Poetry Books that Feature the Alphabet

The alphabet has served as the organizing framework for poetry for generations, as far back as “in Adam’s fall/ we sinned all,” if not further. Below is a sampling of poetry books for children that are built around the letters of the alphabet.

            The list begins:

            Ashman, Linda. 2008. M is for Mischief; An A to Z of Naughty Children. New York: Dutton.

            Ada, Alma Flor. 1997. Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English. New York: Harper.

Bryan, Ashley. 1997. Ashley Bryan's ABC of African American Poetry. New York: Atheneum.

Curtis, Tony. 2011. An Elephant Called Rex and A Dog Called Dumbo: An A to Z of Children's Poetry. Ill. by Pat Mooney. London: Black Hills .

Dakos, Kalli. 1997. Get out of the Alphabet, Number 2!: Wacky Wednesday Puzzle Poems. New York: Simon & Schuster.

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