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A powerful poetic elegy about a real event - the 1955 lynching of a 14 year old African American boy for supposedly whistling at a white woman in Mississippi, written in the form of a heroic crown of sonnets: a sequence of 15 interlinked sonnets each of which takes the last line of the previous sonnet as its first line. Best suited for Grades 10-12.

A humourous look at life and the point of view of a teenager, as she deals with her life issues - like pesky younger brothers, trying new make-up, playing the cello and school sports. This will appeal to Grade 5 - 9 students in particular.

A story in verse about a girl raised in an fundamentally religious,abusive family. A very gripping and intense story that keeps the reader riveted to the last page. Some language and sex throughout  makes it appropriate for older teens. She has also written a number of other books including  "Impulse" and "Cranked".

Powerfully told in sparse language that is evocative of the landscape and spirit of the prairies. When Emaline's father abandons the family farm in Saskatchewan after an accident that disbles her, her mother hires Angus, a patient at the local mental hospital to help run the farm, much to to consternation of their neighbours. In coming to know Angus, Emaline learns about prejudice against those who are different. Suitable for upper elementary, junior high.

A collection of humorous poems and nonsense verse by writers including Ellen Raskin, Karla Kuskin, Ogden Nash, and Arnold Lobel, suitable for K-3.

So why would God go to beauty school? To learn how to do a good perm, of course. But when he got there, he found that he loved giving manicures because he liked to look at hands. This book has some wonderful poems that portray God in many different ways, but can evoke a sense of wonder in what He sees around him as he goes about his routines. The poems might be offensive to some, as they show God as a beautician ,climbing Mount Everest and going to see a doctor among other occupations.

Winner of the Newbury Award for 2008, this book captures the essence of life in the middle ages. Written in poetry form and in the language of the time, it effectively captures the voices and the mindsets of an English village in 1255.

Black is the night when there is no star
And you can’t tell by looking, where you are

Poems that capture the essence of each color and that can be used as a model for student writing.

A continuation of the story from 'Love that dog". This is written in narrative (like Love that dog)and introduces Jack to poetic concepts like alliteration, metaphors and onomatopoeia. Jack has a run-in with a black cat (hence the title), but has cause to grow to like him (a little bit) by the end of the book. This is a great sequel to Love that dog - but could stand on its own (if it had to).

A free verse novel, dealing with the issues in 12-year-old Anne’s life: a pregnant mother, her grandfather’s failing memory, trying to resist the pressure to become a member of the running team, and her art teacher’s requirement that she draw an apple 100 times.

25 poems, written by Sheree Fitch and beautifully illustrated by Yayo. Lots of wordplay in the poetry - and in the thoughts it evokes.

" If you’re not from the prairie,
You don’t know the sun,
You can’t know the sun. "

A love poem to everything that makes up the prairies. Speaks to the experience of anyone who’s grown up on the prairies.

A new interpretation of Lewis Carroll's poem, this book places the action on a basketball court and in an urban setting. Strong graphics and colours will appeal to students and puts an interesting twist on a familiar poem.

A novel written in poetry – about writing poetry. Jack doesn't understand poetry or think he can write it until he is inspired by a dog and a poet, Walter Dean Myers. Amazing book! Kleenex recommended.

A powerful blank verse novel, most suitable for senior high because of its themes. Two inner city teenage girls struggle toward better lives when college-bound Laverne takes on a regular after-school babysitting job for a young teenage mother. Laverne is a great role model for young women because she's strong-minded, straightforward, caring and ethical.

A collection of poems written in the form of mathematical problems. Used very successfully in a fraction lesson for grade five and then tied to an art lesson. The students really enjoyed the book and coming up with their own 'mathematickles' in both poetry form and art.

A King , who thought himself the Sun,
Reclined in bed and said to Moon,
“If you look after Everynight,
Then I will be in charge of Noon”.

This is the beginning of a poem about Versailles, one of 13 poems about some of the world’s most well known monuments, each illustrated by a beautiful National Geographic photograph. Ends with a challenge from the author to choose a building and “take a word picture” of it.(11/06)

Free verse letters from a Canadian child describing snow to his penpal in a tropical country. Useful in helping children develop their descriptive writing.

Familiar nursery rhymes, rewritten with a contemporary theme - mostly ecological, but some bordering on political as well.

Although the titles says stories, these are more like poems,  told in rhyme and accompanied by colourful, bright illustrations. He also does "Dutch sneakers and flea keepers : 14 more stories".
These were recommended by a student, but are currently not available in the Doucette.

Written by a girl when she was 13 years old, this book of poetry chronicles her trip through the diagnosis of her learning disability. Her mother's and her teacher were able to recognize that she had remarkable talents in writing in spite of the diagnosis and that she was more than just her label.

A collection of poems and 'poemstarters' that get progressively more challenging. A great way to introduce students to writing poetry.

This book is a great resource for read-aloud books, as well as hints and ideas for incorporating it into your classroom.

This is a biography of William Carlos William - doctor and poet. The book is done in a  mixed media format, with his poems written throughout in different fonts. This book would likely resonant well with older students, although his poetry is referred to in "Love that dog" by Sharon Creech - so children who were engaged with that book might find this of interest.

Described as hilarious funny, laugh-out-loud poetry.

A distinctly Canadian take on poetry - from coast to coast to coast!! See also Eenie-Meenie Manitoba

They thought that you knew the way of nature
They thought you respected the land

The poetry of David Bouchard and the art of First Nations artist Roy Henry Vickers combine in a plea to respect and care for nature.

One of a series from "Visions in Poetry" (other titles include The highway man and The lady of Shallot), the book depicts Allan's poem in a dark and haunting manner. This book is likely better used in the upper grades.

The premise of this book is that a teacher sets her class to writing letters of apology and a wide diversity of excellent poems of different types, styles and tones is the result. The poems are strong and this book could be an excellent resource for a similar project, but it is important to realize that the actual poems are not really the work of children but are all the work of author Joyce Sidman.

An anthology of poems for children - all Canadian all of the time!!

Using a simple poem and incredible examples of paper art, this book is a marriage of art and literature, as a snail and a poem slowly wend their way through this book. The book is beautiful to look at and also physically lovely to read and is suitable for both an early exposure to poetry and a later grade analysis of why the two art forms work so well together.

An excellent novel told in narrative poetry about a young girl in the 1930s living in the town from which the Lindbergh’s baby was kidnapped. When a man of German descent is captured she accompanies her journalist uncle to take notes about the trail and we’re left with questions about whether justice was really done.