Hooray for Poetry Notables and 'A Universe of Rainbows'

Hello Poetry Friends,

I'm delighted to read today's online School Library Journal feature, NCTE's Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels for Children. The article highlighted twelve outstanding books of poetry and nine novels-in-verse as 2025 Notable books. As a bonus, there is a separate sparkling review in the issue for, If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility, by Charles Waters and Irene Latham.

I see many beautiful book friends in this issue of SLJ. I've already read The Mistakes that Made Us: Confession by Twenty Poets, Ultra-Violet and, Louder Than Hunger. All three of these books are simply aMAZing!

The first time I book-talked Louder Than Hunger, a student checked it out right from my hands--no kidding! I'm overjoyed to see these titles get love from NCTE and now my people, school librarians.

Thanks to the good folks at Eerdman's Books for Young Readers, I've just spent quality time with A Universe of Rainbows. Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World. 

A Universe of Rainbows is a fantastic blend of wonder, poetic response and gorgeous painterly illustrations by Jamey Christoph. Each poem addresses a scientific aspect of what makes a rainbow. As a reader, I love opening my reading journey with rockstar Nikki Grimes, The Saturday of No, about a morning rain that cancels many fun activities such as soccer, hopscotch, softball until there's an apology from the rainstorm in the form of a...rainbow!

 

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Each rainbow poem is accompanied by a delightful bit of science in terms that kids (and me) can not only understand but learn from. 

For example, did you know that in 2011 Swedish biologist Ekaterina Shevtsova discovered that the transparent wings of fruit flies refract light? Brilliant rainbows can be seen through these tiny little prisms when viewed through a microscope. How about that? I learned this when reading, 'The Fruit Fly's Secret' by Lee Wardlaw. There's lots more to learn with a healthy recommended resources list.

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So many poet friends are seen in this book of poems including Renee La Tulippe, Irene Latham, Joyce Sidman, David L. Harrison, Heidi Stemple & Jane Yolen, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, Alma Flor & F. Isabel Campay, Charles Waters, Laura Purdie Salas, Charles Ghingna, Janet Wong, Allan Wolf, Georgia Heard and of course, Matt Forrest Esenwine.  A Universe of Rainbows is like a poetry party spending time with these friends.

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I hope that not only will you get a copy of this book for your favorite young reader but also to ask your public library to put one on the shelf. It's sure to be a poetry crowd pleaser.

Thank you, Denise Krebs for hosting our Poetry Friday round-up! I look forward to catching up with lots of great poetry this week.