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IN 1977, THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH (NCTE) Excellence in Children's Poetry Award was created to recognize the work of outstanding poets who write for children. The selections include a memoir, biographies, historical accounts, and collections of new or unusual topics; also found here is the work of a classic American poet in picture book form. Mexique: A Refugee Story from the Spanish Civil War. illus. by Ana Penyas. tr. from Spanish by Elisa Amado.
IN 1977, THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH (NCTE) Excellence in Children's Poetry Award was created to recognize the work of outstanding poets who write for children. Since then, in addition to naming an outstanding poet every two years, the committee has selected annual notable lists of poetry and novels in verse. This year, members of the committee are pleased to recognize 25 outstanding books of poetry and 13 novels in verse as 2021 Notables. Each of the books was published in 2020. Read and evaluated by every committee member, these selections were deemed notable for their use of language and poetic devices and their appropriateness for children ages three to 13. The form or structure of the poems was evaluated to ensure that the mood and subject matter were well represented. The selections include a memoir, biographies, historical accounts, and collections of new or unusual topics; also found here is the work of a classic American poet in picture book form. An annotated version of this list is available on the SLJ website.
Notable Poetry
BROWNE, Mahogany L., Elizabeth Acevedo & Olivia Gatwood. Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice. illus. by Theodore Taylor III. Roaring Brook. ISBN 9781250311207.
BULION, Leslie. Amphibian Acrobats. illus. by Robert Meganck. Peachtree. ISBN 9781682630983.
ELLIOTT, David. In the Woods. illus. by Rob Dunlavey. Candlewick. ISBN 9780763697839.
ELLIOTT, Zetta. A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart. illus. by Noa Denmon. Farrar. ISBN 9780374307417.
FARID, Diana. When You Breathe. illus. by Billy Renkl. Abrams. ISBN 9781944903930.
FERRADA, María José. Mexique: A Refugee Story from the Spanish Civil War. illus. by Ana Penyas. tr. from Spanish by Elisa Amado. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802855459.
FITCH, Sheree. Summer Feet. illus. by Carolyn Fisher. Nimbus. ISBN 9781771088540.
HALL, Kirsten. Snow Birds. illus. by Jenni Desmond. Abrams. ISBN 9781419742033.
HOPKINS, Lee Bennett, ed. Construction People. illus. by Ellen Shi. Boyds Mills/Wordsong. ISBN 9781684373611.
JOY, Angela. Black Is a Rainbow Color. illus. by Ekua Holmes. Roaring Brook. ISBN 9781626726314.
LATHAM, Irene. This Poem Is a Nest. illus. by Johanna Wright. Boyds Mills/Wordsong. ISBN 9781684373635.
LATHAM, Irene & Waters, Charles. Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z. illus. by Mehrdokht Amini. Carolrhoda. ISBN 9781541557758.
LOWRY, Lois. On the Horizon: World War II Reflections. illus. by Kenard Pak. HMH. ISBN 978035812940.
MADDOX, Marjorie. I'm Feeling Blue, Too! illus. by Philip Huber. Resource Publications. ISBN 9781725253100.
METCALF, Lindsay H., Keila V. Dawson & Jeanette Bradley, eds. No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History. illus. by Jeanette Bradley. Charlesbridge. ISBN 9781623541316.
NYE, Naomi Shihab. Cast Away: Poems for Our Time. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. ISBN 9780062907691.
PORTIS, Antoinette. A New Green Day. illus by author. Holiday House/Neal Porter. ISBN 9780823444885.
SILVERMAN, Buffy. On a Snow-Melting Day: Seeking Signs of Spring. Millbrook. ISBN 9781541578135.
SINGER, Marilyn. Follow the Recipe: Poems About Imagination, Celebration, and Cake. illus. by Marjorie Priceman. Dial. ISBN 9780735227903.
TELLEGEN, Toon. I Wish. illus. by Ingrid Godon. tr. from Dutch by David Colmer. Elsewhere Editions. ISBN 9781939810328.
VANDERWATER, Amy Ludwig. Write! Write! Write! illus. by Ryan O'Rourke. Boyds Mills/Wordsong. ISBN 9781684373628.
WEATHERFORD, Carole Boston. Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom. illus. by Michele Wood. Candlewick. ISBN 9780763691561.
WEATHERFORD, Carole Boston. By and By: Charles Albert Tindley, the Father of Gospel Music. illus. by Bryan Collier. S. & S./Atheneum. ISBN 9781534426368.
WHITE, Dianne. Green on Green. illus. by Felicita Sala. S. & S./Beach Lane. ISBN 9781481462785.
WHITMAN, Walt. The World Below the Brine. illus. by James Christopher Carroll. Creative Editions. ISBN 9781568463612.
Notable Verse Novels
ATKINS, Jeannine. Grasping Mysteries: Girls Who Loved Math. S. & S./Atheneum. ISBN 9781534460683.
BOWLING, Dusti. The Canyon's Edge. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316494694.
BURG, Ann E. Flooded: Requiem for Johnstown. Scholastic. ISBN 9781338540697.
CHANG, Victoria. Love, Love. illus. by Lorraine Nam. Sterling. ISBN 9781454938323.
DUBOIS, Caroline Brooks. The Places We Sleep. Holiday House. ISBN 9780823444212.
FROST, Helen. All He Knew. Farrar. ISBN 9780374312992.
HOLT, A.K. BenBee and the Teacher Griefer. Chronicle. ISBN 9781452182513.
HOPKINS, Ellen. Closer to Nowhere. Putnam. ISBN 9780593108611.
JACOBSON, Darlene Beck. Wishes, Dares, and How to Stand Up to a Bully. Creston. ISBN 9781939547620.
PATTERSON, James & Kwame Alexander. Becoming Muhammad Ali. illus. by Dawud Anyabwile. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316498166.
SALAZAR, Aida. Land of the Cranes. Scholastic. ISBN 9781338343809.
SOLTER, Sonja. When You Know What I Know. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316535441.
WOODSON, Jacqueline. Before the Ever After. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen. ISBN 9780399545436.
The 2021 NCTE Poetry Committee: Ted Kesler (chairperson), Gabrielle Halko, Judy Rowe Michaels, Heidi Mordhorst, Mary-Kate Sableski, Yoo Kyung Sung
Copyright MSI Information Services Apr 2021