
Children's poetry is
poetry
Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
written for,
appropriate for, or enjoyed by
children
A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...
.
Children's poetry is one of the oldest art forms, rooted in early
oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...
, folk poetry, and
nursery rhymes
A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and other European countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes.
Fro ...
. Children have always enjoyed both works of poetry written for children and works of poetry intended for adults. In the West, as people's conception of childhood changed, children's poetry shifted from being a teaching tool to a form of entertainment.
The first glimpse of children being shaped by poetry was noted by The Opies, renowned anthologists and literary historians. They saw that before the mid-eighteenth century there wasn't much written for children aside from encouraging phrases.
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
s of the 18th century launched the modern genre of children's poetry.
Today, many poets (such as
Dr. Seuss,
Shel Silverstein
Sheldon Allan Silverstein (; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, cartoonist, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before being drafted into ...
, and
Jack Prelutsky) are primarily known for their work aimed at children; many poets who primarily write for adults (such as
Ogden Nash
Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his Light poetry, light verse, of which he wrote more than 500 pieces. With his unconventional rhyme, rhyming schemes, he was declared by ''The New York T ...
and
Robert Frost
Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American Colloquialism, colloquial speech, Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New E ...
) are also known for beloved children's poetry.
History
Early children's poetry
Poetry is universal throughout the world's oral traditions as songs and folklore passed down to younger generations.
[Ntuli, Cynthia Danisile Daphne (20 December 2013). " Children's oral poetry: A reflection on the role of Imilolozelo (lullabies) as Art Performance in Zulu". ''Muziki''. 10 (sup1): 13–23. doi:10.1080/18125980.2013.852739. ]ISSN
An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit to uniquely identify a periodical publication (periodical), such as a magazine. The ISSN is especially helpful in distinguishing between serials with the same title. ISSNs a ...
1812-5980. S2CID 192177851. Retrieved 10 August 2021. The oldest works of children's poetry, such as
Zulu imilolozelo, are part of cultural oral traditions.
In China, the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
became known as the Golden Age of Chinese poetry with the invention of the movable type.
[The Evolution of Children's Stories]
. ''www.mykabook.com''. Retrieved 10 August 2021. Some poets chose to write poems specifically for children, often to teach moral lessons. Many poems from that era, like "Toiling Farmers", are still taught to children today.
In Europe, written poetry was uncommon before the invention of the
printing press
A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in whi ...
.
[Adcock, Joshua. "Publishing Shakespeare: A History of the Printing Press.".] Most children's poetry was still passed down through the oral tradition. However, some wealthy children were able to access handmade lesson books written in rhyme.
With the invention of the printing press, European literature exploded.
The earliest printed poetry for children is nearly all educational in nature. In the fifteenth century and sixteenth century, courtesy books aimed at children sought to teach them good manners and appropriate behavior.
Les Contenances de la Table, published in 1487, is a French example;
The Babee's Boke and
Queen Elizabethe's Academy are both English examples, printed in the 1500s.
The first children's book printed in the New World was
John Cotton's ''Milk for Babes, Drawn out of the Breasts of Both Testaments, Chiefly for the Spiritual Nourishment of Boston Babes'' in either England, but may be of like use for any children.
[Cotton, John, BD; Royster, Paul (1646). ''Milk for Babes. Drawn Out of the Breasts of Both Testaments. Chiefly, for the Spirituall Nourishment of Chiefly, for the Spirituall Nourishment of BostonBoston Babes in Either Babes in Either EnglandEngland: But May Be of Like Use for Any Children (1646) : But May Be of Like Use for Any Children''. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Retrieved 10 August 2021.] Published in 1646, it was a child's Puritan catechism.
While the first edition was not in verse, later editions were rewritten into the earliest American children's poetry.
Another notable work of early children's poetry is
John Bunyan
John Bunyan (; 1628 – 31 August 1688) was an English writer and preacher. He is best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', which also became an influential literary model. In addition to ''The Pilgrim' ...
