Linda Kulp Trout

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Poetry Friday: Love Poems for Valentine's Day!

In honor of Valentine's Day, I'm reposting a few of my favorite collections of love poems along with some links to poetry collections.


Valentine Hearts selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins  is perfect for young readers because they will relate to poems about everything from heart-shaped sandwiches to  hoping for a special valentine and a love note for a special pet. I am honored to have a poem included in this very gorgeous little book.



                                                       Singing Valentine

                                                          Outside my window
on the icy ground below
a little bird sings:

   "Chick-a-dee
          
                        dee

                            dee

     Chick-a-dee

                       dee

                            dee."

A valentine melody
          just for me!

Linda Kulp, all rights reserved

Click here to read two poems from the collection by two very talented poets,  Rebecca Kai Dotlich and Marilyn Singer.






Hopscotch Love:  A Family Treasury in Love Poems by Nikki Grimes is a true “valentine delight” with poems about many different types of love.  The rhymed and unrhymed poems are written in variety of  forms including: letter poem, list, and free verse.  I love the vivid imagery and deep emotions in this collection.  Here is the beginning of one of my favorite poems from the collection.

Sweethearts Dance

He pulls her close
           She strokes his face
Their thoughts fly to
           Their starting place

Read the rest of the poem here, and you'll see why I'm such a big Nikki Grimes fan.


Check out these links for a few Young Adult collections I love:

I Am Wings and Buried Alive both by Ralph Fletcher

A Lion’s Hunger: Poems of First Love by Ann Turner

Partly Cloudy: Poems of Love and Longing by Gary Soto

Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems About Love by Pat Mora


 I found the next two collections several years ago while browsing the poetry section in my local Borders. It's unfortunate that so many wonderful book stores have closed.  I used to have a lot of fun discovering treasures such as these.



Also check out: Love Poems by Charles Ghigna. After you read these beautiful poems, you might want to pen your own poem for someone you love.  Charles provides us with inspiration and advice here.







Love Poems by Nikki Giovanni.  I come back to these poems again and again! 



If you have other favorite collections of love poetry, please share the titles with me so I can add them to my bookshelf.



Happy Valentine's Day!


Be sure to stop by to see Sally for more Poetry Friday to love today!


18 comments:

  1. I love the LBH easy-reader anthology. Linda's poem is fun! And how did I NOT know of this Nikki Grimes collection. I love her books! Thanks!

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    1. Thanks, Laura. I've been a Nikki Grimes fan for many, many years. My favorite poem in this collection is "Pineapple Surprise." I use this poem to teach senory details. It always inspires my kids to write their own "food/family" poems.

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  2. Thanks for reminding me of the Fletcher volumes....I think I shall have to have these out in preparation for Tuesday!

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  3. Tara, I think I own just about every book Ralph has written. I've been fortunate to hear him speak twice, and I love his new book "Mentor Author, Mentor Texts." It's a great resource for writing teachers.

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  4. I too have the Fletcher books & the Hopkins, but I've never seen Nikki Grimes' love poems, although I have others by her. I'll have to look for it. I got a glimpse of Charles Ghigna's wonderful poems on his post. That was a find. Thanks for all the ideas! (I wanted to look you up partly because my name is Linda too!)

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  5. Hi Linda! You'll love Charles' book. What a wonderful tribute to his wife. The emotion really comes through!

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  6. Some lovely links here, Linda... and how LOVEly is your chickadee?? Thank you so much for sharing. Happy Valentine's Day to YOU. xo

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  7. I love your poem, Linda! And I will definitely check out these books by some of my favorite poets. Happy Valentine's Day!

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  8. Thanks! Yes, these are some lovely books, and I know you'll enjoy them! Happy Valentine's Day!

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  9. Beautiful list, Linda! And your poem is so sweet! I have more than one of the books, for myself & I used to write love poems with my middle-school students at this time of year. While they grumbled at first, I think they liked that I gave them permission to write a little romantically! Thank you, & Happy "Heart" Day!

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  10. What an awesome collection of books! Our used book superstore lost its lease and is closing. So sad, but I bought $40 worth of poetry books!

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  11. What a fabulous list of resources you shared with us here. Glad to see the poem you contributed in Lee Bennett Hopkins' collection - he is one of my favourites. :)

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  12. I love your "Singing Valentine" - nothing sounds sweeter on snowy winter day. Great round up of "must read" poetry books. Happy Valentine's Day! <3

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  13. Wow--a comprehensive collection, Linda--very valuable! I can't believe I've never come across the LBH collection that includes your chick-a-dee poem...I'll be adding that to my classroom bookshelf for sure. Thanks for all this!

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  14. Love your Singing Valentine! Thanks for sharing all these terrific resources!

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  15. Such lovely recommends! I heart Nikki Grimes. Thanks for sharing sweet Valentines!

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