The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog and Other How-To Poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko illustrated by Richard Jones

 Diverse poem topics will appeal to a variety of reader-camels to mixing a pancake to scaring monsters to walking on Mars to hearing-impaired & visually-impaired to cutting hair.  Similar poems are placed side-by-side.  

This book could be used as a mentor text when teaching students how to write a "how-to" poem. 

-Borrowed from the library.

Birds of a Feather by Susan L. Roth

Bowerbirds and Me
Ms. Roth compares/contrasts herself to the creative bowerbird.
A perfect mentor book to model/reinforce compare/contrast and how to use a venn diagram.
Lots of information about Bowerbirds in the back.
Ms. Roth's collages are incredible.
-Borrowed from the library.

If Not for the Cat by Jack Prelutsky illustrated by Ted Rand*

I found this book of haiku amusing yet powerful.
The word choice was superb.
Mentor text for word choice.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Hawk Rising by Maria Gianferrari illustrated by Brian Floca*

A beautiful book about the Red-Tailed Hawk
The beauty lies in both the illustrations and the word choice.  The word arrangement on each page adds to the impact of the story.
The verbs are especially vivid.
The book focuses on the Red- Tailed Hawk's arduous task of capturing food each day for its young.
Mentor text: word choice/vivid verbs
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Popcorn Astronauts and Other Biteable Rhymes by Deborah Ruddell illustrated by Joan Rankin*

Ms. Ruddell divides the poems into the four seasons.
I especially liked the poem 21 Things to Do with an Apple.  It is a list poem and has a great rhythm.  It would also be a great mentor poem.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Grumbles from the Forest Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist by Jane Yolen and Rebecca Kai Dotlich illustrated by Matt Mahurin

Different poem structures revisit familiar fairy tales.  The speakers of the poems reveal new perspectives on these old tales. 
I read these poems aloud to my boys in the mornings. 
-We own this book.

The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary by Laura Shovan*

The school board has decided to close Emerson Elementary so a grocery store can be built on the lot.  For various reasons the eighteen students in Ms. Hill's 5th grade class are devastated that the school is closing.  To ease their sorrow she has them create poems throughout the year which they will place in a time capsule. 
The reader learns about each student via their poems throughout the four school quarters. 
The story does not end perfectly (very realistic), but the satisfaction arrives from the positive changes within the characters.
The teacher never makes her own appearance.  The reader learns bits of her life through the students' poems. 
In the back Ms. Shovan offers explanation for the different types of poems utilized and shares poetry activities.
Strategies: inferring, character traits
*Highly recommend.
Mentor text for poetry.
-Borrowed via Inter Library Loan.  My county does not own this book.

Falling Down the Page Edited by Georgia Heard*

A Book of List Poems
A perfect mentor text when teaching how to write list poems.
A variety of poets included.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Ode to Commode Concrete Poems by Brian P. Cleary illustrations by Andy Rowland*

Humorous concrete poems!
The author provides recommendations on how to write concrete poems.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds*

Jerome collects words.  One day his scrapbooks of words spill and as he sorts them he notices the fun, inspiring phrases they could make when strung together.
A simple book that delivers a powerful message-the importance of words and their ability to benefit the world.
My favorite sentence--"The more words he knew the more clearly he could share with the world what he was thinking, feeling, and dreaming."
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.
Strategy: vocab., word choice

Doodle Dandies by J. Patrick Lewis illustrated by Lisa Desimini

A collection of concrete poems
-Borrowed from the library.

Handsprings poems and paintings by Douglas Florian*

Poems that celebrate spring!
A definite mentor text (Spring is When . . . ; What I Love About Spring . . ; What I Hate About Spring . . .). 
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Hey, You! Poems to Skyscrapers, Mosquitoes and Other Fun Things selected by Paul B. Janeczko illustrated by Robert Rayevsky*

A collection of poems that "talk" directly to ordinary objects.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Flicker Flash by Joan Bransfield Graham illustrated by Nancy Davis*

A collection of concrete poems centering on light (moon, sun, candle, firefly, match, lightning bolt etc.).
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

A Kick in the Head selected by Paul B. Janeczko illustrated by Chris Raschka*

An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms
Examples of many different types of poems (29 types!)
-Borrowed from the library.
*Highly recommend.

Adventures in Color-Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O'Neill illustrated by John Wallner*

As we wrote poems featuring color this week, I read aloud a couple of poems from this collection.
A great mentor text.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

At the Sea Floor Cafe by Leslie Bulion illustrated by Leslie Evans

Various types of poems about fascinating sea creatures.
After each poem the author offers facts about the featured sea creature.
A glossary of sea creature terms and explanation of types of poems used are included in the back.
To fully appreciate the poems, I would suggest reading the poem, reading the facts and then rereading the poem. 
-Borrowed via Inter Library Loan as the public libraries in my county did not own it.
I read aloud Ms. Bulion's poems about insects to my boys.  I liked that collection better bu it may be because I have more schema for insects!

Hey There, Stink Bug! by Leslie Bulion illustrated by Leslie Evans*

A variety of poems featuring insects.
After each poem the author provided factual information about the insect and its capabilities.
A wonderful combination-poetry and science!
Explanation of each the poem format is included in the back of the book so it could be utilized as a mentor poetry book.
I read this aloud to my boys each morning.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

A Tale of Two Beasts by Fiona Roberton

A girl is walking in the woods when she spies a strange little beast.  She thinks he is stuck in a tree so she frees him and takes him home.  Little does she realize how much he despises her care and his captivity!
The second half of the book shares the little beast's point of view.
The ending provides a perfect opportunity for kids to write a continuation story.
I read this book to  my eight year old to model point of view.
Pair with The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Watcher by Nikki Grimes illustrated by Bryan Collier**

Inspired by Psalm 121
I love this book for several reasons-it is poetry, it displays the power of kindness and incorporates God's Word!
The story of Tanya and Jordan is told via poetry and each page alternates between their points of view.  As the reader progresses, he will infer and discover traits and reasons behind each character's behavior.

The poetry format is one I have never read- "golden shovel".  The poet takes lines from an existing poem and creates a new poem using the words from the original.  The poet arranges the original line vertically in the right margin.  Then the lines in the new poem must end with those words placed vertically.  Difficult to explain so I would recommend just reading this book!!

**Highly, highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library (but one I plan to buy).