's ''A Book for Boys and Girls'', first published in 1686, and later abridged and re-published as ''Divine Emblems''.
It consists of short poems about common, everyday subjects, each in rhyme, with a Christian moral.
Eighteenth century
In the eighteenth century, a separate genre of children's literature, including poetry, began to emerge.
As before, many works of children's poetry were written to teach children moral virtues. Isaac Watts' Divine Songs are an example of this concept.
They were reprinted for a 150 years, in six or seven hundred editions.
In fact, they were so popular that
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...
parodied them two hundred years later in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
[Murdoch, Lydia. "Alice and the Question of Victorian Childhood - Archives & Special Collections Library - Vassar College". ''specialcollections.vassar.edu''. Retrieved 10 August 2021.] JR Townshend argues that
Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts (17 July 1674 – 25 November 1748) was an English Congregational minister, hymn writer, theologian, and logician. He was a prolific and popular hymn writer and is credited with some 750 hymns. His works include " When I Survey th ...
was the first true poet for children.
For the first time since the invention of the printing press, children's poetry was being written to entertain.
Nursery rhymes became popular for children in the mid-eighteenth century.
The first published book of children's nursery rhymes was likely
Tommy Thumb's Song Book, published in 1744 by a woman named Mrs. Cooper.
Most of the nursery rhymes contained in the Song Book are familiar to modern audiences, and were most likely passed through the oral tradition before being written down.
In the late eighteenth century,
John Newbery
John Newbery (9 July 1713 – 22 December 1767), considered "The Father of Children's Literature", was an English publisher of books who first made children's literature a sustainable and profitable part of the literary market. He also supported ...
, the first publisher of English children's books, began to publish children's poetry. He first published the
Mother Goose
Mother Goose is a character that originated in children's fiction, as the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes. She also appeared in a song, the first stanza of which often functions now as ...
rhymes in the 1760s and then
A Little Pretty Pocket-Book a few years later.
Nineteenth century

In the nineteenth century, children's poets continued to write for children's entertainment.
Ann Taylor and
Jane Taylor wrote several books of children's poetry that contained poems such as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and "My Mother".
The Cambridge History of English and American Literature claims that their poems are 'proverbial'.
Cautionary tales like Miss Turner's Cautionary Stories became popular around this time, and were reprinted well into the twentieth century.
These 'cautionary tales' follow the pattern of the Divine Songs and Courtesy Books of past centuries- they are short verses about children who do something terrible and face the consequences. They became enough of a cultural staple to be parodied by writers such as
Hilaire Belloc
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc ( ; ; 27 July 187016 July 1953) was a French-English writer, politician, and historian. Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist. His Catholic fait ...
and
Edward Gorey
Edward St. John Gorey (February 22, 1925 – April 15, 2000) was an Americans, American writer, Tony Awards, Tony Award-winning costume designer, and artist, noted for his own illustrated books as well as cover art and illustration for book ...
.
Other moralist authors, like Charles and Mary Lamb, wanted to educate more than preach.
Their best-known work for children, Tales from Shakespeare, attempted to simplify and censor the works of
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
to be suitable for young minds.
Critics praised the clarity of the writing, but even at the time, argued that it might be too complicated for children to understand.
Also during this time, society started seeing childhood as a different state from adulthood, an innocent state that should be focused on gentle education and play.
One of the most significant works from the early nineteenth century was
William Roscoe
William Roscoe (8 March 175330 June 1831) was an English banker, lawyer, and briefly a Member of Parliament. He is best known as one of England's first abolitionists, and as the author of the poem for children '' The Butterfly's Ball, and th ...
's 1807 The Butterfly's Ball, and the Grasshopper's Feast. Despite a mixed reception from critics, its significance cannot be understated, and all modern picture books owe something to its influence.
