Child Poetry

Llama Llama has new neighbors! Nelly Gnu and her mama stop by for a play date, but Llama's not so sure it's time to share all his toys. Maybe just his blocks? It could be fun to make a castle with Nelly.... But wait - Nelly has Llama's little Fuzzy Llama! The fun turns to tears when Fuzzy Llama is ripped in two, "all because of Nelly Gnu!" Mama comes to the rescue and fixes Fuzzy, but she makes it clear: "I'll put Fuzzy on the stairs, until you're sure that you can share."

It’s October 1944, and while Claire’s older brother, Danny, is off fighting in World War II, her dad hires a group of German POWs to help with the apple harvest on their farm. Claire wants nothing to do with the enemies in the orchard, until she meets soft-spoken, hardworking Karl. Could she possibly have something in common with a German soldier? Karl, meanwhile, grapples with his role in the war as he realizes how many lies Hitler’s regime has spread—and his complacency in not standing up against them.

Learn more about haiku, which are short poems, written in a style created in Japan more than 400 years ago.

First grade - it's the big time! After all, it's a real, honest-to-goodness grade. In verses that are both funny and full of heart, D. J. Steinberg celebrates big and small moments, ones that all young "scholars" will relate to - baby teeth that won't fall out, choosing the perfect library book, celebrating Pajama Day, and wrangling with the mysteries of spelling. From the first day of school to the last, this engaging anthology is essential listening for all soon-to-be first-graders.

The Gruffalo said that no gruffalo should ever set foot in the deep dark wood. But one wild and windy night the Gruffalo's child disobeys her father's warnings and ventures out into the snow. After all, the Big Bad Mouse doesn't really exist...does he? Perfect for listening to at home, in the car, at bedtime - or any time at all!

In a dry dusty place where the sand sparkled gold, stood a mighty flat rock—all craggy and old. And under that rock in a tinyful house, lived the littlest, quietest, meekest brown mouse. Fed up of being ignored by the other animals, Mouse wishes he could roar like Lion. But, as he discovers, even the biggest, bossiest people are scared sometimes...and even the smallest creatures can have the heart of a lion!

Ozar is the first book in the pentalogy, The World in Nowhereness. The book's first part, titled OZAR, is the voyage toward God, but the voyage starts with the journey inward through the mystical traveler himself. After the mystical traveler encounters Homer and speaks to him, Homer advises him to continue his voyage in the direction of Shakespeare. Thus, the book's second part, Shakespeare in Cosmos, continues this voyage. The travelers in a cosmic ship land on Planet Zena, where children of 10 years are more intelligent than the most outstanding geniuses on Earth. Eventually, they meet ...

José era un granjero feliz y Pedro era su vecino, Sembraban pepinos y tomates en la montaña de encino. Ambos granjeros trabajaban muy duro; difícil era su vida, Pero tenían comida para sus familias; recompensa merecida Aunque a veces en casa después de un día de trabajo cansado Soñaban con tener una vida mejor de lo que habían pensado.

The complete rhyme of Mary Had a Little Lamb and it seems to be based upon a real girl by the name of Mary Sawyer (1806 - 1889). She brought a pet lamb to school. An uproar followed. A nephew of the teacher was visiting and wrote a rhyme about the incident. The Redstone School is now in Sudbury, Massachusetts. It is believed to be the schoolhouse mentioned in the nursery rhyme.

Lula Viramontes aches to one day become someone whom no one can ignore: a daring ringleader in a Mexican traveling circus. But between working the grape harvest in Delano, California, with her older siblings under dangerous conditions; taking care of her younger siblings and Mamá, who has mysteriously fallen ill; and doing everything she can to avoid Papá’s volatile temper, it’s hard to hold on to those dreams.

Serafina has a secret dream. She wants to go to school and become a doctor with her best friend, Julie Marie. But in their rural village outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti, many obstacles stand in Serafina's way - little money, never-ending chores, and Manman's worries. More powerful even than all of these are the heavy rains and the shaking earth that test Serafina's resolve in ways she never dreamed. At once heartbreaking and hopeful, this exquisitely crafted story will leave a lasting impression on your heart.

The practical cats need no introduction, but this stunning new reading by Lemn Sissay brings the poems vibrantly alive to introduce a new generation of children to Eliot's work. Lemn Sissay MBE is a poet, playwright and occasional broadcaster. He has read poetry all over the world and was the first poet commissioned to write for the London Olympics.

Finally, Amira is 12. Old enough to wear a toob, old enough for new responsibilities. And maybe old enough to go to school in Nyala - Amira's one true dream. But life in her peaceful Sudanese village is shattered when the Janjaweed arrive. The terrifying attackers ravage the town and unleash unspeakable horrors. After she loses nearly everything, Amira needs to dig deep within herself to find the strength to make the long journey - on foot - to safety at a refugee camp.

Canticos, la serie prescolar bilingüe, presenta “Te Quiero, Mama”, un libro ilustrado para niños pequeños, lleno de arte irresistible y rima inspiradora. Este libro es perfecto para el Dia de las Madres, el Dia de San Valentín, o cualquier ocasión que celebra el amor de nuestras madres.

When the lights went out one stormy night, lightning struck and out went the light, tucked away in my book bed, under the pages of might, my mind racing, and thoughts spinning bright, at the bottom of the book, a crawl space looked tight.

The speckled hen laid twelve eggs in her hidden nest at the top of the hay pile in the barn and the very last one, whom she called Humpty Dumpty, was the largest of all. The nest was very crowded and so the eggs began kicking each other to get more space for themselves. Humpty Dumpty, being on the very edge of the next, was kicked completely out and then decided to look about the wide world to see what he could see.

Former Young People’s Poet Laureate Naomi Shihab Nye delivers her latest collection, subtitled Poems About Families. They’re mostly focused on her relationship with her mother. Nye has a comfortable, unaffected delivery. Her voice has an unstudied tone, but, make no mistake, every syllable lands with precise intent. The poems are short and, at times, breathtakingly revealing, touching on acts of love and occasionally betrayal, on mysteries a child can never truly plumb. These snapshots come together to create a portrait of a vibrant, wounded, whole woman.

When Nazi bombs begin to destroy Bess Walder’s hometown of East London, Bess convinces her parents to evacuate her and her younger brother, Louis, to Canada aboard the SS City of Benares. On the journey, she meets another evacuee, Beth Cummings. Bess and Beth have a lot in common—both strong and athletic, both named for Queen Elizabeth, both among the older kids on the ship, and both excited about life in Canada. On the fifth day at sea, everyone starts to relax, but trouble is right behind them. That night, a Nazi U-boat torpedoes the Benares.

It's December 16, 1773, and Boston is about to explode! King George has decided to tax the colonists' tea. The Patriots have had enough. Ethan, the printer's errand boy, is running through town to deliver a message about an important meeting. As he stops along his route - at the bakery, the schoolhouse, the tavern, and more - listeners learn about the occupations of colonial workers and their differing opinions about living under Britain's rule.

Upon the release of his first published work, Howl and Other Poems, in 1956, Allen Ginsberg became the unlikely force of a movement that would change a generation. Literature, art, sex, love, family, politics; nothing would ever be the same. The Beat Generation was born through Ginsberg and his friends.