Colorful Poetry: 31 Diverse Poetry Picture Books for Kids
by Charnaie Gordon
When choosing books to read with your kids, how often do you reach for poetry books? If you’re like me, not all that often. Which is why I recently set a goal to incorporate more poetry and nursery rhymes into our storytime routine. I have fond memories of enjoying Shel Silverstein’s classic poetry book Where the Sidewalk Ends during my childhood years. Can you believe that book is now over 40 years old?
I love poetry because it’s so universal, unique, and accessible to kids. The compact, songlike nature of many poems can make learning language feel almost effortless to children. They don’t even realize how much they’re retaining by reciting a simple nursery rhyme or short poem. Reading poems aloud helps children to practice their volume, pitch, and voice inflection, among other things.
Poetry, like other forms of literature, can also be entertaining, beautiful, and meaningful. Kids are usually immediately drawn to the rhythm and rhyme of poetry. Much like diversity, poetry can provide a mirror for us to see ourselves, and a window into others’ experiences, to help us understand the lives and perspectives of different people.
Here are more than 30 diverse poetry picture books to explore with kids. Enjoy!
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When Moon Blooms
Buy from:Following the phases of the moon and based on Mexican Indigenous wisdom, When Moon Blooms invites children to pay attention to the nature that surrounds them and become protectors of our great planet. Each page reveals the interconnectedness of nature, highlighting not only the beauty all around us but how each of us plays an important role.
(Ages 0 – 3)Buy from: -
Child of the Universe
Buy from:Captured in rhyming verse and illustrations that will take your breath away, Child of the Universe is one father’s attempt to show his daughter just how special she is by illuminating her extraordinary connections to the universe. Jayawardhana, a renowned astrophysicist, explains the inner workings of the universe, while Colón transports us to spectacular, out-of-this-world landscapes, this book is a new modern classic in the making.
(Ages 3 – 7)Buy from: -
Smart Sisters
Buy from:From the author of the Happy Hair series, which promotes self-love, positivity, and acceptance, comes a book that celebrates the love between sisters and best friends. With encouraging words on each page this special book helps promote confidence and self-esteem to girls of all ages.
(Ages 3 – 7)Buy from: -
Follow the Recipe
Buy from:Another imaginative must-read from the author of Feel the Beat — this time, Singer celebrates the inherent poetry of delicious recipes. Poems in both verse and rhyme are surrounded by Priceman’s vibrant artwork, and the playful language begins in the kitchen (a poetic recipe for how to read a recipe) and expands outward (a recipe for peace). This dynamic duo shows us how much joy there is to be found in the everyday.
(Ages 4 – 8)Buy from: -
Change Sings
Buy from:In this vibrant and stirring book, inaugural poet Amanda Gorman leads readers through a musical journey that illustrates how change is possible if we all work together. It doesn’t matter how big or small you are, your special abilities can cause a ripple effect that makes positive change in the world, in your communities, and, most importantly, in yourself.
(Ages 4 – 8)Buy from: -
Ohana Means Family
Buy from:Written in the poetic, cumulative style of The House that Jack Built, Ohana Means Family follows an extended Hawaiian family as they prepare for a luau, beginning on “the land that’s never been sold, where work the hands, so wise and old,” as together they farm taro to make the poi, a tradition that goes back for generations (and the importance of which gets its due in the author’s note, alongside a glossary of Hawaiian terms). You’ll love reading this one aloud and discussing the traditions that make up your own family.
(Ages 4 – 8)Buy from: -
My Block Looks Like
Buy from:With lush, detailed illustrations and musical text, My Block Looks Like is a beautiful homage to city life and a heart-felt tribute to one’s childhood home. On each page Bronx native, Janelle Harper, celebrates her community and the people who inhabit it, from the tallest buildings to the subway and everywhere in between.
(Ages 4 – 8)Buy from: -
Overground Railroad
Buy from:A family’s journey north during the Great Migration is narrated in poems by the daughter, Ruth Ellen, who’s as observant of her surroundings as she is of the similarities between her passage and that of Frederick Douglass, whose story she reads as the train heads for New York, to an unknown yet optimistic future. An emotional and historically significant read from the author-illustrator team behind the award-winning biography in verse, Before She Was Harriet.
(Ages 4 – 8)Buy from: -
Eleven Words for Love
Buy from:This breathtaking book follows a Palestinian family in exile who left their home in search of safety, carrying a single suitcase that they filled with family albums. Throughout, readers are introduced to eleven Arabic words that each convey a different kind of love. A wonderful depiction of the immigrant and refugee experience, it also emphasizes the universal bonds of family, loyalty, and friendship.
