It's National Poetry Month: Poetry Matters

Ralph Fletcher's Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem from the Inside Out is an excellent resource for 8-12 year olds who are interested in writing their own poems. Fletcher has an engaging, informal writing style. Another good book about writing poetry is Fletcher's A Writing Kind of Day: Poems for Young Poets, a collection of more than two dozen poems written in the voice of a young poet. The poems provide both an invitation to write and insight into the writing process. A Writing Kind of Day was published in 2005 by Boyd Mills Press. Do your kids or teens like to write poetry? Are their books about writing that have helped them? Click on "comments" below and share your recommendations.

(Cover art courtesy of HarperCollins)