Chapter 23: Children's Poetry: A Rich, Untapped Genre for Library Instruction

Underestimated in sophistication and influence, poetry written for and by young people raises questions about societal values, language evolution, and publishing practices. Engaging core themes in the discipline of library and information science, youth poetry opens up dialogue around context, authenticity, bias, and nomenclature making the format an ideal vehicle for teaching information literacies, core information science principles, and inquiry-based learning. Adapted for a variety of library instruction situations, examples in this chapter focus on historical origins, publishing formats, anonymous works, nonsense verse, and spoken word.