Other stories-in-verse followed, including
A Visit From Saint Nicholas (better known as 'Twas the Night before Christmas) and Robert Browning's
The Pied Piper of Hamelin.
These works, written by 'respectable' members of society, proved that public opinion was changing.
Children's literature was as likely to be fanciful as it was moralizing.
Around this time, the
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm (1786–1859), were Germans, German academics who together collected and published folklore. The brothers are among the best-known storytellers of Oral tradit ...
began collecting folklore.
Romantic ideals of nationalism and aestheticism suddenly gave fairy tales a new significance.
Many nineteenth century authors began to write new fairy tales, some in prose and some in verse.
This new cultural acceptance of romanticism and lack of meaning in children's literature led to the creation of a new genre of children's poetry: nonsense verse, whimsical poetry that focuses more on sound than sense.
Although nonsense verse existed for most of human history, it was rare to see original nonsense verse in print until the 1800s.
One of the first modern poets to write nonsense verse was
Edward Lear
Edward Lear (12 May 1812 – 29 January 1888) was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, who is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limerick (poetry), limericks, a form he popularised. ...
- his limericks focus on absurd, whimsical situations, and his later poetry revels in made-up words and ridiculous concepts.
Lear's most notable poems include The Jumblies,
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat, and The Pobble Who Has No Toes.
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...
, author of
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...
, also is well known for writing nonsense verse. His parodies of famous children's poetry, such as How Doth the Little Crocodile, shine an amusing light on Victorian children's moral lessons.
At the turn of the century,
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...
wrote a number of notable poems for children.
[Karlin, Daniel (23 December 2015). "Kipling and the origins of the 'Just-So' stories". ''OUPblog''. Retrieved 27 August 2021.] Most of them are contained in the
Jungle Book
''The Jungle Book'' is an 1894 collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who ...
or in the
Just So Stories, an anthology of stories that Kipling wrote for his daughter Effie.
Twentieth century
Children's poetry continued to diversify and expand through the twentieth century, adopting new forms and new methods of expression.
["Poetry for Children." ''The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature''. Edited by Daniel Hahn. Oxford University Press, Inc., Oxford, UK, 2015]
One of the twentieth century's pioneers of picture books was
Leonard Leslie Brooke, who wrote picture books about a character named Johnny Crow.
Unlike previous illustrated books for children, they were single poems with each line of verse illustrated, rather than a series of poems each with their own illustration.
Children's magazines like
St. Nicholas Magazine were also instrumental in the growth of children's poetry during this period.
Notable authors like
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a collection of novels, essays, short stories, and poetry beginning in 1908 with '' Anne of Green Gables''. Sh ...
and
William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray ( ; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was an English novelist and illustrator. He is known for his Satire, satirical works, particularly his 1847–1848 novel ''Vanity Fair (novel), Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portra ...
published poetry in these magazines, and many young poets published their first works thanks to the contests the magazine regularly held.
[Shaw, John McKay (1965). ''poems, poets & illustrators of St. Nicholas magazine, 1873-1943''. Tallahassee: Florida State University, Strozier Library. Retrieved 5 February 2022.]
Other notable children's poets of the early 20th century include
Eleanor Farjeon,
Laura E. Richards, and
Walter de la Mare
Walter John de la Mare (; 25 April 1873 – 22 June 1956) was an English poet, short story writer and novelist. He is probably best remembered for his works for children, for his poem "The Listeners", and for his psychological horror short fi ...
. Richards was described by
May Hill Arbuthnot as 'the American Poet Laureate of Nonsense for Children', and started her career writing poetry for St. Nicholas magazine.
She published many short, narrative poems in magazines, and her first book, 'Tirra Lirra', in 1932.
