Poetry and Rhyming Books for Older Readers

Rhyming. It’s a very important skill that younger kids need to help them learn to read and spell. But rhyming is effective with older readers, too! Poetry is a great place to start, as there are so many ways you can use it.

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Poetry and rhyming books with a touch of silly added to them are a great tool especially for older, reluctant or struggling readers. The rhyming books and poetry in this book list are some of my favorites to use with older readers {end of 2nd grade and up.} All of them, with the exception of one, are part of our at-home library and are used on a regular basis.

Poetry and Rhyming Books for Older Readers

Parts by Tedd Arnold is a silly rhyme about a boy who thinks he’s literally falling apart. While young children will enjoy this book, older kids will enjoy and better “get” the images and humor. If you enjoy this one, you’ll also enjoy More Parts and Even More Parts, rhyming books with figurative language.

I have used The 20th Century Children’s Poetry Treasure for teaching so many comprehension strategies. It is filled with funny poetry and more serious poetry and has pages that share a common theme. While it is compiled by Jack Prelutsky, there are many authors featured.

For Laughing Out Loud and For Laughing Out Louder {hard to find} are both full of silly, nonsense poetry compiled by Jack Prelutsky, one of our favorites.

Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs is only one of many silly rhyming poems from Alan Katz. These will have your kids in stitches. I will say that if you don’t like potty humor, these books aren’t for you, especially On Top of the Potty.

Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and Falling Up by Shel Silverstein were ALL favorites of the older, struggling readers that I tutored…boys and girls alike. I especially enjoyed teaching about visualization and figurative language, as often his illustrations would feature the literal meaning of phrases like “growing a foot”.

If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Worries by Judith Viorst {the author of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day}is the only book in this collection that we don’t own, but it was recommended to me by someone I know and trust. After reading some of the poems myself, I’d recommend this for 3rd grade and above. Not all of the poems in this book rhyme and some have an irregular rhyme, which is great for older readers to hear.

Giant Children by Brod Bagert is a book that my boys in particular have enjoyed. My 3rd grader’s favorite poem is Booger Love, which is never under any circumstances supposed to be read to an adult. All the more reason for kids to love these silly poems.

Jack Prelutsky’s poetry is just pure silly and maybe a little too much for some kids. We own and love the poems in The New Kid on the Block, but he also has several other poetry books that are just as fun and silly!

You Might Also Like:

• 4 Things to Consider When Picking Books for Struggling Readers
• 6 Ways to Use Poetry with Kids
• How to Plan for a Reluctant Reader
• 15+ Things to Say When a Child Doesn’t Know a Word

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~Becky