In 1977, the NCTE Excellence in Children’s Poetry Award Committee was established to honor outstanding poets who write for children. Since its inception, the committee has selected an outstanding poet every two years and begun selecting annual notable lists of poetry and novels in verse.

This year, the committee is pleased to recognize twelve outstanding books of poetry and nine novels in verse as the 2025 Notable Books. Each book, published in 2024, was carefully read and evaluated by the committee members. These selections are notable for their use of language, poetic devices, and appeal to readers ages three to thirteen. The 2025 selections emphasize inclusiveness and diversity, showcasing a wide range of experiences and perspectives. They highlight the use of rich language and explore diverse subject matters, inspiring readers to spark their imagination, make insightful connections, and foster empathy.

For past lists and additional notable poetry resources visit the NCTE website.

Poetry

I Heard: An American Journey by Jaha Nailah Avery. illus. by Steffi Walthall. Charlesbridge. ISBN 9781623543822.
Gr K-3 –Avery masterfully captures the rhythm of African storytelling by weaving a poetic tale of African American history from its roots in Africa through modern times. Told in rhyming couplets, Avery’s story highlights the proud accomplishments of her people, as well as many prejudiced actions taken against them. The Freedom Train of the Underground Railroad, the Reconstruction era following the Civil War, and heroes including President Barack Obama, Georgia State Representative Stacey Abrams, the “Freedom Riders and the N-A-A-C-P,” and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Ketanji Brown Jackson counter the heinous actions of slavery, unfair treatment of “Black men who enlisted to bravely fight across the shores, though here no rights existed,” and “crosses set ablaze.” Walthall’s crisp pencil sketches and colorful illustrations, a glossary of terms and civil rights activists, and an author’s note elevate this work’s instructional impact.

Jam, Too? by JaNay ­Brown-Wood. illus. by Jacqueline Alcántara. ­Penguin/Nancy Paulsen. ISBN 9780593323762.
PreS-Gr 2–“A drum circle is forming on the beach, and one fascinated child would love to join in.” Using quatrains to express the feel of island/beach music, Brown-Wood shares a poem about how a child encounters a conga, djembe, shekere, zills, maracas, and bongos, too, as they observe from afar. Once encouraged by the sound of the music, the child joins the rest of the group by dancing across the street to them. Rhyme, repetition, rhythm, and onomatopoeia all abound to make the fascinating sounds that make you want to hop up and move (PAT-A-PAT-A, PAT PAT. SLIP-SLAP. TIP-A-TAP. RAT-A-TAT-A. TAT-TAT). Alcántara provides illustrations in marker and Photoshop to enhance the island vibe that Brown-Wood so creatively describes in the poem.

Great Gusts: Winds of the World and the Science Behind Them by Melanie Crowder & Megan Benedict. illus. by Khoa Le. MIT Kids. ISBN 9781536224511.
Gr 1-4–In this poetry picture book, science and geography meets poetry. Readers may agree that winds are an interesting topic to study as they are introduced to many different types of winds around the world. They may also be interested in learning about different styles of poetry as they find that these different styles are employed to describe different types of wind. The cover art is truthful to the content and effectively delivers what this poetry is about. In a classroom, a world map could be used when reading this poetry picture book so that readers can see where the wind they are reading about happens. Back matter is a great resource for additional information and further study about the wind.

When I Wrap My Hair by Shauntay Grant. illus. by Jenin Mohammed. HarperCollins/Quill Tree. ISBN 9780063093911.
PreS-Gr 3–This poetic picture book opens wordlessly as lush, kaleidoscopic illustrations saturate every page. A brown-skinned girl and woman enter a fabric store. The child is enthralled. As the woman unfurls a bolt of orange and yellow fabric, beginning a through line from past to present, the words begin: “When I wrap my hair I feel new like a golden sunrise sprinkling light across the clouds.” Repeating lines are like the chorus of a song: “When I wrap my roots run...as deep as an African marketplace or a city sidewalk.” “When I wrap my hair I feel a thousand grandmothers around me.” This book is a celebration of family and identity, a mirror for girls who wrap their hair, and a window for those who don't. It can be used as the starting point for research and discussion among older children. It’s both an education and a delicious festival—a feast for eyes and ears.

The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets by Irene Latham & Charles Waters. illus. by Mercè López. Lerner/Carolrhoda. ISBN 9781728492100.
Gr 2-5–Irene Latham and Charles Waters gather twenty poets who share how their personal mistakes have shaped their lives. In this anthology, readers discover poets who have experienced oopsie-daisies, stuff happens, blessings in disguise, and “what have I done” events from their lives to assist us in realizing that mistakes help make us who we are. Specific topics include accidentally scoring a soccer goal for the opposing team, eating concrete from a biking accident, and having received two of the same gifts but not showing thanks for each one. Lopez, an award-winning illustrator, uses acrylic, graphite, ink, and digital art to make the poems come to life on each page. This is the fourth collaboration by Latham and Waters and their I & C Construction Company.

