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Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month reminds the public that poets have an integral role to play in our culture and that poetry matters. Here are some books of poetry that you can find at the library! 

 

CHILDREN’S POETRY 

 

Poems from When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne

First published in 1924 (two years before Winnie-the-Pooh), this collection is among the most familiar and cherished works in children’s literature. A whimsical celebration of childhood, Milne wrote the collection for his three-year-old son, and the poems have been read and sung to children for decades since. Now, Rosemary Wells brings her signature cast of animal and child characters to a dozen of Milne’s best-loved poems.

 

Hello, Earth! Poems to Our Planet by Joyce Sidman

We walk on Earth’s surface every day, but how often do we wonder about the incredible planet around us? From the molten cracks below to the shimmering moon above, Hello, Earth! explores the wonders of the natural world. Sidman’s imaginative poems encourage boundless curiosity, and Miren Asiain Lora’s stunning paintings capture the beauty of Earth’s ecosystems, creatures, and powerhouse plants. 

 

Niños: Poems for the Lost Children of Chile by María José Ferrada

In 1973, a military coup plunged Chile into seventeen long years of dictatorial rule. Only the return of democracy could reveal the full horrors of Augusto Pinochet’s regime: 3,197 people died or disappeared, including 34 children under the age of 14. This book is a stirring memorial to those victims and to the cost of extremism. 

 

ADULT POETRY

 

The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

This is the second poetry collection released by my favorite poet, which was published in 2017. It is a vibrant and transcendent journey about growth and healing, ancestry and honoring one’s roots, and rising up to find a home within yourself.

 

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

Gorman is the youngest presidential inaugural poet in US history. This unforgettable new voice in American poetry presents a collection of poems that includes the stirring poem read at the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States.

 

Floaters by Martín Espada

This finalist for the 2021 National Book Award for Poetry celebrates the author’s late activist father, condemns government inaction in the aftermath of Hurricane María, and pays tribute to the migrants who drowned while attempting to cross the Rio Grande.

 

Jen Pace Dickenson is the youth services librarian for Polk County Public Libraries. For information about the library’s resources, programs, and other services, visit polklibrary.org or call 828-894-8721.