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Quicklinks for internet-linked books
Quicklinks
Click on the links to visit the recommended websites. To read many of the poems recommended in this book, scroll down to "More poems to read".
Poems by Jerome Martin, author of this book
Websites to visit
"Lucky Duck"
Jerome reads his poem on page 18 of "Write Your Own Poems".
"Ode to Pluto"
You can find out about odes on page 50 of your book.
"Riddle"
Can you guess the answer? (You can find the poem - and the answer - on page 26 of your book.)
Inspiration for writing poems
Websites to visit
Top tips on writing poems
Poet Jerome Martin, author of "Write your own poems", reveals his top tips.
Getting started
Ideas for writing poems from children's poet Michael Rosen.
A poem about poetry
Listen to a poem about writing poetry.
Go for a walk
Collect words on a walk and create a collage poem.
Choose your words
Explore word clouds with lots of interesting words to use in poems.
How to get ideas flowing
Helpful advice on how to get started writing a poem.
What kind of poem do you want to write?
Websites to visit
Poetry techniques
Tips and techniques to help you with your writing.
Acrostic poems
Ideas for writing an acrostic poem, where the first letter of each line spells a word.
How to write haikus
Tips for writing a haiku, a form of Japanese poetry
Find a rhyme
Browse a rhyming dictionary. (Click on "Rhyming" in the search bar, type a word and click on "Go".)
Different types of poems
Comic verse and other poetic forms including ballads, riddles and rap, with example poems.
More poetry devices
Alliteration and other poetic devices, with example poems.
More poems to read
Click on the links to read – or listen to – many of the poems in the "More to read" boxes in Write Your Own Poems.
Getting started (pages 4-5 )
Websites to visit
“I Started Early – Took my Dog" by Emily Dickinson
Click on the red button to hear the poem.
Watch an animation of Emily Dickinson's poem
Ludicrous limericks ( page 9)
Websites to visit
“A young lady of Lynn” by Anonymous
“How awkward when playing with glue” by Constance Levy
A is for alphabet (page 10)
Websites to visit
“Abecedary” by Tom Disch
Click on the right arrow to continue.
“Alphabet Poem” by Edward Lear
The shape of a poem (pages 14-15)
Websites to visit
“Christmas Tree” by James Merrill
“Swan and Shadow” by John Hollander
Sonnets (pages 16-17)
Websites to visit
“Wood Not Yet Out” by Alice Oswald
Scroll to the bottom of the article to read the poem.
“Pied Beauty” by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Click on the red button to hear the poem.
The perplexing pantoum (pages 20-21)
Websites to visit
Peculiar self-portraits (pages 38-39)
Websites to visit
“Fifth Grade Autobiography” by Rita Dove
“A Girl Named Jack” by Jacqueline Woodson
Who might you be? (pages 40-41)
Websites to visit
“Mummy of a Lady Named Jemutesonekh” by Thomas James
“Crusoe in England” by Elizabeth Bishop
The great outdoors (pages 44-45)
Websites to visit
“Sleeping in the Forest” by Mary Oliver
“the earth is a living thing” by Lucille Clifton
“Plea to the Wind” by Alice Oswald
“Blackberrying” by Sylvia Plath
A poem is a time machine (pages 48-49)
Websites to visit
“Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden
An ode to something great or small (pages 50-51)
Websites to visit
“To the Light of September” by W. S. Merwin
“Ode to my Socks” by Pablo Neruda
“To the Rain” by Ursula K. Le Guin
The call of the wild (pages 52-53)
Websites to visit
“The Kraken” by Alfred Lord Tennyson
“Cedar Waxwings Unmasked” by Jane Yolen
Making art out of art (pages 54-55)
Websites to visit
“Fountains of Aix” by May Swenson
“An Arundel Tomb” by Philip Larkin
“Why I Am Not a Painter” by Frank O’Hara
A map to unseen worlds (pages 56-57)
Websites to visit
“Directions to My Imaginary Childhood” by Nick Carbó
“Five Directions to My House” by Juan Felipe Herrera
Don’t make a long story short (pages 58-59)
Websites to visit
“Beowulf” by Anonymous
Read an extract from "Beowulf" translated by the poet Seamus Heaney.
“Omeros” by Derek Walcott
Read chapters from the poem.
Stop making sense (pages 64-65)
Websites to visit
“Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll
Read by Michael Rosen.
“The Jumblies” by Edward Lear
Read by Michael Rosen.
Singing the blues - (pages 72-73)
Websites to visit
“Po’ Boy Blues” by Langston Hughes
“Riverbank Blues” by Sterling A. Brown
Johnny Cash sings “The Banks of the Ohio”
(By Anonymous)
Bob Dylan sings “Barbara Allen”
(By Anonymous)
“Levee Camp Blues” by Son House
“I Ain’t Superstitious” by Howlin’ Wolf
Tantalizing titles (pages 86-87)
Websites to visit
“Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” by Wallace Stevens
“I Was Sleeping Where the Black Oaks Move” by Louise Erdrich
“Diving into the Wreck” by Adrienne Rich
Click on the audio icon to hear the poem.
“What My House Would Be Like If It Were A Person” by Denise Levertov
Click on the red button to hear the poem.
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- Always ask an adult's permission before using the internet.
- Never give out personal information, such as your name, address, school or telephone number.
- If a website asks you to type in your name or email address, check with an adult first.
For more tips, see Internet safety for children.
Adults - we recommend that children are supervised while on the internet. The content of a website may change at any time and Usborne Publishing is not responsible for content on sites other than its own.
For more on internet safety, see Internet advice for adults.
Using a tablet or smartphone?
Websites with interactive content may not work on your tablet or smartphone, but you can view them on a computer. Find out more…
About this book
Write your own...
Write your own poems
Whether you want to dash off a limerick, ponder a sonnet or plot an epic poem, this write-in activity book is here to help. Each page is bursting with tips and inspiration for writing all kinds of poems – and inventing brand new styles too. With links to websites where you can listen to many of the poems in this book, and find more helpful writing tips.
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Sound files
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Midi files
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