(Ages 4 – 8)Buy from: -
Harlem at Four
Buy from:History, art, and family combine in this beautifully illustrated picture book. Readers will follow a young girl named Harlem as she and her father experience art by Black creators. Then, we get transported to the early days of Harlem, the neighborhood, and learn about its foundations and the influential people who made it thrive.
(Ages 4 – 8)Buy from: -
A Garden in My Hands
Buy from:There’s a wedding tomorrow and a little girl sits patiently while her mother draws intricate henna designs on her hands. Each design reveals stories about family gatherings and ancestors long gone. The little girl must be careful not to smudge the henna while it is drying, or it could ruin the story! Colorful images accompany this sweet book that connects us to our roots and reminds us of the garden of love that grows all around us.
(Ages 4 – 8)Buy from: -
Brown Sugar Babe
Buy from:An affirming and heartfelt love letter to brown-skinned children, Brown Sugar Babe is driven by a mother’s empowering and poetic words to her young daughter who’s doubting, for the first time, her own inherent beauty. Visual artist Akem’s illustrations dance off the page in warm, gorgeous hues, while the book’s young heroine learns to love the skin she’s in.
(Ages 4 – 8)Buy from: -
Remember
Buy from:U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo has joined forces with illustrator and Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade to bring Harjo’s iconic poem “Remember” to life for young readers. The text encourages children to reflect on their place in the world, the nature that surrounds them, their family, and their heritage. Paired with lush and detailed illustrations, it is easy to be engrossed in this beautiful celebration of life.
(Ages 4 – 8)Buy from: -
Just Like Me
Buy from:Author-illustrator Vanessa Brantley-Newton adds to the contemporary poetry canon with Just Like Me , a celebration of girls with all their various and unique interests, feelings, family structures, and more. The mixed-media collage artwork bursts with color and life, and the poems range from the whimsical to the galvanizing. Girls of all backgrounds will find much to relate to in these sometimes sassy, and always uplifting poems.
(Ages 4 – 8)Buy from: -
Girls on Wheels
Buy from:Follow three best friends as they encourage and support one another as they learn to skateboard. Inspired by the skateboarding revolution in India, readers will love following Anila, Sana, and Damini as they overcome their fears and soar! Because in skateboarding, sometimes you fall — but sometimes you fly!
(Ages 4 – 8)Buy from: -
Fresh-Picked Poetry
Buy from:This is such a fun, vibrant, and beautiful book! It takes readers on a journey to a lively urban farmers' market. Through a series of short and vivid poems, children will see the process of how food is grown on a farm and how it finally makes its way to our homes. The back matter includes different reasons why people should consider shopping at farmers' markets.
(Ages 4 – 8)Buy from: -
Nine
Buy from:This anthology of nonets is all sorts of entertaining, and a great lesson in counting syllables for your budding poets. Nonets are nine-line poems that begin with one syllable and add progressively until the final, nine-syllable line — or vice versa! But Latham gets clever in content as well as form: each poem features the number nine, from a cat’s nine lives to the ubiquitous cloud nine, and the Little Rock Nine to the Apollo 9. A diverse group of characters makes room for everyone.
(Ages 5 – 8)Buy from: -
Daniel Finds a Poem
Buy from:With the help of small, friendly creatures in his local park — spiders, chipmunks, squirrels, and more — Daniel learns not only that poetry is all around us, but that it looks and sounds different depending on your perspective. Rich collage art accompanies introductions to elements of poetry, including onomatopoeia and alliteration. Daniel’s explorations continue in Archer’s follow-up, Daniel’s Good Day.
(Ages 5 – 8)Buy from: -
Feel the Beat: Dance Poems that Zing from Salsa to Swing
Buy from:This book is beautiful, bright, and cheery, and filled with vibrant depictions of dance across many different cultures. When read aloud, the poems reveal a special surprise — the rhythm of each dance is reflected in the meter of the poem. Some of the dances featured include: hip hop, cha-cha, foxtrot, square dance, salsa, two-step, waltz, bhangra (Indian/Pakistan), and more! If your children love music, dance, or poetry I'd highly recommend adding this one to your collection! Included with the book is an audio CD that features the author reading each poem set to music.
(Ages 5 – 8)Buy from: -
Jazz
Buy from:This book takes readers on a jazz journey — from its beginnings in New Orleans to modern day jazz. Each lyrical poem tells a short story of something that contributes to jazz music, culture, or history. There is an introduction in the beginning and the back matter includes a glossary of jazz terms and a jazz timeline.