In the 1920s,
AA Milne emerged as a notable children's poet. While he's best known for his
Winnie-The-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh (also known as Edward Bear, Pooh Bear or simply Pooh) is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by ...
series of children's stories, he began writing children's literature with two books of poetry. Milne was a successful playwright and adult poet, but in 1924 he wrote
When We Were Very Young
''When We Were Very Young'' is a best-selling book of poetry by A. A. Milne. It was first published in 1924, and it was illustrated by E. H. Shepard. Several of the verses were set to music by Harold Fraser-Simson. The book begins with an intro ...
and
Now We Are Six
''Now We Are Six'' is a 1927 book of children's poetry by A. A. Milne, with illustrations by E. H. Shepard. It is the second collection of children's poems following Milne's ''When We Were Very Young'', which was first published in 1924. The co ...
- two poetry books which are still popular among children to this day. Milne's views on writing children's poetry show how, by this time, children's poets approached their work seriously, with the same passion they put into writing for adults:
"The practice of no form of writing demands such a height of technical perfection as the writing of light verse... When We Were Very Young is not the work of a poet becoming playful, nor of a lover of children expressing his love, nor of a prose-writer knocking together a few jingles for the little ones, it is the work of a light-verse writer taking his job seriously even though he is taking it into the nursery."
Rachel Field
Rachel Lyman Field (September 19, 1894 – March 15, 1942) was an American novelist, poet, and children's literature, children's fiction writer. She is best known for her work ''Hitty, Her First Hundred Years''. Field also won a National Book Awa ...
became another popular children's poet at this time, with her books ''
The Pointed People'' and ''Taxis and Toadstools.''
Field wrote about everything from fairies to postmen, rural Maine to New York City, dogs chasing fireflies to profound heartbreak.
She published seven collections of poetry throughout her life, with an eighth posthumous collection posthumously. Her book ''
Prayer for a Child'' won the
Caldecott Medal
The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...
in 1945, a few years after her death.
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. An early innovator of jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harl ...
also became a prominent poet around this time, during the
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African-American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics, and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the ti ...
. He was one of the first notable African-American poets to be widely read by children. While he mostly focused on poetry for adults, Hughes wrote a book of poems called ''The Dream Keeper'' specifically for children.

Children's poetry in the mid-20th century was dominated by
Theodor Geisel, otherwise known as Doctor Seuss. Dr. Seuss wrote more than 50 books during his lifetime, most of which are in rhyme; they've sold over 200 million copies, and have been translated into 15 languages. Seuss made two great contributions to children's poetry. He pioneered the "early reader" picture book, which uses a limited number of words to help children learn to read. He also mixed morality and nonsense, in a way that few children's authors have successfully managed. Seuss' jaunty, zany books are a staple of families and classrooms to this day, and have helped many English-speaking children learn to read.
The turbulent political climate of the 1960s meant that children's poets began to address new topics.
"Issues of war and peace, social injustice and racial prejudice, technology and urban life were addressed in children's poetry for the first time. Poets also began to experiment with new forms, such as free verse, concrete poetry, and the use of dialect..."
The late 1970s saw several notable poets taking a playful attitude to children's poetry, specifically with the rise of ‘urchin verse’ in the United Kingdom.
Notable authors exhibiting this kind of poetic technique include:
Michael Rosen,
Allan Ahlberg, and
Benjamin Zephaniah
Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (15 April 1958 – 7 December 2023) was a British writer, dub poet, actor, musician and professor of poetry and creative writing. Over his lifetime, he was awarded 20 honorary doctorates in recognition of his c ...
all of whom critically influenced the shaping of the modern educational and playground experience for children.
Twenty-first century
Much of recent children's poetry has been confined to the medium of picture books and, as a result, aimed at younger children as the audience.
In the United States,
Julia Donaldson,
Shel Silverstein
Sheldon Allan Silverstein (; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, cartoonist, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before being drafted into ...
,
Jack Prelutsky,
Kenn Nesbitt, and
Theodor Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss, are still popular among children.
Importance
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionism, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalism, Transcendentalist movement of th ...
suggested poetry helps children learn the power of a few words.
