Reverse engineering: Picture book + poetry pairings

Eight years ago, I published an article in Book Links magazine that matched picture books with parallel poems, so that teachers and librarians who read the picture book aloud could have a poem on the same topic (or with the same theme) to follow up or introduce or extend the book experience. It was entitled: "Linking picture books and poetry; A celebration of Black History Month." Book Links. 2007. 16, (3), 44-47. (Sorry, but I can't find it online anymore.) Anyhoo... that got such a great response and really got me thinking about that potential in pairing two genres and formats. 

Flash forward and Janet (Wong) and I decided to do the same thing with our latest book, The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations (Pomelo Books, 2015). Yes, it's a poetry anthology with 156 poems by 115 poets. Yes, the poems are tied to all kinds of celebrations, holidays, and historic events. Yes, all the poems appear in both English and Spanish. BUT... every poem is also paired with a picture book. And it occurred to me that one could "reverse engineer" this book, ignore the "holidays" component, and use the book to find poems to match with 156 of your favorite contemporary picture books that you share in story times and lessons. (We even provide an index listing all the picture books along with the page numbers for the matching poems.) So, if you like picture books, read them aloud to kids, and would like to START there, here is a complete list of all the picture books we link with poems in The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations. 

PICTURE BOOKS CITED (all with matching poems)

in The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations

365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental (Abrams, 2006)

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee (HMH, 2008) 

A Dance Like Starlight by Kristy Dempsey (Philomel, 2014)

A Dollar, a Penny, How Much and How Many by Brian P. Cleary (Millbrook, 2014)  

A Piñata in a Pine Tree by Pat Mora (Clarion, 2009)

A Sick Day for Amos Magee by Philip C. Stead (Roaring Brook, 2010) 

A Sweet Passover by Lesléa Newman (Abrams, 2012)

All Different Now: Juneteenth by Angela Johnson (Simon & Schuster, 2014)

All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant (Abrams, 2009) 

All in Just One Cookie by Susan E. Goodman (Greenwillow, 2006) 

All of Baby, Nose to Toes by Victoria Adler (Dial, 2009) 

All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon (Atheneum, 2011) 

An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston (Chronicle, 2006) 

And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano (Roaring Brook, 2012)

At the Same Moment Around the World by Clotilde Perrin (Chronicle, 2014) 

Auntie Yang’s Great Soybean Picnic by Ginnie Lo (Lee & Low, 2012)

Baby’s First Laugh by Jessie Eve Ruffenach (Salina Bookshelf, 2003) 

Bear Has a Story to Tell by Philip C. Stead (Roaring Brook, 2012) 

Bella & Bean by Rebecca Kai Dotlich (Atheneum, 2009)

Biblioburro by Jeanette Winter (Simon & Schuster, 2010) 

Big, Bigger, Biggest! by Nancy Coffelt (Holt, 2009) 

Blackout by John Rocco (Disney-Hyperion, 2011) 

Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day by Pat Mora (Rayo, 2009)

Bringing Asha Home by Uma Krishnaswami (Lee & Low, 2006) 

Brownie Groundhog and the February Fox by Susan Blackaby (Sterling, 2011) 

Can We Save the Tiger by Martin Jenkins (Candlewick, 2011) 

Carl’s Summer Vacation by Alexandra Day (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2008) 

Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown (Little, Brown, 2010) 

Christmas Tree! By Florence Minor (HarperCollins, 2005) 

Clara and Davie by Patricia Polacco (Scholastic, 2014)

Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett (Disney-Hyperion, 2013) 

Dad and Pop: An Ode to Fathers & Stepfathers by Kelly Bennett (Candlewick, 2010)

Dale, Dale, Dale: Hit It, Hit It, Hit It by René Saldaña, Jr. (Piñata Books, 2014)

Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin by Duncan Tonatiuh (Abrams, 2010) 

Desert Elephants by Helen Cowcher (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2011) 

Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates (Knopf, 2010)

Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015) 

Duck for Turkey Day by Jacqueline Jules (Albert Whitman, 2009) 

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld (Chronicle, 2009)

Earth Day, Birthday by Maureen Wright (Two Lions, 2012) 

Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino (Holt, 2007) 

Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka (Schwartz & Wade, 2013) 

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett (Balzer & Bray, 2012)

Fireboy to the Rescue! by Edward Miller (Holiday House, 2010) 

