Skip to content

Children's, Teenage & Young Adult Poetry

  • Original price £25.00
    Original price £25.00 - Original price £25.00
    Original price £25.00
    Current price £14.99
    £14.99 - £14.99
    Current price £14.99

    Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright! selected by Fiona Waters (National Trust)- Ages 4-11 - Hardback

    in stock

    This lavishly illustrated gift book treasury of 366 animal poems - one for every day of the year - ranges from unforgettable classics to contempora...

    View full details
    Original price £25.00
    Original price £25.00 - Original price £25.00
    Original price £25.00
    Current price £14.99
    £14.99 - £14.99
    Current price £14.99
    Save 40% Save %
  • Original price £25.00
    Original price £25.00 - Original price £25.00
    Original price £25.00
    Current price £14.99
    £14.99 - £14.99
    Current price £14.99

    I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree by Fiona Waters (National Trust) - Ages 2+ - Hardback

    in stock

    I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree, named after the first line of Judith Nicholls' poem 'Windsong', is a lavishly illustrated collection of 366 natur...

    View full details
    Original price £25.00
    Original price £25.00 - Original price £25.00
    Original price £25.00
    Current price £14.99
    £14.99 - £14.99
    Current price £14.99
    Save 40% Save %
  • Original price £19.97
    Original price £19.97 - Original price £19.97
    Original price £19.97
    Current price £10.99
    £10.99 - £10.99
    Current price £10.99

    Christmas Poems by Carol Ann Duffy 3 Books Collection Set - Poetry - Hardback

    in stock

    Title in This Set:1. Wenceslas: A Christmas Poem2. The Wren-Boys3. The King of ChristmasDescription:Wenceslas: A Christmas PoemBeginning with the K...

    View full details
    Original price £19.97
    Original price £19.97 - Original price £19.97
    Original price £19.97
    Current price £10.99
    £10.99 - £10.99
    Current price £10.99
    Save 45% Save %
  • Original price £50.00
    Original price £50.00 - Original price £50.00
    Original price £50.00
    Current price £29.99
    £29.99 - £29.99
    Current price £29.99

    Fiona Waters Poetry Collections 2 Books Set (I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree & Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright!) - Ages 4-11 - Hardback

    in stock

    Titles In This Set:1. National Trust: I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree2. National Trust: Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright!Description:National Trust: I...

    View full details
    Original price £50.00
    Original price £50.00 - Original price £50.00
    Original price £50.00
    Current price £29.99
    £29.99 - £29.99
    Current price £29.99
    Save 40% Save %
  • Original price £11.99
    Original price £11.99 - Original price £11.99
    Original price £11.99
    Current price £10.79
    £10.79 - £10.79
    Current price £10.79

    A Great Big Cuddle : Poems for the Very Young by Michael Rosen and Chris Riddell

    Only 17 left!

    Two of the biggest names in children's publishing, Michael Rosen and Chris Riddell, come together in a new poetry collection. Winner of the 2016 CL...

    View full details
    Original price £11.99
    Original price £11.99 - Original price £11.99
    Original price £11.99
    Current price £10.79
    £10.79 - £10.79
    Current price £10.79
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29

    Talking Turkeys by Benjamin Zephaniah

    in stock

    A reissue of TALKING TURKEYS by street poet Benjamin Zephaniah. Talking Turkeys is an unconventional collection of straight-talking poems about her...

    View full details
    Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £9.99
    Original price £9.99 - Original price £9.99
    Original price £9.99
    Current price £8.99
    £8.99 - £8.99
    Current price £8.99

    The Complete Nonsense of Edward Lear

    Only 11 left!

    Edward Lear was the greatest nonsensicalist of all time. He was the inventor of the limerick and created the Jumblies and The Owl and the Pussycat...

    View full details
    Original price £9.99
    Original price £9.99 - Original price £9.99
    Original price £9.99
    Current price £8.99
    £8.99 - £8.99
    Current price £8.99
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29

    Michael Rosen's Book of Very Silly Poems

    in stock

    Let your imagination run riot and laughter fill your belly as you explore traditional poems, rhymes with a twist, and subversive playground favouri...

    View full details
    Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £5.99
    Original price £5.99 - Original price £5.99
    Original price £5.99
    Current price £5.39
    £5.39 - £5.39
    Current price £5.39

    Football 4 Every 1

    Only 2 left!

