Lawrence Kid Picks: Poetry to Read to Smaller ChildrenLike this list

10 items

• A Stick Is An Excellent Thing

  Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play

  Singer, Marilyn

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  These straightforward yet playful poems celebrate the simple things -- like sticks -- and will help children see the amazing in the everyday.

• Dogs Don't Wear Sneakers

  Numeroff, Laura Joffe

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  From the author of the much-loved picture book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," this funny poem about shoe-selling lambs and airplane-flying bulls teaches about the power of imagination.

• Give Yourself to the Rain

  Poems for the Very Young

  Brown, Margaret Wise, 1910-1952

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  Margaret Wise Browns' poetry is filled with the same tenderness that made her better-known works (Goodnight Moon, The Runaway Bunny) classics. Unlinkle many children's poets who primarily charm by being as silly as possible, the best of Brown's…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Wynken, Blynken and Nod

  Field, Eugene, 1850-1895

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  Wink, blink, and nod yourself to sleep with this classic bedtime poem. Barbara Cooney's illustrations ensure good dreams will follow.

• Good for You!

  Toddler Rhymes for Toddler Times

  Calmenson, Stephanie

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  This book has everything: a poem about buses ("Bumpity, bumpity, bumpity bus"), a poem about soap ("Splash! Soak. / Spill. Tip. / Sink. Float. / Pop! Drip.") and even a poem about good manners ("Oops! Excuse Me!"). Calmenson's work is more than a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Good Dog

  Poems

  Gottfried, Maya

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  A hilarious book about the most important members of the family. From the poem "Bulldog": "All I really want is a hug and a bone. / Is that too much to ask?" No, it isn't, bulldog, it most definitely isn't.

• In the Sea

  Elliott, David, 1947-

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  "See the sea horse in the sea. / Where else would the sea horse be? / For though it's dainty as a wish, / the sea horse, you see, is a fish." With witty rhymes and wonderful imagery, Eilliott's poems provide a glimpse into one of the more mysterious…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• How Do I Love Thee?

  Browning, Elizabeth Barrett, 1806-1861,

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  Browning's poem begins "How do I love thee? / Let me count the ways," and although her list is pretty good, once you have finished the book, you and your little one might have a couple things to add. Also -- Mati McDonough's illustrations are…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Little Poems for Tiny Ears

  Oliver, Lin,

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  It's rare to find a poem about a car seat, or the mobile above a child's bed, yet here they both are, in Lin's funny, comforting book about the day-to-day lives of small children. Begins a particularly good one: "Without my blankie, / Me so cranky."

• Yellow Elephant

  a Bright Bestiary

  Larios, Julie Hofstrand, 1949-

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  In real life elephants aren't yellow, of course -- but can they be in a poem? Of course they can! Just like cats can by pink and puppies purple. "Pink collar. / Pink bell. / Pink pillow. / Pink bowl. / And a pink yawn at dawn. / Outside, the city --…Read moreRead more of this annotation