A Planet Is a Poem by Amanda West Lewis. illus. by Oliver Averill. Kids Can. ISBN 9781525304422.
Gr 3-7–This book inspires readers to learn about the planets through the vehicle of poetry. Readers learn about a wide range of science facts presented through the “music” of poetry. For example, “A Planet of Craters Creative: Rhyming Beats for Mercury” teaches that a day on Mercury equals “fifty-five Earth days” while Venus is featured as “Our Sister Planet: A Villanelle for Venus” that “spins slowly, the opposite way” than Earth does while the sunrise there takes place “in the west” rather than the east and Earth’s months “pass in one day." All of the poetry features various poetic forms including an ode, a sonnet, a concrete poem, a sestina, a ballad, and more. These are all supported by illustrations that reflect the scientific nature of the poetry and the planets. The excellence of authorship and precision of illustration provide the foundation for this collection.

Queer and Fearless: Poems Celebrating the Lives of LGBTQ+ Heroes by Rob Sanders. illus. by Harry Woodgate. Penguin Workshop. ISBN 9780593523698.
Gr 3-7–Once again, Sanders pays tribute to the LGBTQ+ community by creating poems on fearless leaders and everyday warriors such as Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, Marsha P. Johnson, Cleve Jones, and Pete Buttegieg. Historical events covered include marriage equality, the rainbow flag, the Stonewall Riots, and the March on Washington to name just a few. Specific poetic forms include cento, hybrid, free verse, limericks and many more, which is a unique way to celebrate equality. The glossary, “about the poems,” author’s note, and additional reading in the back matter assist readers in knowing and exploring more about the determined fighters for equal rights. Woodgate, a Stonewall Award honoree, brings to life each and every freedom fighter who fought or continues to fight for civil rights.

Leafy Landmarks: Travels with Trees by Michelle Schaub. illus. by Anne Lambelet. Sleeping Bear. ISBN 9781534112872.
Gr 3-7–Readers journey across the continental USA on an “arbor road trip” to discover tree landmarks and to dig into fun poetry forms, each reaching deep into the tree’s historical roots. Schaub shares each poem’s and tree’s backstory on a double-page spread against the backdrop of gorgeous illustrations. From the Japanese cherry trees Japan gifted the U.S. to the Survivor Tree in Oklahoma City, readers will find treasures for history, poetry, and science aficionados. The book includes ideas for finding a “Landmark Tree” in our own communities and writing poems about them. There are even ideas about how to champion trees. Encourage readers of all ages to create a PO-E-TRY from this excellent mentor text during National Poetry Month.

Wind Is a Dance by Debra Kempf Shumaker.illus. by Josée Bisaillon. Kids Can. ISBN 9781525308758.
PreS-3–In Wind Is a Dance, Shumaker invites readers to heighten their awareness of the wind as a generator of movement with a multifaceted personality. This invisible force (“You can feel wind…but you can’t see it.”) has many facets with many purposes and emotions. “Wind is a dance -- a dance of air,” but sometimes “Wind is a butterfly-fluffing flower petals and ruffling riverbank grasses.” Wind’s personality displays itself when “Sometimes, wind is a supportive teammate, “ while sometimes it can be “an ornery opponent.” Shumaker supports the pace of the wind by using the inherent rhythm of alliteration: “ornery opponent,” “tipping and toppling,” and “Swifter, stronger,/ tumbling trees.” Bisaillon’s use of simple lines and pastels serve to seek a balance with Shumaker’s words. The last line connects with a key classroom question: “How would you describe the wind today?”

This Land Is a Lullaby by Tonya Simpson. illus. by Delreé Dumont. Orca. ISBN 9781459836099.
PreS-K–An envelope poem is one which begins and ends with the same line or stanza. In this book, a Cree mother soothes her child to sleep with the same words at the beginning and end. Using metaphor, repetition, and more, the text connects natural surroundings with their traditional culture. With a vibrant palette, the striking pointillistic illustrations bring sunset, nightfall, moonlight. Animated geese, herons, dragonflies, coyotes, wild horses, storm clouds, and rain pulsate off each spread. Beginning and ending with, “This land is a lullaby your heart already knows./ You carry the song from a lifetime ago./ It flows in our blood and echoes in your soul./ Sleep, my baby, to the sweet song of your home,” the poetry and artistry of this bedtime book lifts Indigenous voices and will connect mothers and their children to land and ancestors.

