Welcome back, everyone! It’s that time of the week again for the Children’s Poetry Blog Post Roundup. I’ve gathered the latest happenings from the world of children’s poetry from the past seven days, and there’s plenty to explore as National Poetry Month gets into full swing!
Children’s Poetry Summit
The Children’s Poetry Summit recently featured Rebecca Simpson-Hargreaves: Voices that Matter – Teaching Poetry for Social Justice. This post highlighted poetry as a truly democratic art form for children, where no fancy tools or perfect spelling are needed. It emphasized how framing poetry through social justice can help affirm identity and ensure every young voice feels heard and valued, encouraging creativity over strict rules and embracing diverse languages and forms.
Danna Smith Book Blog
Danna Smith shared some exciting news with Two Books Selected as Amazon Editors’ Picks! She was thrilled to announce that two of her books earned the prestigious Amazon Editors’ Picks designation, a recognition from Amazon’s editorial team for quality and entertainment.
David L. Harrison
David L. Harrison has had a busy week! In Poetry Month, he shared a brief, clever poem about a spider and invited readers to post their own poetic creations. He also mused about Getting sealed in a time capsule, preparing items for a dedication ceremony related to Route 66. For April’s And the word for April’s Word of the Month Poetry Challenge is…, the word of the month was revealed to be “WIND.”
Looking ahead to May, David L. Harrison is hosting a special program. He posted about Alicia Farris joins David Harrison and Friends at The Library Center on May 5, mentioning the award-winning artist. He also shared details about Mary Jane Mooneyham joins David Harrison and Friends at The Library Center on May 5, an artist known for her watercolor work, both contributing to the upcoming May 5th event. He even gave us a peek behind the scenes in Working on introductions, as he prepares to host the “David Harrison and Friends” program at The Library Center.
DreamBeast Poems
Mark Bird at DreamBeast Poems shared a delightful space-themed poem for young readers, titled Space Poem for Kids – You’re A Star – Mesostic Poem for Kids, which is a mesostic poem designed to spark imagination.
Imagine the Possibilities
Rose Cappelli contributed to Poetry Friday with her Poetry Friday: April Poetry Project. She celebrated the one-year anniversary of Matt Forrest Esenwine’s poetry collection and, for National Poetry Month, committed to writing a daily tanka in response to a poem, including her own birdsong-themed piece, “Birdsong.”
Joshua Seigal
Joshua Seigal posted several thought-provoking and humorous pieces this week. He recounted his amusing attempt to write a cheese-themed poem for a competition in The Judge of the Poetry Competition. Following months of work, he also shared poems that didn’t make the final cut for a collection in A MINI-ANTHOLOGY OF FOOTBALL POEMS, featuring titles like “Touchline Dad” and “Goalkeeper Blues.” His poem Space portrayed the vast indifference of the cosmos. In a lighter vein, he humorously declared a split from his favorite football club in A BREAK UP MESSAGE. Finally, he shared a provocative, tongue-in-cheek take on oil and geopolitics in A PASSOVER PRAYER, and in Together, he juxtaposed global fears with everyday moments and a declaration of love.
Kate Williams
Kate Williams celebrated Artemis II week by sharing A Moon poem for Artemis II week:, featuring “Moonpower” from her animal collection Squeak! Squawk! Roar! She also offered a playful Easter alternative to chocolate with Animals & Nature for Easter?, promoting her book of short, illustrated animal poems and even offering signed copies with free postage.
Laura Purdie Salas
For Poetry Friday, Laura Purdie Salas shared If You Knew (a poem about cyberbullying or maybe just bullying). Her post included a personal update, news about her upcoming fall picture book about helpers and inclusion, and a preview of a new poem draft related to bullying.
Live Your Poem
Irene Latham celebrated Poetry Friday by welcoming Dahlia Hamza Constantine to the blog in Stitch (a Picture Book!) Like an Egyptian with Dahlia Hamza Constantine. The post celebrated the release of their collaborative picture book, A Good Morning for Giddo, and shared insights into their joyful writing process.
Liz Garton Scanlon
Liz Garton Scanlon kicked off National Poetry Month with her wonderful annual tradition of daily haikus. She began with Haiku 1 — April 1, 2026, inviting readers to join her in this collaborative, multi-platform endeavor. She followed up with Haiku 2 — April 2, 2026, reflecting on a much-needed heavy rain in Central Texas, and then Haiku 3 — April 3, 2026, which featured a tranquil scene of morning rituals by water.
Michelle Schaub Writes
Michelle Schaub had an amazing time at TxLA 2026, where she presented on the panel “What’s So Funny (or Freaky) About Real Life: Nonfiction That Hooks Kids.” She shared her experience in A Great Nonfiction Panel at TxLA 2026!, discussing her book A Pathway for Pollinators alongside other notable authors.