[Kuskin, Karla. "Poetry in Children's Literature." ''Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature''. Edited by Bernice E. Cullinan, and Diane G. Person. Continuum, London, UK, 2005] He proposes that through any form of verse, children can be introduced to both language and rhythm held within poetic structure.
Sandra Lennox expands on this point with her studies suggesting poetry helps children strengthen their oral and written language skills along with their mental understanding of the world around them.
[Lennox, Sandra. "The Potential of Poetry for Early Literacy Learning: Why, how and what?" ''Practically Primary'', vol. 19, no. 3, 2014, pp. 21-24. EBSCOhost; Education Source] She also suggests that the rhythmic nature of poetry helps children hoan their vocabulary and word meaning abilities.
Poetry helps children develop their literacy skills such as phonemic awareness through pitch, voice inflection, and volume; memorization through patterns and sequences; physical awareness of breath, and movements of the mouth and other gestures as they align to the rhythm of the poetry.
["5 Benefits of Poetry Recitation in a Child's Literacy Development , Scholar Base". ''scholar-base.com''. Retrieved 2018-11-19.] Scholars also see that poetry and nursery rhymes are universal throughout cultures as an oral tradition.
Furthermore, Krystyna Nowak-Fabrykowski found, in her analysis of poems published by children in Canadian elementary school, that poetry helps guide children to express themselves in a more creative and descriptive nature.
Also, Mika and Tsitsi Nyoni found, through their study of the African Indigenous Knowledge System, that poems cannot be treated as solely an element of “play” for children because of the loaded content children need to interact with to engage in the activity.
[Nyoni, Tsitsi, and Mika Nyoni. "The Form and Content of Children's Poetry and Games on a Kaleidoscopic Cultural Terrain." ''Theory & Practice in Language Studies'', vol. 3, no. 2, 2013, pp. 233-243. EBSCOhost; Education Source] They go on to explain that poems instill values and attitudes that direct the child throughout the rest of their lives while remaining in the comfort of their own homes.
Inspired by Hollindale's Signs of Childness in Children's Books (1997), Debbie Pullinger reviewed various poetry as a case study to show how linear progression and the presence of a child protagonist are the two central literary elements that divide children and adult poetry.
Lastly, despite modern society being largely urban and, as a result, the majority of children's poets having this environment be a big part of their lived experience, very few poets have engaged with this topic in their work.
[Russell, David L. "“The City Spreads its Wings”: The Urban Experience in Poetry for Children." ''Children's Literature in Education'', vol. 29, no. 1, 1998, pp. 31-42. EBSCOhost; Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson)] A few of the exceptions are Richard Margolis,
Paul Janeczko, and
Gary Soto who all had their point of view driven by social issues.
Awards
Awards that are given for children's poetry:
*
United States - In the United States children's poetry awards include the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, established in 1977, awarded annually by the
National Council of Teachers of English
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is a United States professional organization dedicated to "improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts
English studies (or simply, English) is an academic discip ...
and the position of
Young People's Poet Laureate, a two-year appointment awarded by the
Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation is a United States literary society that seeks to promote poetry and lyricism in the wider culture. It was formed from ''Poetry'' magazine, which it continues to publish, with a 2003 gift of $200 million from philanthrop ...
to an author of children's poetry.
*
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
- In the United Kingdom the Poetry for Children: Signal Award was published in the journal,
Signal: Approaches to Children's Books, from 1979 to 2001.
*
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
- The Lion and The Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry, established in 2005, is annually awarded by the
Johns Hopkins University Press
Johns Hopkins University Press (also referred to as JHU Press or JHUP) is the publishing division of Johns Hopkins University. It was founded in 1878 and is the oldest continuously running university press in the United States. The press publi ...
.
Notable children's poets
*
Allan Ahlberg is an English writer known for several best-selling children's books, both full of poetry and children's literature, illustrated by his wife Janet.
