Favorite Poetry for Young People 2004

Some of the strongest poetry this year was written for ‘tweens and teens, including a memoir by Kathi Appelt, concrete poetry by John Grandits, and gripping verse novels by Paul Janeczko, Walter Dean Myers, and Sonya Sones. There were also lovely picture book poetry collections for young readers, including a very contemporary Mother Goose and haiku by Jack Prelutsky. Look these risky ventures over and enjoy every one.

            The list begins:

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

*This memoir, told in prose poems, offers a movingly descriptive story set in Houston, Texas beginning in 1965. It is a coming of age story as well as a story about family ties that offers one girl’s perspective and experience of universal themes.

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