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Looking for Poems for Younger Readers for National Poetry Month?
Looking for Poems for Younger Readers for National Poetry Month?
Created by Bob Helmbrecht, collection development librarian
The Wallace Stevens award is given annually in recognition of career-long excellence in poetry. The most recent recipient, Naomi Shihab Nye, has written a number of books targeted to teen and child audiences, as well as adults.
Born in 1952 to a Palestinian father and American mother, Nye has lived in the Middle East and in Texas. Her lived experience as an Arab American is reflected throughout her work. In addition to the Wallace Stevens Award, Nye was also named the Young People's Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation from 2019-2021.
The Library has several of Nye's recent poetry books in the collection. You can also find some poems to read online on the Academy of American Poets website. Read a few, then check out a book by Naomi Shihab Nye today!
Poems for Youth and Teens
"Grace Notes: Poems About Families"
With poems about her own childhood and school years, her parents and grandparents, and the people who have touched and shaped her life in so many ways, this is an emotional and sparkling collection to savor, share, and read again and again.
"Cast Away: Poems for Our Time"
Nye shines a spotlight on the things we cast away, from plastic water bottles to those less fortunate, in this collection of more than eighty original and never-before-published poems. A deeply moving, sometimes funny, and always provocative poetry collection for all ages.
"Everything Comes Next: Collected & New Poems"
A treasure chest of Naomi Shihab Nye’s most beloved poems. The book is an introduction to the poet’s work for new readers as well as a comprehensive edition for classroom and family sharing. Writing prompts and tips by the award-winning poet make this an outstanding choice for aspiring poets of all ages.
"Voices in the Air: Poems for Listeners"
Focuses on the inspirational people who strengthen and motivate us to create, to open our hearts, and to live rewarding and graceful lives. With short informational bios about the influential figures behind each poem, and a transcendent introduction by the poet, this is a collection to cherish, read again and again, and share with others.
Poems for Adults
The collection is inspired by the story of Janna Jihad Ayyad, the "Youngest Journalist in Palestine," who at age 7 began capturing videos of anti-occupation protests using her mother's smartphone. Nye draws upon her own family's roots in a West Bank village near Janna's hometown to offer empathy and insight to the young girl's reporting. Long an advocate for peaceful communication across all boundaries, Nye’s poems in "The Tiny Journalist" put a human face on war and the violence that divides us from each other.