    Football 4 Every 1 by Paul Cookson, is a brilliant collection of funny upbeat poems about football - playing it, supporting it, living it, breathin...

    View full details
    Original price £5.99
    Original price £5.99 - Original price £5.99
    Original price £5.99
    Current price £5.39
    £5.39 - £5.39
    Current price £5.39
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29

    Poems to Perform: A Classic Collection by Julia Donaldson

    in stock

    In Poems to Perform, Julia Donaldson has chosen poems with performance by children in mind, and her notes and ideas on performing them are included...

    View full details
    Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99 - Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99
    Current price £7.19
    £7.19 - £7.19
    Current price £7.19

    Poems Out Loud! : First Poems to Read and Perform

    in stock

    Includes free audio CD!From rockets to mermaids and everything in between, there's something for everyone in this diverse and contemporary collecti...

    View full details
    Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99 - Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99
    Current price £7.19
    £7.19 - £7.19
    Current price £7.19
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29

    Funky Chickens by Benjamin Zephaniah

    in stock

    Enter the crazy world of rap poet Benjamin Zephaniah!A reissue of the wonderfully irreverent collection of poetry for young people, touching on any...

    View full details
    Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £5.99
    Original price £5.99 - Original price £5.99
    Original price £5.99
    Current price £5.39
    £5.39 - £5.39
    Current price £5.39

    Midnight Magic by Michelle Harrison

    in stock

    Black cats born at midnightAre different indeedA mischievous, oddAnd peculiar breedIn the middle of winter, three kittens are born in a barn. Two a...

    View full details
    Original price £5.99
    Original price £5.99 - Original price £5.99
    Original price £5.99
    Current price £5.39
    £5.39 - £5.39
    Current price £5.39
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29

    Yapping Away: Poems by Joshua Seigal by Joshua Seigal

    in stock

    WINNER OF THE PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZEJoshua Seigal, winner of the 2020 Laugh Out Loud Book Awards (the only UK prize for funny children's books voted f...

    View full details
    Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99 - Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99
    Current price £7.19
    £7.19 - £7.19
    Current price £7.19

    Poems Aloud: An anthology of poems to read out loud Volume 1 by Joseph Coelho

    in stock

    In this fantastic collection, Waterstones Children's Laureate Joseph Coelho shows us that poems are made to read OUT LOUD! In this wittily illustra...

    View full details
    Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99 - Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99
    Current price £7.19
    £7.19 - £7.19
    Current price £7.19
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99 - Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99
    Current price £7.19
    £7.19 - £7.19
    Current price £7.19

    All About Cats: Fantastically Funny Rhymes by Frantz Wittkamp

    in stock

    All About Cats is a collection of hilarious rhymes . . . all about cats! These short, funny rhymes are brought to life with illustrations from Axel...

    View full details
    Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99 - Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99
    Current price £7.19
    £7.19 - £7.19
    Current price £7.19
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29

    The Dragon with the Blazing Bottom by Beach

    Only 12 left!

    The first in a fabulously funny series about a dragon who has lost his flame - but may just find fire elsewhere . . . Perfect for fans of The DInos...

    View full details
    Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £16.99
    Original price £16.99 - Original price £16.99
    Original price £16.99
    Current price £15.29
    £15.29 - £15.29
    Current price £15.29

    Poems from a Green and Blue Planet

    Only 13 left!

    A GUARDIAN CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019, this stunning collection of new and classic poems from around the world celebrates the diversity of li...

    View full details
    Original price £16.99
    Original price £16.99 - Original price £16.99
    Original price £16.99
    Current price £15.29
    £15.29 - £15.29
    Current price £15.29
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29

    I Don't Like Poetry

    in stock

    Shortlisted for the Laugh Out Loud Awards - the UK's only prize for funny children's books. Packed full of silly, funny, or downright hilarious poe...

    View full details
    Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29

    Welcome to My Crazy Life

    Only 11 left!

    Packed full of silly, funny, or downright hilarious poems (with some serious ones mixed in), this new collection by Joshua Seigal (winner of the La...