*
Andy Tooze (born 1963 or 1964), is an English Childrens Poet and former Primary School teacher.
*
Arna Bontemps
Arna Wendell Bontemps ( ) (October 13, 1902 – June 4, 1973) was an American poet, novelist and librarian, and a noted member of the Harlem Renaissance.
Early life
Bontemps was born in 1902 in Alexandria, Louisiana, into a Louisiana Creole peopl ...
(1902 - 1973) born in Alexandria, Louisiana and raised in California, is one of the most well known black writers of the twentieth century.
[Bracks, Lean'tin. "Arna Bontemps (1902–1973)." ''African American Almanac''. Visible Ink Press, Canton, MI, USA, 2012] He edited a volume of children's poetry in 1968.
*
Barbara Wersba (b. 1932) born in San Francisco, California and raised in New York City during her teen years, has published nine children's books including two books of children's poetry.
*
Brian Moses is one of the best known contemporary British children's poets. His poem ‘Walking With My Iguana’ is featured on the website of the Children’s Poetry Archive
*
Charles Lamb
Charles Lamb (10 February 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his '' Essays of Elia'' and for the children's book '' Tales from Shakespeare'', co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764� ...
(1775–1834), best known for his Essays of Elia and for the children's book Tales from Shakespeare, co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764–1847).
*
Dennis Lee (b. 1939) is known as one of the most popular Canadian children's poets.
[Gilbertson, Irvyn G. "Lee, Dennis." ''Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature''. Edited by Bernice E. Cullinan, and Diane G. Person. Continuum, London, UK, 2005] He was awarded the Canadian Library Association Award, Ruth Schwartz Award, and International Board on Books for Young People for his book of poetry for primary children entitled Garbage Delight (1977).
*
Edward Lear
Edward Lear (12 May 1812 – 29 January 1888) was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, who is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limerick (poetry), limericks, a form he popularised. ...
(1812–1888) was the first to use limericks in his writing, authoring A Book of Nonsense in 1846 and featuring silly poetry and neologisms.
["10 Wonderful Children's Poets You Should Know". ''Literary Hub''. 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2018-11-19.]
*
Eugene Field (1850 - 1895) born in St. Louis, Missouri, is known for renowned children's poetry, such as “Little Boy Blue” and the “Dutch Lullaby”.
*
Eve Merriam (1916 - 1992) is an American writer known for her poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and plays for children.
[Zaidman, Laura M. "Merriam, Eve 1916-1992." ''The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English''. Edited by Victor Watson. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2001] In the world of children's poetry, she was consistently praised for her skillful metered verse, free verse, nonsense verse, and social conscience.
*
Francisco X. Alarcón (1954–2016) first started writing poetry for children in 1997 after realizing there were very few books written by Latino authors. His poems are minimalist and airy, and often published in bilingual editions.
*
Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh), and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris in 1903, and ...
(1874 - 1946) an American poet and writer, is known for insisting that all of her poetry should be classified as children's poetry.
[Flynn, Richard. "Stein, Gertrude (1874–1946)." ''The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales''. Edited by Jack Zipes. Oxford University Press, Inc., Oxford, UK, 2015] She often experimented with children's genres, specifically breaking the boundaries of what we define as children's literature traditionally.
*
Jack Prelutsky (b.1940) - Author of such works as A Gopher in the Garden and Other Animal Poems, Jack Prelutsky was selected the inaugural Young People's Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation in 2006.
*
Jacqueline Woodson (b. 1963), writer of Newbery Honor-winning Brown Girl Dreaming, an adolescent novel told in verse.
*
Jane Taylor (poet) (1783–1824) co-wrote the ubiquitous Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star with her sister.
*
Jean Sprackland (b.1962), is an English poet, the author of three collections of poetry published since 1997.
*
John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...