Flip, Float, Fly!: Seeds on the Move by JoAnn Early Macken (Holiday House, 2008)

Follow Me by Tricia Tusa (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011) 

Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth by Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes (Chronicle, 2012) 

Grandfather Counts by Andrea Cheng (Lee & Low, 2000) 

Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Roaring Brook, 2012) 

H.O.R.S.E.: A Game of Basketball and Imagination by Christopher Myers (Egmont, 2012)

Hands around the Library by Susan L. Roth and Karen Leggett Abouraya (Dial, 2012) 

Hanukkah Bear by Eric Kimmel (Holiday House, 2013)

Helen’s Big World by Doreen Rappaport (Disney-Hyperion, 2012) 

Henry's First-Moon Birthday by Lenore Look (Atheneum, 2001) 

Hide-and-Seek Science: Animal Camouflage by Emma Stevenson (Holiday House, 2013)

Holidays Around the World: Diwali by Deborah Heiligman (National Geographic, 2008) 

Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014) 

How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham (Candlewick, 2008) 

I Call My Grandpa Papa; I Call My Grandma Nana by Ashley Wolff (Tricycle, 2009)

I Have a Dream by Kadir Nelson (Schwartz & Wade, 2012)

I Love Saturdays y domingos by Alma Flor Ada (Atheneum, 2002) 

I Pledge Allegiance by Pat Mora and Libby Martinez (Knopf, 2014) 

I Remember Abuelito by Janie Levy (Albert Whitman, 2007)

Ice Cream Summer by Peter Sís (Scholastic, 2015)

If the World Were a Village (2nd edition) by David J. Smith (Kids Can Press, 2011) 

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein (Candlewick, 2010)

Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith (HarperCollins, 2000) 

Jurassic Poop by Jacob Berkowitz (Kids Can Press, 2006) 

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert (Harcourt, 2005) 

Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa by Donna L. Washington (HarperCollins, 2010) 

Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen (Candlewick, 2006)

Ling & Ting: Share a Birthday by Grace Lin (Little, Brown, 2013) 

Littlebat’s Halloween Story by Diane Mayr (Whitman, 2009) 

Little Roja Riding Hood by Susan Middleton Elya (Putnam, 2014) 

Mama Loves by Rebecca Kai Dotlich (HarperCollins, 2004)

Marvelous Mattie by Emily Arnold McCully (2006)

Mind Your Manners, B. B. Wolf by Judy Sierra (Knopf, 2007)

Miss Fox’s Class Shapes Up by Eileen Spinelli (Albert Whitman, 2011) 

Moonshot by Brian Floca (Atheneum, 2009) 

Mother to Tigers by George Ella Lyon (Atheneum, 2003)  

My Teacher by James Ransome (Dial, 2012) 

Neville by Norton Juster (Schwartz & Wade, 2011) 

New Year at the Pier by April Halprin Wayland (Dial, 2009) 

Night of the Moon by Hena Khan (Chronicle, 2008) 

No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart (Charlesbridge, 2013)

Noah Webster & His Words by Jeri Chase Ferris (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012) 

Now & Ben by Gene Barretta (Square Fish, 2008) 

On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman (Feiwel & Sons, 2006)

Oscar’s Half Birthday by Bob Graham (Candlewick, 2005)

Our Grandparents: A Global Album by Maya Ajmera (Charlesbridge, 2010)

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by James Dean (HarperCollins, 2012)

Picture Day Perfection by Deborah Diesen (Abrams, 2013)

Pirate vs. Pirate by Mary Quattlebaum (Hyperion, 2011)

Planes Fly! by George Ella Lyon (Atheneum, 2013)

Polar Bears by Mark Newman (Holt, 2010)

Popcorn by Elaine Landau (Charlesbridge, 2003)

President’s Day by Anne Rockwell (HarperCollins, 2007)

Press Here by Hervé Tullet (Chronicle, 2011) 

Red, White, and Boom! by Lee Wardlaw (Holt, 2012) 

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty (Abrams, 2013) 

Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan (Scholastic, 2014) 

Say Hello! by Rachel Isadora (Putnam, 2010)

Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin (Dial, 2013) 

Sequoia by Tony Johnston (Roaring Brook, 2014) 

Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton (Little, Brown, 2010)

Sick Simon by Dan Krall (Simon & Schuster, 2015)

