Children's Poetry

The best books that can be read for pleasure include those in the poetry genre. Dr. Seuss prevails as a favorite in this classification for children’s poetry, loved by children of all ages and the inner children of their adult parents as well. The comical illustrations and the silliness of the rhyming words sprinkled in with significant meaning in some cases can provide hours of family book reading enjoyment over the years. In fact, the Dr. Seuss books like “The Cat in the Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham” are part of many families’ book library repertoires.

A book of A.A. Milne, “When We Were Very Young,” is a collection of 44 poems that can introduce a child to reading poetry while generating a strong interest in this genre for the child’s life. The fictional character, Winnie the Pooh, makes his debut in this poetry book of A.A. Milne in the selection, “Teddy Bear.” Interestingly, Milne did not write this book specifically for children, as the title implies, but the collection has been a hallmark of children’s poetry for decades.

Although the rhymes of Mother Goose have been overlooked in place of the more modern poetry for children, it is unfortunate that this is so, and no child should be allowed to pass the age of reason without having been introduced to the world of Mother Goose. No childhood can be complete, and some would actually call a childhood deprived, without having enjoyed rhymes like “Jack and Jill,” and others like “Humpty Dumpty” no matter their less than fortunate fates. Mother Goose nursery rhymes are the most primal introduction to the world of poetry and should not be overlooked when introducing babes and young children to the wonderful, stimulating world of books.