Children love rhymes and patterns of words with rhythm and an almost musical like quality. All babies and very young children should grow up hearing nursery rhymes and songs and then move onto poetry when they are a little older. You should introduce your children to poetry not just because they enjoy it but also because it helps with their language development and vocabulary. Above all though, reading poetry with your children should be fun. There are a lot of poetry books available for children but here we have listed some of our favourite poetry collections aimed at a range of ages. There is something here for both boys and girls.

	Silly Verse For Kids by Spike Milligan- Illustrated by Milligan himself, this book has lots of wacky, weird rhymes such as ‘On the Ning Nang Nong’. Very silly but should put a smile on your childs face.
	100 Best Poems For Children- The poems in this book were chosen by children across the UK and include classics such as Kiplings ‘A smugglers song’ as well as more contemporary poems. This poetry books will probably appeal to children aged 6 and older.
	Poems for Young Children - This Childrens Poetry book has some lovely illustrations and a range of poems with something for everyone. The publisher gives a recommended age of 6+ but we think that younger children will love this book too.
	Twinkle Twinkle Chocolate Car – This books of poems is perfect for younger children and bridges the gap between nursery rhymes and poems for older children. It is full of lighthearted fun poems with plenty of laughs along the way.
	The Puffin Book Of Fantastic First Poems – This is another poetry book which is aimed at very young children (aged 3-6) and which acts as a bridge between nursery rhymes and poems for older children. The poems cover a wide range for topis and and include classics by the likes of Robert Louis Stevenson and more modern poems by writers such as Michael Rosen.
	Dragon Poems – This book is beautifully illustrated and contains 23 poems about dragons. Dragon poems is part of a series of 4 poetry books. The other three are dinosaur poems, monster poems and magic poems. All come highly recommended.

We hope you like our selection of poetry books for children. One good thing about poetry is that it exposes your children to a large number of words through a variety of sounds and rhythms. As children grow older they will learn how just a few carefully chosen words can describe a much bigger scenario or situation. Children don’t need to understand the meanings of all the words in a poem to enjoy listening or reading poetry.