Welcome wonderful wordsmiths! It’s that special time again for our weekly Children’s Poetry Blog Post Roundup. We’re here to share the latest happenings and delightful discoveries from the world of children’s poetry over the past week. Settle in with your favorite mug of cocoa, and let’s see what rhymes and rhythms have been making news!
April is National Poetry Month, which makes this a perfect time to encourage young writers to try something new—or take their poetry a step further.
The Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest 2026 is now open, and it includes a special category just for poets age 18 and under. Even better, there’s no entry fee, so it’s an easy, low-pressure way for students to write, revise, and share their work.
Every once in a while, a poetry book comes along that feels like pure kinetic energy on the page. That’s exactly the experience I had reading Dinos That Drive by Suzy Levinson, illustrated by Dustin Harbin. From the very first pages, it’s clear this is not a quiet, contemplative collection. This is a loud, lively, engine-revving celebration of dinosaurs, vehicles, and wordplay.
And really, what more do you need than that?
The premise is delightfully simple: dinosaurs are back, and not only are they alive and well, they’re driving everything from motorcycles and taxis to submarines and rocket ships. Each poem introduces a different dino, a different vehicle, and a different comedic scenario. The result is a collection that feels fast-paced, inventive, and consistently surprising.
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!
Every so often, I come across a book that feels like it was made for the exact same reasons I write poems: to spark curiosity, invite laughter, and send readers wandering off into the wilderness of their own imagination. A Catalog of Curious Creatures by Shaun Jex is one of those books.
From the moment I opened it, I felt like I’d stumbled onto an old explorer’s notebook, one filled not with dry observations but with lively, lyrical encounters with the strange and the marvelous. Jex frames the collection as a kind of poetic field guide, and it’s a perfect conceit. These aren’t just poems; they’re sightings, warnings, tall tales, and campfire legends brought to life in verse.
Welcome back, poetry lovers! It’s time again for the weekly Children’s Poetry Blog Post Roundup. I’ve gathered some delightful news and updates from the world of children’s poetry from the past week, and I’m excited to share them with you. So, let’s see what wonderful words and poetic happenings have been buzzing around!
The Perfect CakeMost of the time, when I write a poem, the idea sneaks up on me. It might come from something I see, something I hear, or just a silly thought that pops into my head and refuses to leave. But every now and then, I get a very specific assignment.
That’s what happened with this poem. An editor at Storyworks 4–6, a magazine for students in grades four through six, asked me to write about a kid who tries to do something nice for their mom’s birthday, and tries to do it perfectly, but ends up with hilariously disastrous results.
Now, if you’ve ever tried to cook or bake something on your own, you might already know that things don’t always go according to plan. Sometimes you forget an ingredient. Sometimes you add the wrong one. And sometimes… well… sometimes your cake ends up looking a lot more like meatloaf.
As I was writing this poem, I had a lot of fun imagining just how wrong things could go in the kitchen, and how the character might keep going anyway, trying their best to make something special.
This poem was originally published in the February 2026 issue of Storyworks 4–6. I hope it makes you laugh, and maybe even reminds you that sometimes the love that goes into what we do is more important than a perfect result. This is…
The Perfect Cake
Today’s my mother’s birthday.
She’s a connoisseur of cakes.
I tried to bake a masterpiece
but made a few mistakes.
I couldn’t find the flour,
so I stirred in mashed potatoes,
then turned it red as roses
by including stewed tomatoes.
I knew that eggs were needed,
but is seventeen too many?
We had no milk or butter,
so I couldn’t put in any.
The sugar was the weirdest part;
it tasted just like salt!
Her “cake” came out like meatloaf,
which was clearly all my fault.
Mom said, “This cake is perfect
and you’ve totally succeeded!
You made it with a lot of love,
and that is all I needed.”
— Kenn Nesbitt
Hello, poetry pals and wonderful teachers! It’s time again for our weekly Children’s Poetry Blog Post Roundup. I’ve gathered the latest happenings from the world of children’s poetry from the past week, bringing you news, new poems, and exciting updates from your favorite poets.
The school year may be winding down, but there’s still plenty of time to bring something special, and memorable, to your students.
I still have openings over the next few months for online author visits, and this is a wonderful time of year to schedule one.
Larry the LeprechaunWith St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I thought it might be fun to write a poem about the holiday. Over the years I’ve written a number of poems about wearing green clothing on March 17th, because green is the color most people associate with St. Patrick’s Day. As it happens, green is also my favorite color.
But while I was thinking about the holiday, I began to wonder what it might be like if someone didn’t like green at all. What if they actually disliked it? And what if that someone was expected to wear green every day—like a leprechaun?
That’s where the idea for Larry the Leprechaun came from. Larry refuses to wear green, even though everyone tells him he has to. When I started writing the poem, I knew Larry didn’t like green, but I didn’t know what he was going to do about it.
About halfway through writing the poem, I suddenly realized that if Larry didn’t want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, maybe he could celebrate a holiday named after another famous saint instead. I hope you enjoy it. This is…
Larry the Leprechaun
Larry the Leprechaun didn’t like green.
He cried, “It’s the worst color I’ve ever seen!
It might be okay for a bush or a tree,
but green is a color you won’t find on me.
“I’m not fond of olive, or forest, or lime.
I don’t like chartreuse, neon, clover, or thyme.
I shudder at shamrock and juniper too.
But I’m not allowed to wear purple or blue.
“They tell me I have to wear green every day,
and shouldn’t wear orange, magenta, or gray.
Well, sorry, I have to be true to myself.
A leprechaun’s more than some silly green elf.
“And that’s why, regardless of what people say,
I no longer celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day.
From now on, I’m dressing in pink, white, and red
to celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day instead.”
— Kenn Nesbitt
