Coolhead Luke and Other StoriesOn the Edge With Coolhead LukeI just wanted to provide other members with links to Jen's books on Goodreads.
I read some of the poems and they are very witty and funny. Illustrations are totally amazing!

Jen wrote: "Svetlana,

I would like to put forth my own humorous poetry books; they were written by me and illustrated by my son! The first, Coolhead Luke and Other Stories, was nominated for a Cybils Award ..."


Both books look fantastic! Congratulations on your accomplishments.
I wanted to mention to you that you can turn your Goodreads page into Goodreads Author page by clicking on your name under any of your books - it will take you to your unclaimed Goodreads Author page that already exist that now you can make yours and enjoy all the benefits that come with it.
Also I wanted to invite you to join another group I am moderating on Goodreads called Childrens Book Authors Trading Reviews, here is a link:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/2451...
If you are interested, just click on the request to join on the group's main page and send me a request, I will approve it right away.

Svetlana,

I would like to put forth my own humorous poetry books; they were written by me and illustrated by my son! The first, Coolhead Luke and Other Stories, was nominated for a Cybils Award and currently enjoys a five star rating on amazon.com. The second, On the Edge with Coolhead Luke, was just released last month. I think it's even better than the first.

These books are funny, but also challenging on a variety of levels. There is a glossary and teacher's guide in the back of each book.

To see a few samples, check out our website at: http://coolheadluke.com/poems-and-drawin...

Let us know what you think!

Jen and Colin

Here are 3 more poetry collections from Naomi Shihab Nye. I've not read them yet but they are on my wish list!

The Flag of Childhood Poems From the Middle East

19 Varieties of Gazelle Poems of the Middle East

Honeybee

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much, Bernadette! I am going to add all these books to the group bookshelf. I am especially interested in "Delirious".

Delirious A Collection of Poems for Kids 8-88

Not a well-known poet but his poems are hilarious! Written as a father, the poems cover typical childhood experiences; a great book for parents and children to read together.

Salting the Ocean 100 Poems by Young Poets

Naomi Shihab Nye has many poetry collections that I have not read, but the one above is interesting because they are poems written by children in Grades 1 - 12. (As a side note, her fiction is amazing if you are looking for books with a Middle Eastern focus.)

Wicked World!
Talking Turkeys
Funky Chickens

And other books of poetry by Benjamin Zephaniah are great for older readers! He writes about important issues such as animal cruelty, racism, government, etc. Mr. Zephaniah would also be a great "author study" as kids can really relate to him.

You can learn more about him and read some of his poetry on his website:
http://www.benjaminzephaniah.com/content...

I am going to recommend an unlikely source of poetry-- Hello Kitty! Hello Kitty Everywhere!If you have a little girl age 18 months to five who is in love with everything Hello Kitty this is a book for you! Every page has a charming haiku poem on it. Illustrations are witty and gorgeous. Maybe the haiku in this book will not take any poetry prizes, but they are perfect for my toddler who loves the book!

I went to 5th grade in Russia and only moved to America when I was in college. In Russia, poetry was a big part of the curriculum, we had to read it, even recite it by memory. I had favorite poets, the ones I did not care for, there were even few that I disliked, but poetry was a part of my life since I learned to read. Your age should not stop you from reading poetry. Is there a library in your school where a librarian could suggest a poetry book for you? I would ask to be directed to a poetry section for children in any library you have close by, just sit on the floor next to it and read a page or two frow as many books as you can. Poetry is a very personal experience, choose the book that you like the most and start from there. Poetry is a wonderfull world. I am sure you listen to music. The lyrics of a song is poetry!
Also, you write pretty good poetry for someone who never read a book of poetry in her life. You must have a talent for it. Your talent can only bloom even more if you back it up by reading poetry others created.

*they read it, if not,...

Hmm...I'm sorry,I've never read a poetry book in all my life. After all, I'm not that big. I'm just a little kid in middle school(if that's what you call 5th grade in America)So, its more easy for me to write poems, cause I know exactly what kids like. If its funny, they read it if not, well, kids of my age don't read it then.

I have just ordered my copy of "Knock at a Star"Knock at a Star A Child's Introduction to Poetry, I was recommended it as a very high quality children's poetry book. I took a peek on Amazon through "look inside the book" feature and I liked it, loved the cover, now waiting to read it.

I would start with John Ciardi's and Kenneth Koch's books of poetry for children, easily found by doing an author search on their names at either Amazon and/or Wikipedia. Also Ted Hughes has had some wonderful moments in children's poetry. I've heard a lot about a book Hughes co-edited with Seamus Heaney called _The Rattle Bag_, although I have yet to read it myself.

Recommend a great poetry book for children written by someone else