Miss Rumphius Effect
Tricia Stohr-Hunt is embracing National Poetry Month 2026 with a playful approach, as outlined in her National Poetry Month 2026 Project. For NPM 2026 – Day 1, she used Paint Chip Poetry to create a villanelle and a limerick. On NPM 2026 – Day 2, she playfully reinvented a poem using Mad Libs, turning it into a stamp-collecting piece. She continued this creative exploration on NPM 2026 – Day 3, sharing poems generated through various fun methods like metaphor dice and Roll-a-Poem.
My Juicy Little Universe
Heidi Mordhorst announced her National Poetry Month plan to use daily prompts for drafting her middle-grade book, TREEOGRAPHY, which will result in many tree-focused poems this month. One post shared her plan to move from Blogger to Substack and her quest for UK and Ireland poets ahead of a September relocation to Brighton, along with the first prompt, a sample tree tanka. Another entry featured an April 3rd prompt asking for a fresh take on a profession, viewing work as a calling, and reflections on play versus work. An April 4th post referenced Mark van Doren’s “Spring Thunder” and invited readers to craft short, weather-themed poems with seasonal elements. Another highlighted Prompt #2, which called for a childhood-memory poem and showcased her draft exploring self-sovereignty as a cabbage white butterfly, noting it was her first NaPoWriMo hosted by Maureen Thorson. Finally, a Poetry Friday post responded to an ars poetica challenge, suggesting that poets might be like engineers, magicians, or bakers.
Poetrepository
Mary Lee Hahn brought us some interesting observations from current events. In Finally, Some Good News, she highlighted a New York Times article about Hershey’s pledging to use only real chocolate. She pondered a timely question about the Artemis II astronauts in Making a Difference in a Distracted and Divided World. Her post Supreme Court Birthright Citizenship Case delved into the family histories of Supreme Court justices. Lastly, she noted a memorable phrase in “That’s a Bridge Too Far”, borrowed from a New York Times newsletter.
Poetry Boost
Michelle Schaub announced that POEM SHARE is back for Poetry Month, shining a light on videos where children’s poets share their favorite spring poems. The post featured works by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, Lisa Varchol Perron, Christy Mihaly, Heidi Bee Roemer, and Robyn Hood Black, inviting readers to enjoy the spring poetry and explore free lessons.
Poetry Pop
Danna Smith welcomed a returning guest to Poetry Pop in Guest Pop: Discover the Depths of Emotion in Anna Banasiak’s Poetic Works. She celebrated the community and the work of Polish poet and devoted subscriber Anna Banasiak, inviting readers to explore her emotional poetic works.
Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme
Matt Forrest Esenwine joyfully kicked off National Poetry Month with Poetry Friday: A year of RAINBOWS, and the PF Roundup!, celebrating the one-year anniversary of his debut children’s poetry anthology, A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World.
Reflections on the Teche
Margaret Simon shared several reflections and poems this week. She began National Poetry Month by joining a map-themed collaboration with her poem National Poetry Month 2026 Day 1: Landscape, “Bayou-Side.” She also provided a spiritual reflection on Maundy Thursday in National Poetry Month 2026: Spiritual Thursday: Maundy Thursday. For Poetry Friday, National Poetry Month 26: Poetry Friday: Scratchy Teens saw her reflecting on her experiences as a teaching artist and the Kidlit Progressive Poem. Her post NPM26: Day 4: Lazarus offered an ekphrastic meditation. Prior to NPM, she expressed gratitude for a 31-day writing journey in SOLC26: Day 31: Slicing with You, announcing daily posts for April. She also shared a memory of a South Louisiana crawfish boil in SOLC26: Day 30: Crawfish Time and celebrated the inaugural Iris Festival in SOLC26: Day 29: Iris Festival.
Salt City Verse
Janice Scully joined in the National Poetry Month excitement with Move Over Crocus! She highlighted the ongoing Progressive Poem, where she’s set to contribute, and shared observations of beautiful spring blooms like Siberian Squill and Common Snowdrop.
Shaun Jex
Shaun Jex reopened his poetry toolbox to introduce a new technique in Opening the Poetry Toolbox: Personification. He explained how to give human traits to nonhuman things, featuring examples from his own work, “The Sun’s Confession,” and poems by Valerie Bloom, Mark Bird, and even yours truly, Kenn Nesbitt!
The Poem Farm
And over at The Poem Farm, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater kicked off her annual National Poetry Month project at The Poem Farm with her My Annual NPM Eve Post, announcing her 2026 theme: daily handwritten index-card poems inspired by sounds. She continued this listening journey through the week, sharing listen – day 1, listen – day 2, and listen – day 3, featuring a lovely spring morning poem about peepers. She concluded the week’s updates with listen – day 4, sharing a poem inspired by everyday kitchen sounds and inviting others to join her in noticing the soundscapes around them.
- Weekly Children’s Poetry Roundup – Saturday, April 4, 2026 - April 4, 2026
- Book Review: A Catalog of Curious Creatures - April 2, 2026
- Weekly Children’s Poetry Roundup – Saturday, March 28, 2026 - March 28, 2026