Hoop Queens 2 by Charles R. Smith Jr. Candlewick. ISBN 9781536225341.
Gr 3-7–Poet Charles R. Smith Jr. has produced powerful poetic anthems celebrating the phenomenal athletes dominating in the WNBA. Smith’s poetry is jam-packed with poetic devices, sings of rhyme and rhythm, and praises the perfecting play of twelve WNBA players. Smith uses his unique talent for photography to pair each poem with a perfect photo of each player in their glory, on the court, executing their game. Smith’s passionate and personal love of the game and his knowledge of the nuances of each athlete’s personal style of play is interwoven throughout each poem. The "Poem Notes" in the back matter infuse insight on Smith’s poetic process for wordplay and his joy for each player’s ballin' skills. Smith reveals the central focus and inspiration for each poem. Basketball enthusiasts and poets alike will enjoy the action packed poetry that pays homage to thirteen outstanding athletes of the WNBA.

It’s Time to Hush and Say Good Night by Chitra Soundar. illus. by Sandhya Prabhat. Candlewick. ISBN 9781536235531.
PreS-K–This is a gorgeously illustrated, dreamy bedtime book with ethereal language that’s sure to lull littles to sleep and make bedtime more enjoyable for caretakers and tiny tots. The repetition of "It's time to hush and say good night" works beautifully to remind young children listening to the reader that the day has come to an end, and, like the stars and moon in the sky, it’s time for shut-eye. The rhyming cadence has a lullaby quality that invites emerging readers to say the lines, too. Even the dedication to Mother Nature is lovely. This lovely ode to bedtime is also perfect for new parents and guardians. For those little insomniacs, the illustrations offer a feast for the eyes and an invitation to imagine what awaits them in their dreams.

Verse Novels

Black Star by Kwame Alexander. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316442596.
Gr 5-7–In this superb follow-up to The Door of No Return, readers meet Charley, Kofi’s granddaughter, and her best friend Cool Willie Green. Charley is an aspiring professional baseball player. Kofi’s stories fuel Charley’s determination to overcome gender and racial roadblocks, despite threats of physical danger she and her team encounter when they refuse to heed adult warnings to stay on their side of the bridge in Lee’s Mill, a segregated southern town engulfed in racial tension. The story echoes the past to inform present events that center tensions in friendships and between southern whites and Black people in the Jim Crow South. Baseball, the central trope, has a complicated history, making Alexander’s choice of the sport a central "character." The narrative builds to a climax grounded in the lived reality of many who fled the South and its heritage of lynching, which is foreshadowed in Claude McKay's poem "Lynching." Alexander, an expert storyteller, employs numerous poetic devices to great effect. Additionally, code switching from English to Twi critiques colonial abuses of language.

And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen. ISBN 9780593406328.
Gr 5-8–Fipps delivers a passionate poetic tale of one boy’s harrowing journey of weathering the whirlwind of life. This novel in verse delivers a powerful punch as each poem portrays a unique structure of poetic flare. The plot reveals the inner strength and fortitude of the main character as he deals with loss, love, and acceptance: “I'm a balloon drifting along all on my own with no one left to hold the string.” The poetry reads like sensational suspense and readers are glued to each gripping poem detailing the young boy’s struggle for survival. As the story unfolds, the “Boom” ricochets across pages as life’s challenging circumstances climax, resulting in the main character experiencing inner strength, perseverance, and an unyielding will to keep going in the face of adversity.

Onyx & Beyond by Amber McBride. Feiwel & Friends. ISBN 9781250908780.
Gr 4-6–This middle grade verse novel tells the story of a 12-year-old African American boy who takes care of his mom as she shows the early signs of dementia. Onyx's everyday life is starting to shake inside and out. He worries that he will be taken away from his mom if the social workers find out that she is not capable of taking care of him. If only his grandma was still with him, life would be easier. But remembering what his grandma taught him, Onyx tries hard to keep up with his school, take care of his mom, and pretend everything is fine with him. McBride crafted the voice of Onyx so vividly. What Onyx does and how he feels are so visible through the narrative poems. McBride shares that her father, who grew up in the 1960s and had the same life situation as Onyx, inspired her to write this verse novel.

