Who's Reading Children's Poetry April, once famous for bringing flowers, has now been declared Poetry Month and heralds scads of new children's poetry books. Poetry is the only developmentally dependent genre I know.
Children adore rhythm and rhyme from birth to six, but by seven, interest begins to wane.
I've evolved a psychology of children's poetry to compensate for these patterns. My recommendation is to enjoy poetry when children thrive on the stuff, then sneak it in as often as possible when they begin to resist. Perhaps this will keep children's love of word play and imagery alive during the dry spells. Here are some specific new titles based on these guiding principles. When children first experience books, rhyme and rhythm are certain indicators of success.