Parents' Choice salutes National Poetry Month with the following suggestions guaranteed to tickle and teach. Even the youngest riddlers will be encouraged to explore poetry: from Bali to Zanzibar, from Frankenstein to the Elympics. This varied collection offers poetic choices for even the toughest to please.
Here Comes Mother Goose
Ages: Infant - 3 yrs.
Author: Iona Opie Illustrator: Rosemary Wells
Candlewick Press, $21.99 (Hard Cover)
A fresh interpretation on the classic, this version of Mother Goose offers charming appeal to early-readers. Illustrations by Rosemary Wells amuse and entertain, while complimenting the classic text. It's Raining Pigs & Noodles
Ages: All Ages
Author: Jack Prelutsky Illustrator: James Stevenson
HarperCollins Children's Books / Amistad, $17.95 (Hard Cover)
Read these poems aloud and the reaction is sure to be laugh-aloud fun. Masterful word-play makes for marvelous poems in this collection that will likely be memorized by readers of all ages. Falling Up
Ages: All Ages
By: Shel Silverstein
HarperCollins Childrens Books, $17.95 (Hard Cover)
Children's favorite Shel Silverstein presents another amusing collection of poems for all ages in "Falling Up." Those who have enjoyed "Where the Sidewalk Ends" and "A Light in the Attic" won't want to miss these.
Ashley Bryan's ABC of African American Poetry
Ages: All Ages
Illustrator: Ashley Bryan
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing/Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $16.00 (Hard Cover)
Illustrator Ashley Bryan weaves a spiritual collection of select African American poets together in this truly original piece. The ABCs are the unconventional strand upon which Bryan strings the varying voices of the poets. The poets are vividly illustrated through full-page paintings.
Runny Babbit
Ages: All Ages
Author: Shel Silverstein
HarperCollins Childrens Books, $15.99 (Hard Cover)
In this very "billy sook," Shel Silverstein may have invented a whole new category of poetry: spooner-verse. You may not want to read them back-to-back (for fear of tying tnots in your kongue) but it's almost impossible to resist reading a few at a time out loud to anyone who will listen. The poems, however, pale in comparison to the artwork: exuberant, expressive black-line cartoons that are surely among Silverstein's best work. 
Animal Trunk: Silly Poems to Read Aloud
Ages: 3 - 5 yrs.
Author: Charles Ghigna Illustrator: Gabriel
Harry N. Abrams, Inc., $14.95 (Hard Cover)
It's a zoo in here! Vivid, primary-colored images of all sorts of animals illustrate these simple poems for young readers or listeners.
Rice Is Life
Ages: 4 - 8 yrs.
Author: Rita Goldman Gelman Illustrator: Yangsook Choi
Henry Holt & Company, LLC, $15.99 (Hard Cover)
This beautifully illustrated book, set in Bali, explores the life cycle of growing rice. Each page contains a poem and a painting and prose paragraphs that compliment them. It offers a unique look at the life of a farming family in a presentation that is truly original.
Is It Far to Zanzibar?
Ages: 4 - 8 yrs.
Author: Nikki Grimes Illustrator: Betsy Lewin
Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, $15.95 (Hard Cover)
Lively, rhythmic, humorous poems introduce children to the ambience of East Africa. Swahili words are also included in the text, with a glossary at the end to explain their meaning. This book is both educational and fun.
Elympics
Ages: 4 - 8 yrs.
Author: X.J. Kennedy Illustrator: Geaham Percy
Penguin Putnam Inc., $15.99 (Hard Cover)
If your child is full of Olympic spirit following the games, you won't want to miss this entertaining book of poems about elephants who compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. The illustrations are as amusing as the poems and are sure to keep them coming back for more.
Aneesa Lee and the Weaver's Gift
Ages: 4 - 8 yrs.
Author: Nikki Grimes Illustrator: Ashley Bryan
Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, $16.99 (Hard Cover)
The craftsmanship, solitude, and emotions of the artist are explored in poems about a weaver. The emotionally-expressive, vivid paintings perfectly capture and enhance these poems.
