Must-Have Poetry Collections!

This Is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness by Joyce Sidman.
Illus. by Pamela Zagarenski.  Houghton Mifflin, 2007.  Gr. 3 and above
          This touching anthology, inspired by the title poem of apology written by William Carlos Williams, is a testimony to the complex relationships in our lives. In the first half of the collection, a fictional sixth grade class has written poems of apology, revealing a wide variety of topics, an array of emotions, and several different poetic forms. The second half presents the response poems, composed for the most part by the intended recipients of the apologies. Readers will find many voices in these poems with whom they can identify. The mixed-media illustrations of watercolor and collage, containing bits and pieces of items typically found in a school, add an inventive touch. This collection might inspire students to write their own poems of apology and forgiveness.
          Visit Joyce Sidman at her website to find strategies for writing, including poem starters, and related activities to accompany her books, a biography, pictures and notes about the animals in her life, and to hear the poet read selections from her works.
          Other poetry collections by Joyce Sidman:
Swirl By Swirl: Spirals in Nature..  Illus. by Beth Krommes.  Houghton Mifflin, 2011.
Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night.  Illus. by Rick Allen.  Houghton Mifflin, 2010.
(2011 Newbery Honor Book)
Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's Survivors.  Illus. by Beckie Prange.  Houghton Mifflin, 2010.
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors.  Illus. by Pamela Zagarenski.  Houghton Mifflin, 2009.
(2010 Caldecott Honor Book)
Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow.  Illus. by Beth Krommes.  Houghton Mifflin, 2006.
Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry.  Illus. by Michelle Berg.  Houghton Mifflin, 2006.
Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems.  Illus. by Beckie Prange.  Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
(2006 Caldecott Honor Book)
The World According to Dog: Poems and Teen Voices.  Photos by Doug Mindell.  Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
Eureka: Poems about Inventors.  Illus. by K. Bennett Chavez.  Millbrook, 2002.
Just Us Two: Poems about Animal Dads.  Illus. by Susan Swan.  Millbrook, 2000.