Four kids wearing colorful raincoats as they run through the dirt road in the countryside | Photo by Vitolda Klein on Unsplash
Many children’s poems can teach kids to dream, allowing them to carry with them the lessons they’ve learned from the passages, such as empathy, creativity, and courage.
Poetry has been a significant part of many people’s childhoods, teaching lessons about rhymes, memorization, and a whimsical take on the world. This form of literature can also teach kids to dream, as it helps them explore empathy, culture, curiosity, and courage. Children’s poetry is also notable for its themes, including self-belief, imagination, and aspiration.
Why happy kids need delightful poems in their lives isn’t just a question of entertainment. It is also about building emotional literacy and global awareness. Here are the top 10 poetry books that teach kids to dream beyond borders:
Oh Nigel Is That You?
Janis Latimore
Oh Nigel is That You? is a poem describing a kid Nigel for the first twelve years of his life. The poem is filled with rhymes supported by great illustrations that tell Nigel’s story. It includes real photos of Nigel as a child dreaming of becoming a fireman, to ringing the bell at the church as a sacristan.
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Shel Silverstein
No poetry list will be complete without mentioning Shel Silverstein. Where the Sidewalk Ends is a compilation of poems and drawings that invite children to wander past logic and land in magic. In this book, young readers will meet different characters who bring fun and adventure. From invisible sidewalks to fanciful creatures, this work is timeless in its ability to teach kids to dream with unfiltered joy.
Dreamers
Yuyi Morales
A poetic memoir, Dreamers by Yuyi Morales helps young readers understand the concept of hope, passion, and inner strength. This illustrated poetry book can help teach kids to dream by showing Yuyi’s journey as a child from Mexico to the United States, navigating an unfamiliar world through words and rhymes.
National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry
Edited by J. Patrick Lewis
What better way to teach kids to dream than through the majestic, mysterious world of animals? This anthology of poetry introduces young readers to different animals. Written by various poets, the National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry features photographs and engaging poems that invite youngsters to become nature lovers.
Poetry Speaks to Children
Edited by Elise Paschan
Poetry Speaks to Children is an anthology of poetry that brings together the works of classic poets, such as Roald Dahl, J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Frost, and Billy Collins. Complete with a CD of poets reading their own work, it helps teach kids to dream as they strengthen their imagination and nurture their curiosity.
The Undefeated
Kwame Alexander
This award-winning book is a powerful tribute to Black American history and perseverance. Originally performed for ESPN’sThe Undefeated, this poem highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, hope, heritage, and pride. Kwame Alexander’s poetic style can deeply teach kids to dream by showing them the strength and beauty in their identity and ancestry.
Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse
Marilyn Singer
This poetry book is interesting because it features poems written in two versions. One side of the page tells a classic story in poetic form, while the other side inverts the lines to reveal another perspective on the story. Mirror Mirror gives kids a fun way to engage with narrative structure while learning that there’s always more than one way to see the world.
A Child’s Garden of Verses
Robert Louis Stevenson
A Child’s Garden of Verses is another anthology in the list. Poet Robert Louis Stevenson uses his poem to narrate and relive his childhood memories and adventures, from sailing boats down a river to sailing off to foreign lands in his imagination. The simplicity of these poems helps teach children to dream through quiet wonder and a love for nature’s small, often overlooked miracles.
Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems
Selected by Paul B. Janeczko
Firefly July is a vibrantly illustrated book of poems perfect for young learners. It features very short poems that describe the different seasons of the year. It is a perfect book for bedtime reading or classroom use.
My Rainbow
DeShanna and Trinity Teal
Although technically not a pure poetry book, My Rainbow is a lyrical and loving celebration of identity and acceptance. Co-authored by a mother and her transgender daughter, it radiates warmth, affirmation, and inclusivity. Books like these are essential when discussing diverse poetry books for children, as they reflect the dreams and truths of every kind of child.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The strength of poetry is not in its words, but in what it opens up: courage, curiosity, and compassion. What each of the books contained within this list provides is a new window into the world, but all of them contribute to the same thing — teaching children to dream with eyes wide open and hearts unafraid.
Whether it’s the charming playfulness of Oh Nigel, Is That You?, or the earthy power of The Undefeated, poetry turns imagination into a daily practice. So the next time you’re picking a book for story time, pick one that makes the world larger, the heart softer, and the dream brighter.
You can obtain a copy of Janis Lartimore’s “Oh Nigel, Is That You?” to teach children to dream.
Because when kids learn to dream across boundaries, they become the kind of grown-ups who build bridges, not walls.
