Here are more wonderful poetry books your family can enjoy and spread the beauty of language throughout the home. The books are all picture books and good for all ages unless otherwise indicated.

Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright!: An Animal Poem for Each Day of the Year, poetry selected by Fiona Waters and gorgeously illustrated digitally with color filling the entire page by Britta Teckentrup, includes in this over-sized book 365 poems from some of the best poets of our time. You can begin each day with a lovely and lively poem about a different animal. I love the poem by Liz Brownlee Hedgehog Hugs for June 22: A hedgehog’s hug is mainly hid/ beneath its sharp and spiky lid,/ and when it rolls into a ball/ a hedgehog has no hug at all. This is one of those beautiful books, inside and out, that should be placed in a family room to be opened and read.

I’m a Neutrino: Tiny Particles in a Big Universe, by Dr. Eve M. Vavagiakis and illustrated digitally using an explosion of vivid colors by Ilze Lemesis, will enlighten kids and adults to this secret world through simple rhyming text. The myriad of shapes and hues are showcased as you learn about this tiny neutrino with a simple two-line rhyme. I am a particle, like electrons and light./ I can pass through you without stopping my flight! This fascinating book could just be the beginning of your young budding scientist. There is more to learn about neutrinos found at the back of the book.

Boom! Bellow, Bleat! Animal Poems for Two Voices, by Georgia Heard and digitally illustrated by Aaron DeWitt, has a clever layout that invites many voices to participate. The instructions above the contents page gives the Performance Key; stating words in different colors indicate who reads which words of the poem out loud and when. It’s easy to grasp and a delight to read out loud. Kids will surely desire to participate and most like reread again and again!

If this Bird Had Pockets: A Poem for your Pocket Day Celebration, by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater and brightly painted using graphic sketches and painting digitally by Emma J. Virjan, poetically tells of a different animal on each page. The poems are rich in cadence and rhyme and information. Some are longer and some are quite short. Metaphor in a Meadow is perhaps the shortest but describes the spotted turtle perfectly along with the beautiful starry night. My old shell is sprinkled/ with golden constellations./ I am a walking sky.

Take Off Your Brave: The World Through the Eyes of a Preschool Poet, by Nadim (age 4) and delightfully illustrated using mixed media by Yasmeen Ishmail, are poems actually written by this young boy. The poems gleam with truth, wonder and majestically show the power of words. The poem Love is written simply yet shows we all have poetry inside of us: Everyone has to love someone/ Flamingos love someone/ The wind loves someone/ The sea loves someone/ Spirits/ Letters/ Houses/ Everyone you know loves someone/ Everyone has love/ Even baddies. This book is good for ages three to seven.

Out of This World: Star-Studded Haiku, by Sally M. Walker and illustrated with hues of black, pink, yellow and blue using mixed media by Matthew Trueman. This collection will surely give you the sense of floating in the ethereal sphere of outerspace along with the short  succinct haiku verbiage. brilliant nebula/ cloud pregnant with gas and dust/ stellar nursery.

Moles Present the Natural Tolls of Digging Holes, by Springer Badger, demonstrates the many holes moles dig as well as humans. Some of these holes are for good usages while others can be deleterious. The rhyming story takes you through a myriad of examples where holes are made for help and for hinderance. This rhyming tale will open much discussion of the purpose of holes, both good and bad. The brightly brown hues throughout along with other vibrant colors, all done on the open page, were made with watercolor and digitally collaged.

Marshmallow Clouds: Two Poets at Play among Figures of Speech, by Ted Koozer and Connie Wanek and exquisitely painted with muted colors and edited digitally by Richard Jones, is an inspiration to all who read these beautiful poems. Chances are that after reading each of these topical poems, inspiration will drive the reader to attempt their own poetry. These poems are filled with imagery and cadence according to the theme of the poem with a free-verse flow. Be sure to check out both poets’ insights found at the back of the book.

Behold Our Magical Garden: Poems Fresh from a School Garden, by Allen Wolf and perfectly illustrated digitally by Daniel Duncan, is sure to plant some poetic as well as actual seeds for those budding poets and young gardeners. This magnificent poetry book is rich in inspiration for growing a poet. The poems are all structured to implement and inspire ideas to grow your own poem. And in the back of the book are the most fascinating notes on each of the poems to help the young poet feel confident! This is a must for teachers and schools.

Away with Words: Wise & Witty Poems for Language Lovers, by Mary Ann Hoberman and colorfully illustrated by Perry Hoberman, are a delight to read alone or out loud. Some of the poems are short and some are long. Some are serious and some are fun and funny. However, all poems resonate with feeling and imagination which can ignite the poet inside of all of us. One particular poem, Vast, stands out and is probably the shortest poem but the theme is strong. The open page shows a deep dark sky with stars sprinkled throughout. A tiny word/ That encompassed/ The universe.