Books in Verse to Celebrate Poetry Month With Your Students

By Tiffany James, Educators and Schools Outreach Specialist
April 1, 2021

Happy National Poetry Month! Established in 1966, the celebratory month is a wonderful reminder of how literature and expression tie together, and is a great opportunity to celebrate some excellent works of poetry in all their many forms. From spoken word, rhymes, songs, and verse there is so much to explore. While poetry can sometimes be a difficult genre of writing for students to get into, exploring different types of poetry can help students connect and engage in a new way, and possibly even consider putting pen to paper and creating their own poems and stories. 

Check out these recommended books in verse to draw in and engage your students in the art of poetry. You'll also find a short list of additional resources to dive deeper into the study of poetry.

Additional Resources:

Columbia Granger's World of Poetry

This library resource features 250,000 full text poems with commentaries and criticisms. (NYPL library card needed)

National Youth Poet Laureate

Learn more about this award winning youth poetry program including this year's inaugural youth poet Amanda Gorman.

Poetry Foundation

Find poems, prose, guides, podcast and more.

Poets.org

Find poems, poets, and activities to celebrate National Poetry Month.  Also features a poem of the day to listen to or read.