Age Recommendations for Allan’s Books
Wondering which of Allan’s books and anthologies is right for you? Here’s an informal guide to help you find the perfect match.
For grades preK-2 (4 to 8 years):
No Buddy Like a Book (Candlewick Press). A picture book in rhythmical rhyme that celebrates the friendship between books and readers.
For grades 3-6 (8-12 years):
The Blood-Hungry Spleen and Other Poems About Our Parts (Candlewick Press). A picture book of anatomy poems. Please see note following.
Note: The Blood-Hungry Spleen is a 32-poem collection for older elementary kids. Four poems are about the male and female reproductive system. The author, illustrator, and publisher felt it was important to include these poems and took care to present them as respectfully and discerningly as possible. Each individual school, library, teacher, and bookseller should decide how best to procede.
The Day the Universe Exploded My Head: Poems That Take You Into Space and Back Again (Candlewick Press). Picture book of space poems.
For grades 5-9 (10-16 years)
Immersed in Verse: An Informative, Slightly Irreverent & Totally Tremendous Guide to Living the Poet’s Life (Lark/Sterling)
A how-to manual for would-be word weavers. Though temporarily out of print, this book is still available, used, through a variety of on-line booksellers.
For grades 6-12 (11 years-teen/adult):
New Found Land: Lewis and Clarks Voyage of Discovery (Candlewick Press)
The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic (Candlewick Press)
For grades 7-12 (12 years—teen/adult):
Zane’s Trace (Candlewick Press). Some language and intense situations.
For grades 9-12: (14 years—teen/adult)
Who Killed Christopher Goodman? (Candlewick Press). Language and intense situations.
More Than Friends: Poems from Him and Her (Boyds Mills Press). Co-Authored by Sara Holbrook. Two fiction high school teens tell the story of their romance through poems. PG-13. Nothing graphic. This title may be out of print.
Poetry Anthologies, for young readers (with poems by Allan Wolf):
Early-elementary (PreK-3rd grade)
The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog and Other How-to Poems. Ed, Paul Janeczko. (Candlewick Press, 2019) AVAILABLE March 25, 2019.
Dizzy Dinosaurs: Silly Dino Poems. Edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins. (HarperCollins, 2011)
One Minute Till Bedtime. Edited by Kenn Nesbitt. (Little, Brown, Spring, 2016)
Falling Down the Page: A Book of List Poems. Edited by Georgia Heard. (Roaring Brook Press, 2009)
Older-elementary (3-6th grade)
National Geographic’s The Poetry of US. Edited by J. Patrick Lewis. (National Geographic Children’s Books, 2018)
A Bunch of Punctuation: Poems About Punctuation. Ed by Lee Bennett Hopkins. (WordSong, 2018)
Traveling the Blue Road: Poems of the Sea. Edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins. (Seagrass/Quarto Books, 2017).
National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry. Edited by J. Patrick Lewis. (National Geographic Children’s Books, 2015)
A Foot In the Mouth: Poems to Speak, Sing, and Shout. Edited by Paul Janeczko. (Candlewick Press, 2009)
A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms. Edited by Paul Janeczko. (Candlewick Press, 2005)
Books and Anthologies for Classroom Use (with poems by Allan Wolf):
Great Morning!: Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud. Compiled by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong (Pomelo Books, 2018)
The Poetry Friday Anthology: Poems for the School Year with Connections to the Common Core. Editors Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong (Pomelo Books, 2012) Available in Elementary and Middle Grade editions.
The Poetry Friday Anthology for Science: Poems for the School Year, Integrating Science, Reading, and Language Arts. Ed, Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong (Pomelo Books, 2012) Available in Elementary and Middle Grade editions.
The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations. Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong (Pomelo Books, 2015) *** BILINGUAL *** Spansh/English
Poems Are Teachers: How Studying Poetry Strengthens Writing for All Genres. Amy Ludwig VanDerwater (Heinemann, 2018)
Snapshot Poetry Writing: 20 High Impact Clinics that Help Students Read, Write and Think Across the Curriculum. Grades 4-8. Sara Holbrook, Michael Salinger, and Lisa Luedeke. (Corwin Press, 2013)
Poetry Mentor Texts: Making Reading and Writing Connections. K-8. Lynne R. Dorfman and Rose Cappelli. (Stenhouse publishers, 2012)