Table of Contents
POEMS
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By Nikki Grimes, Meet Danitra Brown (HarperCollins, 1997) is an illustrated collection of poems about unflappable Danitra Brown (“the most splendiferous girl in town”) and her best friend, Zuri. Themes include friendship, support, and self-confidence. For ages 4-9. |
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Virginia Kroll’s Girl, You’re Amazing (Albert Whitman and Company, 2001) is a rhyming celebration of all the things girls know and do (“When to pick pumpkins and how to fly kites/Just where to look for the sky’s satellites”). For ages 4-9. |
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By Vera B. Williams, Amber Was Brave, Essie Was Smart (Greenwillow Books, 2004) is the story of a wonderful friendship between two young sisters in a struggling family, told in poems and pictures. For ages 5-9. |
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Compiled by Lillian Morrison, More Spice Than Sugar (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2001) is a 68-page collection of “Poems About Feisty Females” by such poets as Nikki Giovanni, X.J. Kennedy, Emily Dickinson, Felice Holman, and Marianne Moore. For ages 8 and up. |
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Ogden’s Nash’s poem The Adventures of Isabel stars the imperturbable Isabel who – faced with enormous bears, wicked witches, giants, and evil doctors – never screams or scurries, but deals with the situation with aplomb. |