Ultraviolet by Aida Salazar. Scholastic. ISBN 9781338775655.
Gr 5-7–This coming-of-age narrative portrays the journey of eighth grader Elio Solis in his transition from childhood to adolescence. His complex inner life includes experiencing puberty, hormonal confusion, first love, heartbreak, and pressure from his Pops, who always tells him to be macho -- to “man up.” Salazar beautifully captures Elio’s confusion about his body and excitement about his first love using poetic devices, such as personification, imagery, and simile, as seen here: “Hey, Body/ I have some questions for you./ Why you gotta go through all these/ intergalactic changes?/ Why you gotta have hair/ sprouting outta my pits/ and chest and face? … Why does my heart pound like/ a punching bag being/ hit over and over/ whenever I’m with Camelia?” Ultraviolet pairs well with Salazar's The Moon Within, a story of a young girl questioning her changing body.

Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi. Putnam. ISBN 9780593699263.
Gr 3-7–Seventh grade begins with challenges. Kareem is torn between his parents, friends, football, his Syrian and American identities, and the country is divided by Executive Order 13769. Safadi beautifully crafts Kareem’s intricate feelings, as well as his journey to find his own voice and confidence to stand up, using various poetic devices. “I know what it feels like/ to miss your best friend,/ like you stop/ reading a book/ midway to the end/ and never know what happens,/ wondering forever/ what the pages/ reveal.” The simile, imagery, and metaphor work together to evoke a deep sense of loss, longing, and the unresolved nature of missing a best friend who moved away. This contemporary realistic fiction novel in verse will inspire readers to embrace their identity and power, alongside Kareem.

Louder Than Hunger by John Schu.Candlewick. ISBN 9781536229097.
Gr 5-12–This fast-paced novel illuminates an adolescent boy’s private battle with anorexia nervosa—an inner world most of us have never imagined. His illness (personified as The Voice) continually reminds him, “YOU—ARE—REPULSIVE!” Jake’s self-hatred, fears, and anger are offset by his loving grandmother, musical theater lyrics that influence the titles of some poems, and, finally, the possibility of recovery. In the afterword, the author reaches out to readers, sharing his own struggles in the grips of anorexia nervosa, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, and depression, and the hope he found when he learned he didn’t have to recover on his own. Also included are resources about eating disorders. Employing repetition, metaphor, negative space, onomatopoeia, and more, the poems in this book will surely inspire readers to write their own truth. Both heartbreaking and hopeful, this book will change lives.

Unsinkable Cayenne by Jessica Vitalis. Greenwillow. ISBN 9780063314450.
Gr 3-7–Cayenne may have experienced a lot compared to other 7th graders due to her parents’ nomadic lifestyle that they chose. Cayenne’s family van is the home of the family, and they have moved so many times. She may have had to grow up fast, as her parents are not the adults whom she can rely on 100 percent. Cayenne wants to settle down and make friends. In social studies class, Cayenne learns about the Titanic, and she makes a connection between the Titanic and her life. The verse novel format speeds up the pace for readers. Despite the challenging life situation, Cayenne’s voice is not depressing. Cayenne also has the same worries that any other seventh graders may have, including fitting in and making friends in a new school, which makes Cayenne’s character relatable.

Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson. illus. by Ekua Holmes. Penguin/Kokila. ISBN 9780593461709.
Gr 3-12–Watson personifies the powerful journey of Black girlhood and sisterhood in this stirring verse novel. The opening poem, "Where I'm From," touches the heart of Black culture and experience. "I’m made up of east coast hip-hop and island tradition./ I’m from Baptist hymns and secular jigs." Watson touches on significant components of Black culture, such as faith and spirituality, collective community, and representation and resistance. The poems act as a passionate love letter to Blackness and Black girlhood. Watson begins with connecting her love of the place of her birth and upbringing. Renée praises her name and her name story, and her poems stitch together the delicate, deliberate journey of becoming a young woman. "To say my name is to hold a prayer, a second chance/ Is to count me out, watch me rise."

Mid Air by Alicia D. Williams. illus. by Danica Novgorodoff. Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy. ISBN 9781481465830.
Gr 5-8–Isaiah likes skateboarding, talking to plants, listening to classic rock music, collecting vintage T-shirts from heavy metal bands, and wearing nail polish--something he is afraid to let anyone know. He looks forward to spending the summer hanging out with his best friends, Darius and Drew, before high school. But everything changes when Darius is killed in a hit-and-run. Isaiah and Drew blame themselves for their best friend’s death, and their friendship begins to fall apart. Drew becomes distant, leaving Isaiah to suffer alone. As Isaiah wrestles with grief, sadness, anger, and guilt, he ultimately finds resilience, support from family and friends, and hope. This powerful, lyrical coming-of-age verse novel explores loss, healing, identity, the courage to be seen, and the strength found in connection.

NCTE Excellence in Children’s Poetry Award Committee: Junko Sakoi, Willeena Booker, Darryn Diuguid, Glenda Funk, Joe Pizzo, April Halprin Wayland, Jongsun Wee