If you haven’t heard already, it’s only a few days until May 12th when Tūhono submissions close, and we still want your poems!
Tūhono is Wellington City Libraries’ annual poetry journal for kids and teens. You can find more info about how to submit, as well as this year’s theme, here.
Poetry can be a daunting form of writing for anyone, but it needn’t be! The library has lots of cool books with some great examples and techniques for crafting your own poem. You may think that your poem needs to be incredibly wise or complex, but as poet Carol Ann Duffy once said:
You can find poetry in your everyday life, your memory, in what people say on the bus, in the news, or just what’s in your heart.
So if you’ve been thinking of submitting a poem but aren’t sure where to start, this blog post aims to help you do just that! Read on to dive into the world of children’s poetry. ✨
Poetry forms
A good starting point for any poem is a bit of structure i.e. choosing a form. Of course, you can write a poem that doesn’t follow any traditional form conventions, but forms provide a great framework for your ideas to really shine! Take for example, shape poems. Shape poems are poems that are written in the shape of their subject matter. Considering that this year’s theme is hope/tūmanako, this might be a perfect form to help you visualise what hope means for you. You might like to ask yourself, what would hope look like as an object, an animal, or an icon? If you can format it how wish it to appear in the book, then we can publish it, so let your imagination run wild. 🙂
If you’re thinking of creating a shape poem, a good book to check out is Apes to Zebras: an A to Z of shape poems:
Apes to zebras : an A-Z of shape poems / Brownlee, Liz
“This gorgeous collection of animal poems from Roger Stevens, Liz Brownlee and Sue Hardy-Dawson will entrance and delight in equal measure. Featuring a full alphabet of animals, birds, and insects, with the odd extinct or imaginary creature thrown in, these beautiful shape poems are a perfect way to introduce children to poetry. Some funny, some serious, there is something here for everyone.” (Catalogue)
This book has beautiful poems in the shape of different animals, with great examples of how creative wordplay can be in shape poem form.
Of course, there are alternative forms that also deserve your consideration!
A comprehensive guide to forms for kids would be A Kick in the Head created by Paul B. Janeczko and Chris Raschka.
This book covers 29 different forms through dazzlingly illustrated poems. You’ll learn about everything from villanelles to double dactyls, as well as what makes their structure unique. The picture book style also makes this more enticing for younger readers.
Another unique poetry compilation is Skinny dip, edited by Susan Paris and Kate De Goldi. 
Skinny dip : poetry
This compilation is written by NZ poets, and themed around school life, with each section being broken up into the four school terms. Although there aren’t as many forms covered as A Kick in the Head, the poems in this collection are absolutely delightful, and a prime example of how even the most mundane objects can become the subject of fun, quirky and even emotional poems.
Other starting points
Okay, so let’s say you’ve chosen a form, you have some ideas about the theme, but you’re not sure how to ACTUALLY put them on paper.
Poetry style inspiration
If you’re looking for inspiration, Out of Wonder is a beautiful celebration of poetry and poets to get your creative juices flowing.
Out of wonder : celebrating poets and poetry / Alexander, Kwame
“Newbery Medalist and a Caldecott Honoree offer a glorious, lyrical ode to poets who have sparked a sense of wonder. Out of gratitude for the poet’s art form, Newbery Award-winning author and poet Kwame Alexander, along with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth, present original poems that pay homage to twenty famed poets who have made the authors’ hearts sing and their minds wonder. Stunning mixed-media images by Ekua Holmes, winner of a Caldecott Honor and a John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award, complete the celebration and invite the reader to listen, wonder, and perhaps even pick up a pen.” (Catalogue)
Each poem is written in the style of a famous poet, highlighting their unique style or ideas that inform their work. As you’re going through this book you could ask yourself, what is different about this poem, compared to the others? What kind of describing words, rhyming words or phrasing was used? Why did I enjoy/not enjoy about how this poem was written? You may like to ask mum, dad or a trusted adult to read through a couple of the poems with you to see what you can find. It can be useful to think about the style, rather than the topic, when reading poetry for inspiration because what the poem is about can vary a lot. And as mentioned, even the most dull topics can be reinvented by good style!
