My First Poems: 12 Great Poetry Books for Kids Ages 0 – 4
by Jennifer Ridgway
Sometimes it gets lost that a lot of the amazing books we read to children, especially infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, are actually poetry. With rhythm and rhyme, the stories that unfold across the pages of these picture books are oftentimes their first introduction to poems. Reading poetry has numerous benefits for building early literacy skills, including rhythm development and recognition, voice inflection and pitch, memorization skills, self-expression, and vocabulary enhancement. I’ve rounded up 12 great poetry books for the littlest of children — some are rhyming tales with single storylines and some are poetry collections, and all make great additions to the family library.
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Haiku Baby
Available from:This sweet board book features seasonal spreads with haikus, providing a great introduction to the Japanese poetic form of 17 syllables in a 5-7-5 pattern. Each haiku features a part of baby’s natural world, including the sun and water. The tabbed format allows you and your child to quickly find specific pages.
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Fox in Socks
Available from:Dr. Seuss's books are known for their silly words and wonderful rhymes, and this abridged version of Fox in Socks is a wonderful introduction to the classic author. With bright illustrations, simple text, and tongue twisters, the sturdy board book (perfect for little hands!) will have babies and toddlers laughing with — and at — their parents as they try to wrap their tongues around the words. (Looking for another good choice to introduce your little reader to the world of Seuss? Try Oh, Baby, the Places You’ll Go!, an adaptation by Tish Rabe of Dr. Seuss’s classic work.)
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Little Poems for Tiny Ears
Available from:This collection of 23 original poems highlights the joy and wonder of being new to the world, making it extremely baby- and kid-friendly. From DePaolo’s happy artwork to Oliver’s short poems about childhood, it is a lively read-aloud that serves as a wonderful first book of poetry.
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Snow Still
Available from:This adorable board book is similar to Bambi — but better. A little fawn ventures out into a fresh snowfall to explore the forest. With gentle watercolor illustrations and a cozy feel, this delightful book is the perfect introduction to poetry.
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Llama Llama’s Little Library
Available from:This collection of four little board books introduces young readers to the lovable character Llama Llama, created by Anna Dewdney. The books are very short and have simple, entertaining rhymes that are perfect for children under two years old. The illustrations are in the classic, sweet style of the Llama Llama series.
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Eric Carle’s Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Other Nursery Rhymes
Available from:Eric Carle is a must-have for any child’s bookshelf. Babies and toddlers that enjoy listening to nursery rhymes will love this board book. With flaps to lift and familiar rhymes to read, this collection will become a bedtime favorite.
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Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Available from:All of my children adored Mister Roger’s Neighborhood when they were young. This board book brings the theme song from the beloved television show to life. If your preschooler is a fan of the show, they’ll also enjoy It’s You I Like, which shares Mister Roger’s belief that every child is unique.
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A Hatful of Dragons
Your preschooler may not be ready to tackle a Shel Silverstein book yet, but this award-winning picture book is an excellent introduction to the world of wacky poetry. With its zany characters and laugh-out-loud poems, it will have kids in stitches as you read.
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Honey for You, Honey for Me
Available from:From the creators of A Great Big Cuddle and Giggly Wiggly comes another book of poetry for young children. Old sayings and forgotten nursery rhymes dance across the pages of this lovely picture book.
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Digger, Dozer, Dumper
Available from:If your child is obsessed with trucks (as both of mine were!), this is the perfect book to read together. It contains 16 poems that celebrate both the jobs and mechanics of different vehicles. The fun illustrations feature children operating the machines, and Slonim gives the trucks personalities with his visuals of headlights, bumpers, and other parts. Plus, as someone with both a boy and a girl who loved trucks, I appreciated the fact that half of the vehicles are called “he” and half are called “she.”
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The 20th Century Children’s Poetry Treasury
Available from:Prelutsky has quite a number of children’s poetry collections, all of which are great choices. This one includes 211 poems from the 1900s — when children’s poetry, according to Prelutsky, stopped being so syrupy sweet and condescending toward children — by 137 different poets. Most of the collection is upbeat, and So’s watercolor illustrations really bring the poems to life. After working your way through this book, check out The Random House Book of Poetry for Children, which is also curated by Prelutsky.
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Shout!: Little Poems that Roar
Available from:Bagert’s 21-poem collection is particularly relatable to young children because he writes about their world in an energetic and fun way, often inspiring action from the reader. Yoshikawa’s colorful illustrations show children having fun, featuring a lot of smiles and perceived movement.
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Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2017 and updated in 2021.