Review of Poetry Books

Disclosure: We were sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I am going to share three different poetry books with you. They are each very different from one another and each is a wonderful addition to any poetry unit or collection. Two of the books have themes that will also lend toward other subjects as well. We will start with The Day the Universe Exploded My Head by Allan Wolf and illustrated by Anna Raff. 

This book shares poems about space. It also teaches a bit about space with the poems. There are poems about the sun and all the planets in our solar system as well as other things like moons, eclipses and more. Some of the poems like the one on the sample page below are written for different voices. 

I love how the poems teach about space and poetry at the same time. The poems are a variety of different types. Each ones shares about different things in space. It is the perfect book to add to a space unit and a poetry unit.

 Our next book is Up Verses Down by Calef Brown. The poems in this book are the kind kids love. They are silly, nonsense and fun! It is divided into chapters by the topics of poems. The topics include people, food, sleep, odd things and animals. 

The illustrations are fun and colorful and fun. The people throughout the book are various colors from natural ones to bizarre. There also many different races and cultures within it. This book is a fresh take on poetry for kids with the fun and nonsensical lyrics that reminds me of Shel Silverstein of my childhood, but in color. I know kids will love this book!

Our final book is from National Geographic Kids. It is The Poetry of Us edited by former U.S. Children's Poet Laureate, J. Patrick Lewis. There are poems in this book about our country. It includes the words to "America the Beautiful" and then there are poems about the American Eagle, the rose, and then it is divided by regions: New England, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest, Great Plains, Rocky Mountain West, Pacific Coast and Territories. There are poems by Maya Angelou, Walt Whitman, and more. 

This book takes you on a journey across the United States with poetry. The poems are for different regions and states. They share the cultures of the states and their various regions. What a tribute to our country!!

I hope you will check out these amazing poetry books and add them to your collection!!