So You Want to Be President by Judith St. George (Philomel, 2004) 

Spaghetti Smiles by Margo Sorenson (Pelican, 2014) 

Take Me Out to the Yakyu by Aaron Meshon (Atheneum, 2013)

Ten Days and Nine Nights by Yumi Heo (Schwartz & Wade, 2009) 

Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival by Grace Lin (Knopf, 2010)

That Is Not a Good Idea by Mo Willems  (Balzer & Bray, 2013) 

The Birthday Cake by Sven Nordqvist (NorthSouth, 2015)

The Book Boat’s In by Cynthia Cotten (Holiday House, 2013) 

The Book with No Pictures by B. J. Novak (Dial, 2014)

The Camping Trip that Changed America by Barb Rosenstock (Dial, 2012) 

The Carnival of the Animals by Jack Prelutsky (Knopf, 2010) 

The Christmas Coat by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve (Holiday House, 2011) 

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt (Philomel, 2013) 

The Dumpster Diver by Janet Wong (Candlewick, 2007)

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce (Atheneum, 2012)

The Flag Maker by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (HMH, 2004) 

The Greatest Game Ever Played by Phil Bildner (Putnam, 2006)

The Impossible Patriotism Project by Linda Skeers (Dial, 2007) 

The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers (Philomel, 2007) 

The Kindhearted Crocodile by Lucia Panzieri (Holiday House, 2013) 

The Last Day of Kindergarten by Nancy Loewen (Two Lions, 2011) 

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (Little, Brown, 2009) 

The Longest Day: Celebrating the Summer Solstice by Wendy Pfeffer (Dutton, 2010)

The Mangrove Tree by Susan L. Roth (Lee & Low, 2011) 

The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett (Simon & Schuster, 2009) 

The Pirate of Kindergarten by George Ella Lyon (Atheneum, 2010) 

The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania of Jordan (Disney-Hyperion, 2010) 

The Shortest Day by Wendy Pfeffer (Dutton, 2003) 

The Third Gift by Linda Sue Park (Clarion, 2011)

The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin (Charlesbridge, 1999) 

The Wakame Gatherers by Holly Thompson (Shen’s/Lee & Low, 2007) 

The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli (Disney-Hyperion, 2013) 

This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman (Magination, 2014) 

This Next New Year by Janet Wong (Korean/English edition, Pomelo, 2014) 

This Old Band by Tamera Will Wissinger (Sky Pony, 2014) 

This School Year Will Be the Best by Kay Winters (Dutton, 2010) 

Tillie the Terrible Swede by Sue Stauffacher (Knopf, 2011) 

To Market, To Market by Nikki McClure (Abrams, 2011) 

Twenty-two Cents: Muhammad Yunus and the Village Bank by Paula Yoo (Lee & Low, 2014) 

Vote! by Eileen Christelow (Clarion, 2003) 

We March by Shane Evans (Roaring Brook, 2012)

What a Party! by Sandy Asher (Philomel, 2007) 

What Did You Put in Your Pocket? by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers (HarperCollins, 2003) 

When Otis Courted Mama by Kathi Appelt (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015)

When We Go Walking by Cari Best (Two Lions, 2013) 

When You Wander: A Search-and-Rescue Dog Story by Margarita Engle (Henry Holt, 2013) 

Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone (Holt, 2013) 

Why the Chicken Crossed the Road by Tedd Arnold and others (Dial, 2006) 

Xander’s Panda Party by Linda Sue Park (Clarion, 2013) 

Yes, Let’s by Galen Goodwin Longstreth (Tanglewood Press, 2013) 

Yo-Yo Man by Daniel Pinkwater (HarperCollins, 2007)

Zoopa: An Animal Alphabet by Gianna Marino (Chronicle, 2005)

 

Yes, there really is a poem for each one of these picture books in The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations (and in English AND Spanish). So, for example, if you have a picture book about spaghetti like Spaghetti Smiles by Margo Sorenson (or another favorite spaghetti book), and you regularly share that book with kids (who generally love spaghetti), there is a poem waiting for you to match with that book. Here it is:

And if you want to share this book and poem on National Pasta Day, October 17, you're all set! But you can certainly share both the book and poem on ANY day, right? 

Now head on over to Today's Little Ditty where the lovely Michelle H-B is hosting our Poetry Friday gathering.