On Tūmanako/Hope
If you are wanting more help in thinking about hope/tūmanako though, you should definitely check out The Book of Hopes, which is a compilation of small poems, illustrations, stories and non-fiction writing all about hope in its many forms.
The book of hopes
“In difficult times, what children really need is hope. And in that spirit, Katherine Rundell emailed some of the children’s writers and artists whose work she loved most. I asked them to write something very short, fiction or non-fiction, or draw something that would make the children reading it feel like possibility-ists: something that would make them laugh or wonder or snort or smile. This collection, packed with short stories, poems and pictures from the very best children’s authors and illustrators, aims to provide just that. Within its pages you’ll find animal friends from insects to elephants, high-flying grandmas, a homesick sprite, the tooth fairy, and even extra-terrestrial life.” (Adapted from catalogue)
Exercise based
Getting into the nuts and bolts of things, if you’re looking for practical, exercise based activities then look no further than Poetry Prompts by Joseph Coelho.
Poetry prompts : all sorts of ways to start a poem / Coelho, Joseph
This book walks you through 41 poetry prompts, from themes, to creative writing techniques, to exercises engaging your 5 senses. With every prompt there’s also a “poetry power up” option if you want to take the prompt even further! Look out for prompts like number 6, 16 and 20, which cover onomatopoeia, metaphors, and personification. These are tried and true writing techniques which all the best poets use, you may have even learnt these in school already! Overall, this book could be a great option if you’re not sure how to express an idea in your poem, or you need a little pizazz to shake up what you’ve already written.
Te Reo Māori
Finally, you may have noticed that we are accepting submissions in English and te reo Māori. If you’re considering writing in or incorporating te reo, Rhyme & reo: aeiou, could be a perfect companion to your poetry writing depending on your existing fluency. In this book, author Jessica Ngatai breaks down each of the vowel sounds in poetic form, making it easier to come up with your own reo rhymes, and learn some new kupu!
Rhyme & reo : aeiou : a fun way to learn Māori vowel sounds / Ngatai, Jessica
“This book is an educational resource to help teachers, parents, whānau and children build confidence to use and enjoy te reo. Illustrated and featuring quirky Kiwi poems, weaving reo through the English text, with explanatory notes on the pronunciation of the vowel sounds appearing on a side-bar on each page”–Publisher information. Includes notes for parents and teachers.” (Catalogue)
Other useful books
The books mentioned are by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully they give you something to chew on. If all else fails, this Michael Rosen handbook is a great resource for any budding poet:
What is poetry? : the essential guide to reading & writing poems / Rosen, Michael
“Over many years as a working poet, Michael Rosen has thought a great deal about what poems are, what they can do and the pleasure that comes from writing and reading poetry. In this invaluable handbook, he shares this knowledge and experience in book form for the very first time. Starting with a detailed analysis of a number of classic poems, he offers a real writer’s guide to writing and performing poems, as well as a wealth of technical information and tips. He then takes a fascinating look at a selection of his own poems and explains how and why he wrote them. Complete with an appendix of poets and useful websites, and beautifully illustrated by award-winning artist Jill Calder, this is the only guide to poetry children and teachers will ever need.” (Catalogue)
And if you’re looking for some other introductory poetry collections, check out these two below:
Beastly verse
“This is an anthology of 16 animal poems for children, illustrated by the graphic artist JooHee Yoon. Authors include well-known poets such as Lewis Carroll, D. H. Lawrence and Laura E. Richards.” (Adapted from catalogue)
A treasury of NZ poems for children
“Poems by all the big names in both children’s and adult writing, from Margaret Mahy and Hone Tuwhare to Denis Glover as well as some fresh new poets”–Publisher’s information.” (Catalogue)
Poetry need not be archaic, stiff and boring. If nothing else, we hope these recommendations and tips inspire you to experiment, play and explore with language! Have fun with your creations! We look forward to seeing your hope/tūmanako poems. 🙂