Poetry for Summer

I just got back from a fun TASLA conference meeting with school library administrators from around Texas. What a fun group and productive meeting. I always enjoy being a "groupie" at their functions learning more about what school librarian leaders are doing-- always so innovative and engaging. I spoke about my experiences sharing poetry with students in Guam and debuted my new poetry dress-- photos to come. :-) They also loved the pocket poems I brought of Tricia Stohr Hunt's "Summer Melon" poem-- here-- and also available on Pinterest.

Meanwhile, it feels like summer has truly arrived with hot temperatures across the country. I know it doesn't officially begin till next week, but I thought I might share a handy list of summer-themed poems featured in The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations as well as my list of poetry books about summer from my Poetry Teacher's Book of Lists.

And here's my list of poetry books about summer from my Poetry Teacher's Book of Lists.

Poetry Books about Summer

Summer time is the perfect time to catch up on all kinds of poetry reading of course, but we can kick off our summertime events and gatherings with poems written specifically about summer and typical summer activities. Here are a few examples to get us started.

Alarcón, Francisco X. 1998. From the Bellybutton of the Moon and Other Summer Poems/Del Ombligo de la Luna y Otros Poemas de Verano. San Francisco: Children’s Book Press.

Appelt, Kathi. 2004. My Father’s Summers: A Daughter’s Memoirs. New York: Henry Holt.

Brown, Marc. 2013. Marc Brown’s Playtime Rhymes: A Treasury for Families to Learn and Play Together. New York: Little, Brown. 

Bruchac, Joseph. 1995. The Earth under Sky Bear's Feet: Native American Poems of the Land. New York: Philomel Books.

Carlson, Lori M. Ed. 1998. Sol a Sol: Bilingual Poems. New York: Henry Holt. 

Dotlich: Rebecca Kai 1998. Lemonade Sun and Other Summer Poems Honesdale: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press.

Dotlich, Rebecca Kai. 2004. Over in the Pink House: New Jump Rope Rhymes. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press.

Esbensen, Barbara Juster. 1984. Cold Stars and Fireflies:  Poems of the Four Seasons. New York: Crowell. 

Fletcher, Ralph. 2001. Have You Been to the Beach Lately? New York: Orchard Books.

Florian, Douglas. 2002. Summersaults: Poems and Paintings New York: Greenwillow Books.

Fogliano, Julie. 2016. When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons. Macmillan/Roaring Brook/Porter.

Frank, John. 2007. How to Catch a Fish. New Milford: Roaring Brook Press.

George, Kristine O’Connell. 2001. Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems New York: Clarion Books.

Giovanni, Nikki. 1981. Vacation Time: Poems for Children. New York: Morrow.

Graham, Joan Bransfield. 1994. Splish Splash. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Grimes, Nikki. 2004. Tai Chi morning: Snapshots of China. Chicago: Cricket Books.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Ed. 1993. Beat the Drum, Independence Day has Come: Poems for the Fourth of July. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Ed. 2005. Days to Celebrate: A Full Year of Poetry, People, Holidays, History, Fascinating Facts, and More. New York: Greenwillow.

Hopkins, Lee. Bennett  Ed. 2010. Sharing the Seasons. Margaret McElderry.

Janeczko, Paul. Ed. 2014. Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

Katz, Alan. 2011. Mosquitoes Are Ruining My Summer! And Other Silly Dilly Camp Songs. New York: McElderry.

Lansky, Bruce. Ed. 2009. What I Did on My Summer Vacation: Kids' Favorite Funny Summer Vacation Poems. Minnetonka, MN: Meadowbrook Press.

Latham, Irene. 2016. Fresh Delicious: Poems from the Farmers' Market. Highlights/Wordsong.

Lessac, Frane. 2003. Camp Granada: Sing-Along Camp Songs New York: Holt.

Levy, Constance. 2002. Splash! Poems of Our Watery World. New York: Orchard.

Lewis, J. Patrick. 1994. July is a Mad Mosquito. New York: Atheneum.

Michelson, Richard. 2014. S is for Sea Glass: A Beach Alphabet. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press. 

Mora, Pat. 1998. This Big Sky. New York: Scholastic.

Schnur, Steven. 2001. Summer: An Alphabet Acrostic. New York: Clarion.

Shaw, Alison, comp. 1995. Until I Saw the Sea: A Collection of Seashore Poems. New York: Henry Holt.

Siebert, Diane. 2006. Tour America: A Journey through Poems and Art. San Francisco: Chronicle.

Singer, Marilyn. 2000. Fireflies at Midnight. New York: Atheneum. 

Singer, Marilyn. 1992. In My Tent. New York: Macmillan. 

Singer, Marilyn. 1989. Turtle in July. New York: Macmillan.

Spinelli, Eileen. 2007. Summerhouse Time. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 

Weatherford, Carole Boston. 2001. Sidewalk Chalk; Poems of the City. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press. 

Wissinger, Tamera Will. 2013. Gone Fishing: A Novel in Verse. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Wong, Janet. 2008. Minn and Jake’s Almost Terrible Summer. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. 

Zimmer, Tracie Vaughn. 2005. Sketches from a Spy Tree. New York: Clarion.

Yolen, Jane. 2000. Color Me a Rhyme: Nature Poems for Young People. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press. 

Let the summer fun begin! 

See you over at Carol's Corner for a lovely gathering of Poetry Friday posts.