    View full details
    Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99 - Original price £6.99
    Original price £6.99
    Current price £6.29
    £6.29 - £6.29
    Current price £6.29
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £12.99
    Original price £12.99 - Original price £12.99
    Original price £12.99
    Current price £11.69
    £11.69 - £11.69
    Current price £11.69

    Snow in the Garden: A First Book of Christmas by Shirley Hughes

    in stock

    A classic collection of festive poems, stories and activities by Kate Greenaway-winning author, Shirley Hughes. This beautiful Christmas anthology ...

    View full details
    Original price £12.99
    Original price £12.99 - Original price £12.99
    Original price £12.99
    Current price £11.69
    £11.69 - £11.69
    Current price £11.69
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £9.99
    Original price £9.99 - Original price £9.99
    Original price £9.99
    Current price £8.99
    £8.99 - £8.99
    Current price £8.99

    How To Write Poems

    Only 12 left!

    How to Write Poems is packed with exciting activities to get your pen flowing! Make poems out of leaves, carve out a mud poem, go on an outdoors si...

    View full details
    Original price £9.99
    Original price £9.99 - Original price £9.99
    Original price £9.99
    Current price £8.99
    £8.99 - £8.99
    Current price £8.99
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99 - Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99
    Current price £7.19
    £7.19 - £7.19
    Current price £7.19

    Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats : with illustrations by Rebecca Ashdown

    in stock

    'The cat himself knows and will never confess...'To celebrate Old Possum's 75th anniversary we have commissioned lively new illustrations from Re...

    View full details
    Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99 - Original price £7.99
    Original price £7.99
    Current price £7.19
    £7.19 - £7.19
    Current price £7.19
    Save 10% Save %
  • Original price £8.99
    Original price £8.99 - Original price £8.99
    Original price £8.99
    Current price £8.09
    £8.09 - £8.09
    Current price £8.09

    Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

    in stock

    A stunning new edition of T. S. Eliot's beloved cat poems Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, containing beautiful original colour illustrations b...

    View full details
    Original price £8.99
    Original price £8.99 - Original price £8.99
    Original price £8.99
    Current price £8.09
    £8.09 - £8.09
    Current price £8.09
    Save 10% Save %

Reading to or with children is really important for their intellectual well-being. Children sometimes struggle with longer stories so introducing them to poems and nursery rhymes is a great way to encourage their love of reading early on. Poetry is also said to create pathways in children's brains that listening to other types of languages simply does not. With teens, poetry helps them process and express their conflicting emotions in a more controlled and creative way. 

In fact, exposing them to poems and rhymes can help children develop three really critical pre-reading and communication skills—phonological awareness, rich vocabulary and background knowledge. Not only can poems and rhyming words help a child develop a good vocabulary, it can also help your child develop phonological awareness. Phonological awareness is the ability to consciously tune in to the sounds of spoken language, to understand them and to talk about them. For example, a three-year-old whose phonological awareness is developing might say something like: "Hey, cat-bat: they sound the same!"

Background knowledge on the other hand is considered a strong predictor of how easily your child will learn to read and write. Several studies have confirmed that a child’s awareness and knowledge of their background will strongly impact their social and academic success. Teachers, speech-language therapists and linguists; unanimously agree that it is vital for babies and young children to hear the kind of language used in poems and rhymes. This is because the sometimes unusual words, repetitions and speech patterns contained in poems written for children help enrich your child's intellect.

Here are some poetry books that we think will move your child, stir something within them and whilst at it; also inculcate the love of poetry in their hearts. What Are Little Girls Made of? If you are a parent raising a feminist little girl, then this poetry book by Award-winning author, Jeanne Willis is just what she needs. Think you know your favourite classic nursery rhymes? Read this picture book and think again! In this witty reworking of popular nursery rhymes, Georgie Porgie doesn't dare to make the girls cry, Little Bo-Peep's sheep are all present and correct, thank you, and it's the queen, of course, who fixes Humpty Dumpty. With the combination of Jeanne Willis's brilliantly funny poems and Isabelle Follath’s charming, witty illustrations; these nursery rhymes prove that girls can be the heroes of any story. This remixed nursery rhyme collection is the perfect gift book for any child (or adult!), to read aloud or enjoy alone.

Hot Like Fire Bind-up by Valerie Bloom is a book of beautifully crafted poetry that covers a wide range of subjects from global pollution, maths homework problems to dealing with the death of a beloved pet. Full of sunshine and fire; Bloom’s poetry is fun and energetic with the mixed use of standard English and other dialects; that come together to make delightful poetry for kids.