Poetry by Kids

Bibliography

Nye, Naomi Shihab, Bryan, Ashley ill. Salting the Ocean: 100 Poems by Young People. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2000. ISBN 9780688161934

Summary/Analysis

Salting the Ocean is collection of 100 poems compiled by Naomi Shihab Nye.  The poems are in a variety of forms with most being free verse and were written by students in grade 1 all the way up to grade 12. This anthology is organized into four sections that focus on oneself, surroundings, family members, and the “wide imagination.”  Each section has between 20 and 30 poems on that topic.  Ashley Bryan’s illustrations are bright and do a good job holding the reader’s interest. The book includes Nye’s explanation of how she obtained the poems and a note to teachers, librarians, and parents who might use the book.  IT also contains a thank-you section to the poets that were featured.  This is a great collection to use when introducing poetry and allows for students to see work done by their peers. 

Use

I like to:

collect rocks on Venus

dance on Mars

eat on Pluto

buy rings on Saturn

ride a bike to Mercury

swim in the desert

write in fire

By Jeffrey Trevino

This poem is a great example of some of the great poetry found in this collection.  This would be a great poem to read aloud and then read aloud again and have students create a different motion for each line (“buy rings on Saturn” could motion paying someone).  After reading the poem one activity could be creating their own poem with the same style.  Have students keep the verb in each line and have students come up with the rest of the line.  Students seeing a collection of kid’s poetry published in a book is an amazing thing to inspire them.  Have students create their own poem and create a finished product with an illustration.  If possible bind the books and add it to the library collection.  Another option would be to use Book Creator to make a digital book and publish (for free) on Amazon and add to the library’s digital collection.