(1807 - 1892) based in Massachusetts, is remembered for his abolitionist and Quaker beliefs, ballads, and long narrative poems.
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Joshua Seigal is a British children’s poet, author and performer. His books include ''I Don’t Like Poetry''. He is a winner of the Laugh Out Loud Book Award.
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Judith Viorst (b. 1931) is known for her humorous observational poetry and for her children's literature.
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Kenn Nesbitt (b. 1962) was
Young People's Poet Laureate from 2013-2015 and is known for is humorous and imaginative poems.
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Mary Howitt (1799 - 1888) based in the UK, is credited with introducing humor to children's poetry with her remembered poem “The Spider and the Fly” (1834).
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Michael Rosen (b. 1946) is a broadcaster, children's novelist and poet.
[Lockwood, Michael. "Rosen, Michael (Wayne) 1946-." ''The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English''. Edited by Victor Watson. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2001] He is remembered for his use of humor and irony in his children's poetry along with tackling social justice and sensitive issues.
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Charles Ghigna (b.1946) also known as "Father Goose" is best known for his collection The Father Goose Treasury of Poetry for Children: 101 Favorite Poems.
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Nikki Giovanni
Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. (June 7, 1943 – December 9, 2024) was an American poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator. One of the world's best-known African-American poets, her work includes poetry anthologies, poetry recor ...
(b. 1943) is one of the world's most well-known African-American poets.
Her work directly addresses the African American experience in Spin a Soft Black Song and others.
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N. M. Bodecker (1922 - 1988), born in Denmark, was both a prominent children's poet and children's literature illustrator.
[Rapport, Rebecca. "Bodecker, N.M. (Niels Mogens)." ''Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature''. Edited by Bernice E. Cullinan, and Diane G. Person. Continuum, London, UK, 2005] He is most remembered for his humor and use of figurative language in his poems.
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Paul Fleischman
Paul Fleischman (born 1952) is an American writer of children's books. He and his father Sid Fleischman have both won the Newbery Medal from the American Library Association recognizing the year's "most distinguished contribution to American lit ...
(b.1952) is best known for his collection Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, winner of the 1989 Newbery Medal.
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Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter and a wartime Flying ace, fighter ace. His books have sold more than 300 million copies ...
(1916–1990) is one of the most successful children's writers in the world: around thirty million of his books have been sold in the UK alone.
[Once upon a time, there was a man who liked to make up stories ... '']The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' (Sunday, 12 December 2010) Dahl's collection of poems Revolting Rhymes is a re-interpretation of six well-known fairy tales, featuring surprise endings in place of the traditional happily-ever-after.
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Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...
- author of such works as A Child's Garden of Verses.
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Roger McGough - one of the most famous contemporary British poets, writes for both adults and children.
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Shel Silverstein
Sheldon Allan Silverstein (; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, cartoonist, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before being drafted into ...
- author of such works as Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic, Silverstein also wrote The Giving Tree.
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Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) (1904 - 1991) born in Massachusetts began his career as a children's author as a freelance cartoonist. He wrote many Children's poetry books including The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.
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Tony Mitton (1951 –2022) was an English writer. He won the 2014 Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) / CLIPPA poetry award for the poem 'Wayland'
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Valerie Bloom (b.1956) is a Jamaican-born poet and a novelist based in the UK.
*Virginia Gerson (1864-1961).
Rose buds' (1885), New York: White, Stokes, & Allen
See also
References
Further reading
*Brewton, John Edmund. ''Index to Poetry for Children and Young People'', 1964–1969. New York: Wilson, 1972.
*''Index to Poetry for Children and Young People'', 1976–1981. New York: Wilson, 1981.
*Sell, Violet, Dorothy B. Frizzell Smith, Ardis Sarff O’Hoyt, and Mildred Bakke. ''Subject Index to Poetry for Children and Young People''. Chicago: American Library Association, 1957, .
{{Children's poetry
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Poetry
Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...