(Ages 5 – 8)Buy from: -
La Madre Goose: Nursery Rhymes for Los Niños
Buy from:I think re-imagined nursery rhymes and fairy tales like this one are so fun! This book takes several classic Mother Goose nursery rhymes and gives them a wonderful Latino flair. Combining both English and Spanish words, the rhymes are so fun to read aloud and the illustrations really make this book pop. Each is warm, whimsical, and inclusive. The book also includes a glossary.
(Ages 5 – 8)Buy from: -
One Leaf Rides the Wind
Buy from:This counting book follows a young Japanese girl as she explores a Japanese garden. Each of the eleven poems begins with a number and introduces children to the numbers 1-10. Older children may enjoy using this book as a tool to help learn the haiku format used in poetry. At the bottom of each page there is additional information about the object displayed on the page and its role within Japanese culture.
(Ages 5 – 8)Buy from: -
A World Full of Poems
Buy from:A stunning anthology featuring work from contemporary and historical poets, A World Full of Poems is wonderfully comprehensive. Poems range in topic from sports and science to more emotional landscapes, and they’re complemented with engaging information on the featured subjects, plus utterly absorbing illustrations. As with poetry itself, there truly is something for everyone in this compilation.
(Ages 5 – 9)Buy from: -
Thunder Underground
Buy from:In this book, a young girl and boy go an adventure to explore a variety of things commonly found underground: fossils, subway stations, and buried treasures. Each of the twenty-one poems challenges children to use their imagination and sense of wonder. Readers will find additional notes on each poem in the back of the book.
(Ages 5 – 10)Buy from: -
Keep a Pocket in Your Poem
Buy from:Little readers and aspiring poets will enjoy reading revisions to thirteen classic poems in this highly imaginative book. There are revisions of poems from beloved poets such as Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and Jack Prelutsky. The book features a diverse cast of characters throughout.
(Ages 5 –10)Buy from: -
We Could Fly
Buy from:When a young girl sees a sparrow, she suddenly has the urge to fly herself and be free. Her mother tells her that her ancestors had felt the same longing, to hold each other tight and rise. Based on Rhiannon Giddens’s song “We Could Fly,” this picture book is a beautiful testament to spirituality and ancestral connection. Along with Briana Mukodiri Uchendu’s ethereal illustrations, this is a modern-day classic.
(Ages 6 – 9)Buy from: -
Soccerverse
Buy from:Poetry and soccer? Yes, please! Steinglass dedicates her book of verse to “everyone whose lives are touched by the beautiful game,” and that spirit of admiration permeates each page. Beyond serving as an ode to the beloved sport — played here by a diverse cast of boys and girls — Steinglass also uses thirteen different poetic forms, described in a note at the end, so readers can become just as knowledgeable about poetry as they are of the game.
(Ages 6 – 9)Buy from: -
Jump Back Paul
Buy from:“You don’t just sit quiet with a book of them in your hand,” Sally Derby writes of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poems. “You call out his poems in your very best voice, the way he did back when.” So begins a fitting tribute to one of the first influential Black poets in American literature, who the world lost too soon, and whose work continues to resonate today. Jump Back Paul combines Dunbar’s life story with more than two dozen of his poems — an essential introduction to one of the greats.
(Ages 8 – 12)Buy from: -
Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph
Buy from:Jazz Day is a wonderful collection of poems based on the famous Esquire magazine photo from 1958. Esquire magazine put the word out to fifty-seven jazz musicians to gather for a photo shoot in Harlem. The entire, rather impressive, event was coordinated by word of mouth. The back matter includes biographies of several of the fifty-seven musicians photographed, an author’s note, a list of additional resources, a bibliography, and a foldout page of Art Kane’s famous photograph.
(Ages 8 – 12)Buy from: -
Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets
Buy from:Stunning! That’s the best way I can describe this book. It features twenty poems that celebrate the influence of different poets from Emily Dickinson to Langston Hughes. The exquisitely crafted collage-style illustrations are breathtaking and connect nicely to each poem. This book is a beautiful tribute to both poetry and diversity, and would make a great addition to any home or school library.
(Ages 8 – 12)Buy from: -
Yes! We Are Latinos
Buy from:Narrated through thirteen free-verse, fictional perspectives of Latinx children in the US — thus highlighting the overlooked diversity of ethnic, religious, language, and racial backgrounds among the Latinx community — Yes! We Are Latinos is an essential addition to home and school libraries. Each poem is followed by relevant historical context, such as the Spanish Civil War and immigration, and the authors also introduce readers to some of the real-life people who inspired their portraits.
(Ages 10+)Buy from:
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2020 and updated in 2024.