Playing with Language in Rhymes, Songs, and Poems

"I think poetry is a surefire way to get young people engaged with literature because of its immediacy, its emotional intimacy, its rhythm, its ability to take the human soul entire, as Langston Hughes said, and squeeze it, 'like a lemon or lime, drop by drop, into atomic words'."

~Kwane Alexander, The New York Times Book Review, April 22, 2018, p. 24

The books and multimedia resources on this page focuses on writers using language poetically and creatively.

Rhymes & Songs

• Dr. Seuss

• Jump Rope Rhymes

• Songs and Apps for Music and Songs

• Historical Sound Recordings

Poetry

• Acrostic Poetry and How to Play Word Mystery Theatre

• Conversation or Voice Poems

• Concrete or Picture Poetry

• Haikus and One Breath Poems

• Fibonacci Poetry (Fibs)

• Found Poetry and Blackout Poems

• More Poetry writing resources

Rhymes & Songs

Folklore for Kids: Exploring the Rhymes, Songs and Games of Childhood, American Library Association

I'm Just No Good at Rhyming. Chris Harris. Illustrated by Lane Smith. Little, Brown, 2017

How to Read (in) Music. Educators Peg Grafwallner and Erica Breitbarth showcase how to connect reading with music learning.

Books by Dr. Seuss

• • • There's a Wocket in My Pocket: Dr. Seuss's Book of Ridiculous Rhymes. Dr. Seuss. Random House, 1996

    • Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) biography from the Poetry Foundation

    • The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That, from PBS

    • Geisel Award Winners and Honor Books, American Library Association

    • Dr. Seuss Digital Book Apps from Oceanhouse Media | March 2 is Dr. Seuss Day (also known as Read Across America Day)

Jump Rope Rhymes

• • • Anna Banana: 101 Jump Rope Rhymes. Joanna Cole. Illustrated by Alan Tiegreen. HarperCollins, 1989

    • The History of Double Dutch, National Double Dutch League

    • The Great List of Jump Rope Rhymes & Skipping Songs

Songs

• • • Ella Jenkins, the First Lady of Children's Music

    • Ella Jenkins performing Who Fed the Chickens from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings on YouTube

    • The Music in George's Head: George Gershwin Creates Rhapsody in Blue. Suzanne Slade. Illustrated by Stacy Innerst. Boyds Mill Press, 2016

    • Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band. Kwane Alexander. Illustrated by Tim Bowers. Sleeping Bear Press, 2011

Apps for Music and Songs

• • • SoundHound, a music search and recognition app.

    • Magic Piano is a songwriting App for children

    • 7 Best Educational Music Apps for Kids

    • 6 Apps for Songwriters and Musicians

    • 6 Mobile Apps for Songwriting On-the-Go

    • Incredibox is a music mixtape app

    • Build Your Own Magnetic Poetry Kit--Blank Template

Historical Sound Recordings

The National Jukebox from the Library of Congress - More than 10,000 historical sound recordings free of charge

Sound Beat from the Better Audio Archives, Syracuse University Libraries - 90 second radio show featuring historical recordings of 20th century music

• • • Only 14 percent of pre-1965 commercial recordings are currently available

    • Only 10 percent of music from the 1930s can be accessed by the public

Country Music, A Film by Ken Burns on PBS

Poetry Writing Resources

Verse by Verse

• Compose poetry in collaboration with classic American poets like Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe, and many more.

• Poets act as your muses, making suggestions of verses as you write a poem

Make with me: Poem Pockets, Educator Innovator (April 2020)

Poetry Reading is Up, National Endowment for the Arts (June 7, 2018)

• • • Nearly 12 percent (11.7%) of adults read poetry in the last year

    • Among 18-24-year-olds, the poetry-reading rate more than doubled, to 17.5 percent in 2017, up from 8.2 percent in 2012

How Poetry can Help Communicate Science, Scientific American (July 19, 2019)

Poetry Books for Children

• • • 2018 Notable Poetry Books Selected by the NCTE Excellence in Children's Poetry Committee

    • 2019 Notable Poetry Books Selected by the NCTE Excellence in Children's Poetry Committee

Poetry Writing Resources for Children

Explore poetry writing resources, examples, and ideas:

• • • Acrostic Poetry and Word Mystery Theatre

    • Conversation or Voice Poems

    • Concrete or Picture Poetry

    • Haikus and One Breath Poems

    • Fibonacci Poetry (Fibs)

    • Found Poetry and Blackout Poems

    • More resources from Sinead Meaney on Resources for English Teachers: