April 2, 2019
National Poetry Month

Do you read poetry?
In recognition of National Poetry Month, I need your help Readers! Honestly, the type of poetry I like is a story written in free verse. What I love about poetry is the figurative language, sparse words to convey the most beautiful reflections, and beautiful and unique turns of phrases. I need to expand my reading experiences with poetry, and I would love to hear about your favorite poets and poetry collections in comments please!
Here are six of my favorite examples of stories told in free verse:
*Titles are Amazon affiliate links.
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Vietnamese refugee story; Goodreads review here. (5 Stars)
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
A story of a young girl’s experience surviving the Oklahoma Dust Bowl; Goodreads review here. (5 Stars)
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
A memoir of childhood; review here. (5 Stars)
For Every One by Jason Reynolds
Encouraging words for courageous dreamers (not yet reviewed); perfect small gift for high school graduation this spring.
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
A boy discovers he can write poetry when he writes about his beloved dog; not reviewed. (5 Stars)
Finding Wonders by Jeannine Atkins
Fictionalized biography of three women who changed science; Goodreads review here. (4 Stars)
Let’s Discuss!
What poetry do you love?
Do you have a favorite poet?
Please share the title of your favorite poetry collection with me in comments!
O. Henry collection
Especially the one about coming back as an otter.
Thanks for commenting. I’ll give your rec a try! 👍
Love this share, Carol! I loved Brown Girl Dreaming and will definitely look into these others.
I think you’ll love them! Inside Out and Back Again is a huge favorite!
[…] Other favorite books in free verse include the titles found in this post. […]
[…] I don’t read a great deal of formal verse poetry, but I love stories told in free verse. Some of my favorites are listed in this post. I think the format of free verse works well for this story because in one sense it softens the […]