Ten of the Best: books to inspire young poets

Phoebe Demerger chooses ten books to inspire young people to write poetry.

Children are natural poets in the ways that they picture and perceive the world, therefore some of the very best poetry books for children support, nurture and reward this natural curiosity and creativity, enabling them to see themselves as poets. Whether through interactive activities, how-to advice, or modelling the power that great poetry can have, these ten books will inspire young people to write poetry, show them how poetry can connect to our own experiences and emotions, and helping us to make sense of them.

A First Book of Dinosaurs
Simon Mole, illus Matt Hunt, Walker Books, 978-1529524352, £12.99 pbk

A First Book of Dinosaurs sits happily at the intersection between picturebook, information book and poetry book, providing a ‘way in’ for many different kinds of readers. Dinosaur fans can meet familiar favourites including Pterosaurs and Tyrannosaurus Rex, as well as some lesser-known creatures such as Eoraptor and Giraffatitan. The poet plays with a range of different forms, voices and devices, showcasing the creative possibilities of poetry, with plenty of humour and astounding facts sprinkled in alongside blocky, boldly dynamic artwork. With a follow-up – A First Book of Bugs, illustrated by Adam Ming – released in August 2025, it’s easy to imagine these works as an invitation to young poets to come up with their own celebratory anthology based on their favourite topic.

You’re a Poet: Ways to Start Writing Poems
Sean Taylor, illus Sam Usher, Walker Books, ‎ 978-1536239331, £10.99 pbk

This is a gentle and friendly illustrated introduction to writing poems, within a frame narrative of five short stories about a young pig and his poetry-writing exploits. Each story sees Piglet respond to everyday events, sensations or emotions by working up a poem about them, often in collaboration with family and friends, and closes with a guide for the reader to take what Piglet has learned and turn it into their own poem. The soft watercolour-and-ink illustrations have a timeless quality, and Piglet’s poetry adventures are ideal for encouraging both creative writing and emotional literacy.

Poetry Prompts: All Sorts of Ways to Start a Poem
Joseph Coelho, illus Georgie Birkett, Grasya Oliyko, Amanda Quartey and Viola Wang, Wide Eyed Editions, 978-0711285118, £9.99 pbk

Produced during Coelho’s tenure as the Children’s Laureate 2022-24, this vibrantly illustrated guide compiles more than 40 ‘poetry prompts’ to inspire young writers and demystify the creative process. Covering such broad topics and techniques as riddles, freewriting, haiku and performance, this book is an invitation to get started, combat the fear of the blank page, and see where writing takes you. Embedded amongst the activities are ‘poetry power-ups’, inviting the reader to think outside the box and take their writing to the next level. Accompanied by supportive artwork from four distinctive illustrators.

Colossal Words for Kids: 75 Tremendous Words – Neatly Defined to Stick in the Mind, by Colette Hiller, illus Tor Freeman, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 978-0711278738, £9.99 pbk

The ambition of 2025’s CLiPPA winner is to render the learning of long words accessible, engaging and enjoyable, and it does so in a refreshingly rewarding way. Each poem in this alphabetically-arranged collection explores the meaning of an intriguing word in rhyme, accompanied by gloriously silly illustrations. Not only do these ‘definition’ poems help build young readers’ vocabulary, with Hiller’s use of rhyme and rhythm rendering these definitions more memorable, they also unveil the playfulness of language, and celebrate the power of a well-chosen word. From ‘Ambiguous’ and ‘Bravado’ to ‘Meander’ and ‘Soporific’, readers encounter a wide range of unusual words – the format will appeal to young collectors as well as young linguists.

Moon Juice and Cloud Soup
Kate Wakeling, illus Elīna Brasliņa (The Emma Press), 978-1912915743, £8.99 pbk

There are few poets with such a pleasing grasp of wordplay and wit as Wakeling. Her two pocket-sized collections with Birmingham-based indie The Emma Press are equally charming, lively, and unexpected, covering a terrific range of subject matter and form and keeping at their hearts a sense of wonder in the everyday. Wakeling has a playfulness with language that is so engaging, and her poems are technically sound, with thorough exploration of form and a healthy dose of silliness – take, for example, the titular kennings for rain: cloud soup, sky spittle, the puddle artist. An imaginative, inviting and inspiring pair of books.

