Footprints: a Collection of Poems about Animals. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point Books, 2004.
This is from The Poet’s Toolbox series. The poems themselves are good for the young ones, though the suggestions and tips in the margins are for older kids—and teachers! You’ll get some good ideas to expand your own teaching. Look for the other books, too.

Wersba, Barbara. Twenty-Six Starlings Will Fly Through Your Mind. New York: Harper, 1980.
An imaginative, lyrical alphabet book with stunning illustrations. Really good for the imagination!

Books for inspiration & ideas for Writing the Sacred®

Amazing Grace: a vocabulary of faith by Kathleen Norris. Riverhead, 1998
Angels and Dragons: on sorrow, God, and healing by Molly Wolf. Doubleday, 2001

Blessing: the art and the practice by David Spangler. Riverhead, 2001

Celtic Devotional by Caitlin Matthews. Harmony,1996

Communion edited by David Rosenberg. Doubleday,1996

Finding What You Didn't Lose by John Fox. Putnam, 1995

God's Trombones by James Weldon Johnson. Viking, 1969 reprint of 1927 edition

Going On Faith: writing as a spiritual quest by William Zinsser. Marlowe & Co, 1999

Graces by June Cotner. HarperCollins, 1994

Healing Ceremonies by Carl A. Hammerschlag, M.D. & Howard D. Silverman, M.D. Berkley, 1997

Help, Thanks, Wow by Anne Lamott. Riverhead Books, 2012

Joyful Noise edited by Rick Moody & Darcey Steinke. Little Brown, 1997

Life's Companion: journal writing as a spiritual quest by Christina Baldwin. Bantam, 1990

Ordinary People As Monks & Mystics by Marsha Sinetar. Paulist Press, 1986

Pastrix by Nadia Bolz-Weber, Jericho Books, 2013

A Poet's Bible by David Rosenberg. Hyperion,1991

Practical Mysticism by Evelyn Underhill. Ariel, 1987 reprint of 1914 edition.

Put Your Heart on Paper by Henriette Anne Klauser. Bantam, 1995

Sacred America by Roger Housden. Simon & Schuster, 1999

The Sacred Path edited by John Bierhorst: Spells, Prayers & Power Songs of the American Indians. Morrow, 1984

Sacred Voices: Essential Women’s Wisdom through the Ages, Mary Ford-Grabowsky, ed. Harper SanFrancisco, 2001

Seeking Enlightenment Hat by Hat by Nevada Barr. Putnam, 2003

Soul Survivor: How my faith survived the Church by Philip Yancey. Doubleday, 2001

Spiritual Genius by Winifred Gallagher. Random House, 2002

Spiritual Literacy: reading the sacred in everyday life by Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat. Scribner, 1996

Spiritual RX: Prescriptions for Living a Meaningful Life by Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat. Hyperion, 2000

Storming Heaven's Gate edited by Amber Coverdale Sumrall & Patrice Vecchione. Penguin,1997

Tables In the Wilderness by Preston Yancey. Zondervan, 2014

Tying Rocks To Clouds by William Elliott. Doubleday, 1995

Walking in Light: the Everday Empowerment of a Shamanic Life by Sandra Ingerman. Sounds True, 2015

Women In Praise of the Sacred edited by Jane Hirshfield. Harper, 1995

Wrestling With Your Angels: a spiritual journey to great writing by Janet O. Hagberg. Adams Media Corp, 1995

The Bible
Tao Te Ching
Poems & Prayers of Rumi
Poetry of Hafiz

website:http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/