Ten Novels In Verse To Read During Poetry Month
April is National Poetry Month and it’s a great time to get children interested in all kinds of poetry. There are many classic poetry collections, such as these new releases from Naomi Shihab Nye an Tony Keith Jr and classics by Shel Silverstein, that are perfect for school and library use, but today I wanted to talk to you about another form of poetry for young readers – novels in verse.
Novels In Verse
So what are novels in verse? The difference between a poem and a novel in verse is similar to that between a comic and a graphic novel – novels in verse have a cohesive narrative arc, complex character development, and other attributes of a novel told through a series of poems, often written in free verse.
Benefits of Teaching with Novels in Verse
Novels in verse are a great addition to any language arts curriculum or book club. The narrative is broken up into smaller chunks which allows readers with a variety of learning needs to read the story at their pace. Verse novels are often emotionally driven meaning readers easily connect with the character and are better able to learn empathy and compassion. Like all poetry, novels in verse include a plethora of figurative language devices, making them a great way to teach similes and metaphors.
Now that you’re convinced to add novels in verse to your rotation, click through our slides below to hear about a few of our new favorites!