A Passing On of Shells: 50 Fifty-Word Poems
Simon Lamb illus Chris Riddell, Scallywag Press, ‎ 978-1915252128, £10.99 hbk

The poet sets himself an interesting challenge in this book: to compile a collection of poems of only fifty words each. Rather than being limiting, this invites a whole different kind of creativity: how to reveal the core of a poem’s meaning in as few well-chosen words as possible. This challenge naturally lends itself to expansion within the classroom or the playground: how about a poem of three lines or less? What about thirty words? Or ten? Indeed, this book would pair well with AF Harrold’s A Pocket Book of Pocket Poems (illustrated by Jack Viant, Bloomsbury), whose witty and imaginative poems decrease in size as the book progresses from sixty words to zero.

Goodnight, Starry Night: Bedtime Poems Inspired by Works of Art
Joseph Coelho, illus Allison Colpoys and Mary Rose Brady, Thames & Hudson, 978-0500653333, £14.99 pbk

This beautifully produced book is a collaboration between two different media: poetry and the visual arts, each poem written in response to a different piece of artwork. Themes of collaboration and creativity are key here, with the reader encouraged to consider how one form of art could be ‘translated’ into another. A mix of familiar and less well-known artists and artworks are spotlit, including Vincent Van Gogh, Yayoi Kusama and Ruth Asawa. Perfect for bedtime, and any time of quiet reflection and relaxation.

On Poetry Street
Brian Moses, illus Mark Elvins, Scallywag Press, 978-1915252593, £8.99 pbk

On Poetry Street is a brilliant resource for inspiring young people to write creatively, as it features fifty two poems – one for every week of the year – which are not only entertaining and engaging, but each offers a unique jumping-off point on which budding poets can model their own writing, such as list poems, extended metaphors, and ‘What If…’ poems. The book closes with an extensive and illuminating afterword from Moses, in which he generously shares his own inspirations, sources and ideas, encouraging readers to pick up a pen and take a walk down Poetry Street themselves.

Being Me: Poems About Thoughts, Worries and Feelings
Liz Brownlee, Matt Goodfellow, Laura Mucha, illus Victoria Jane Wheeler, Otter-Barry Books, 978-1913074654, £8.99 pbk

This collaborative anthology brings together a collection of well-crafted poems which articulate with skill and care a wide breadth of complex emotions and situations that may be familiar to children, but which they may not yet have the language to describe. This book deftly offers it to them, creating a space in which children may practise connecting with their emotions, and shares with them the tools to help express and navigate them. A profoundly articulate and empathetic book which perfectly encapsulates how, through poetry-writing, children may be encouraged to reflect on their experiences – to recreate, shape, and make sense of them.

Rhythm and Poetry
Karl Nova, Caboodle Books, 978-0995488540, £5.99 pbk

The first published poetry collection from Hip Hop artist Nova has a refreshing directness and honesty, and encapsulates the power of writing in one’s own authentic voice. A deeply personal collection, many of Nova’s poems are drawn from the workshops he does with children and young people, as well as from his own performances. Extensive footnotes accompanying the poems provide detailed insights into his writing process and the experiences that informed his works, paving the way for young readers to understand that they could be poets too. The poems themselves expertly capture the beat and tone of the rap form, lending themselves brilliantly to performance and lifting them off the page.

And finally, as part of the CLiPPA Poetry Award process, CLPE produces a series of videos for each shortlisted collection, in which children can hear directly from real poets speaking about their careers, reading aloud from their works, and offering insightful advice to young poets. Tune into our Poetry page for more inspiration: https://clpe.org.uk/poetry/videos

Phoebe Demeger is the Librarian at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE). A former bookseller, she manages CLPE’s extensive library of children’s books, hosts regular visitors to the library, and assists the wider team in their delivery of training programmes and special events. She produces book reviews and recommendations for CLPE, ensuring that the very best titles find their way into classrooms and schools.