Flamingos on the Roof
Ages: 4 - 8 yrs.
Author: Calef Brown Illustrator: Calef Brown
Houghton Mifflin Children's Books, $16.00 (Hard Cover)
Children in the mood for silly rhymes will get a good laugh out of Flamingos on the Roof, Calef Brown's wacky new collection of poems and paintings. The imaginative Brown covers a wide range of subjects for his poetry, from peas to a "soggy circus" to Poseidon's kelp toupee. The book celebrates language and wordplay with some real tongue-twisters, and the high-energy acrylic illustrations are just as engaging as the text. 
Some From the Moon, Some From the Sun: Poems and Songs for Everyone
Ages: 4 - 8 yrs.
By: Margot Zemach
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $17.00 (Hard Cover)
The last work of the late illustrator Margaret Zemach offers a potpourri of lyrical words and images that readers of all ages can enjoy. The wide range of moods and styles, perspective and subject matter entertains readers, while the tribute to Zemach's life offers inspiration.
A Zooful of Animals
Ages: 4 - 10 yrs.
Illustrator: Lynn Musinger Selected By: William Cole
Houghton Mifflin Children's Books, $9.95 (Paperback)
Forty-five humorous poems by forty-three poets, ranging from Kenneth Grahame to X. J. Kennedy. Compiled by William Cole, this book offers refreshing poetic pieces, free from standard metaphors, yet full of fun. 
Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme
Ages: 5 - 8 yrs.
Author: Jack Prelutsky Illustrator: Meilo So
Random House Children's Books/Knopf, $16.95 (Hard Cover)
Anthologist and poet Prelutsky has chosen ten kid-centric topics, carefully selected three poems for each, and added a "poem start" to each double page spread to encourage young readers to become writers as well. It's a grand idea, made even grander by So's lovely bursting-at-the-seams artwork.
Making Friends With Frankenstein: A Book of Monstrous Poems and Pictures
Ages: 6 - 12 yrs.
By: Colin McNaughton
Candlewick Press, $9.99 (Paperback)
Completely silly and completely fun, this monstrous book is sure to entertain time and time again. A must to be read-aloud, both reader and listener will enjoy the tongue-tripping lyrics and exuberant illustrations in the book.
Angels Ride Bikes
Ages: 6 & Up
Author: Francisco X. Alarcon
Children's Book Press, $15.95 (Hard Cover)
A celebration of city life expressed in both Spanish and English verse. Vivid illustrations, full of life, accompany the text.
Danitra Brown, Class Clown
Ages: 7 - 9 yrs.
Author: Nikki Grimes Illustrator: E. B. Lewis
HarperCollins Children's Books / Amistad, $16.99 (Hard Cover)
In this book of sequential school poems, Nikki Grimes brings the personalities of two girls to life, and captures the universality of their school experiences. The watercolor pictures by E. B. Lewis are playful when the girls are. When the characters are troubled, Lewis conveys a pensively sympathetic mood through facial expressions and body language.
Emily Dickinson's Letters to the World
Ages: 7 - 12 yrs.
By: Jeanette Winter
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $16.00 (Hard Cover)
A selection of 21 Emily Dickinson poems discovered by her sister after her death. Subdued, tasteful paintings accompany the text, which covers a variety of subjects. This book serves as a thoughtful introduction for children to Dickinson's work.
Laugh-eteria
Ages: 8 - 12 yrs.
Author: Douglas Florian
Harcourt Brace & Company, $6.99 (Paperback)
Similar in style to Shel Silverstein, Florian offers a plethora of rhymes riddled with stinky feet, slimy food, monsters, bugs, and dinosaurs - subjects sure to amuse any 8-year old. Pen and ink drawings illustrate the silly poems that adults are sure to enjoy as well.
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Ages: 8 - 12 yrs.Author: Frances Schoonmaker Illustrator: Mike Bryce
Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., $14.95 (Hard Cover)
Thirty-four carefully chosen poems introduce children to the work of Edna St. Vincent Millay. Subtle watercolor paintings accompany each poem. A biography of her life is presented at the beginning of the story.
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