"Amo la primavera,” proclaims third-grader Ana Graciano of Pico Rivera, California, in her poem “Primavera.” Here at Instructor, we love spring, too. That's when we get to announce the winners of our annual poetry contest!
 
This year we once again received more than 10,000 entries from young poets around the country. Singling out winners from these thousands of submissions was not an easy task, but our panel of judges rose to the challenge. Heading this year's judging team was childrens' poet Douglas Florian, author of the recent Handsprings. “The entries were terrific!” he gushed. 

Not every child will grow up to be a Billy Collins or Emily Dickinson-but every child will grow from studying poetry. “Poetry helps children figure out what matters, who they are, and what they want to be,” says Nancie Atwell of the Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb, Maine, a teacher of one of this year's runners-up and the author of several books on teaching poetry.
 
Lois-Ann Yamanaka, another winning teacher, in Honolulu, Hawaii, agrees. “To learn to write, children must do an apprenticeship in poetry,” she says. Atwell explains that the study of poetry addresses all aspects of the writer's craft: the need to find subjects that the writer cares about, the value of word choice, and the importance of punctuation and revision, to name just a few.
 
 But studying poetry does even more than lay the foundation for building strong writing skills, says Atwell: “Poetry demonstrates how good people treat one another, see through stereotypes, take care of their world, notice what matters, find humor in the absurd, protest injustice, and express love.” We agree, and offer the runners-up  and winning entries in this year's contest as proof.

 
"Ode to Our Cat Yoko"
 
She is so blubby
and
grey
and
as soft as the softest feather;
never touched and as
velvety as silk.
 
Our house is filled with Yoko,
she has walked in every single bed,
under every chair,
touched every single dust speck.
 
Yoko is a puzzle piece in
my family’s
life.
She sweeps across the neighborhood,
watching for cars,
hiding from dogs.
 
Sweet Yoko.
 
She
dares
to climb on roofs
and
risks
tiptoeing on fences.
She leaps onto beds
and
bounds
through the hallway
when
Hazel comes to get her.
 
Yoko through the months,
the weeks
the years
a day,
Yoko is the sweetest cat
when her white socks play.
 
Sweet Yoko.
 
By Sophie M., Houston, Texas
 
“Fresh and spirited, this poem flows across your mind,” says Douglas Florian of Sophie’s poem about her cat. Read the poem with students and discuss how Sophie creates a vivid image of Yoko in the reader’s mind. Draw attention to the vivid action words. Next, discuss the definition of ode: a lyric poem of praise. Invite students to write their own odes to a pet or friend.
 

 
"Mi adorado abuelito"
 
Con mi abuelo
Aprendí a caminar
Y hablar
Si yo hacía algo malo
Hijo
Me decía
Un día se
Fue para el ceilo
Pero todavía
Lo siento
Conmigo
Lo adoro mucho
Es como un
Vaso de vida
Para mí
 
By Daniel J., San Diego, California
 
My adoring grandfather
 
With my grandfather
I learned to walk
and talk
If I did something wrong
“Son”
he would say
One day
he went to the sky
But still
I feel him
with me
I adore him
He is like a
cup full of life
for me
 
English translation by Michelle Williamson
 
Daniel expresses a great depth of feeling in his short poem “Mi adorado abuelito.” After reading through the poem (in Spanish as well as English), ask students: In what tense is the first half of the poem written? What about the second half? This past/present structure demonstrates how Daniel’s grandfather became a permanent part of him. Have your students write a poem about someone who has played an important role in their lives.
 

 
"Winter Night"
 
River laughs as rocks tickle her.
 
Moon whispers for them both to settle down.
 
Sky sings a small, silvery song.
 
Snow shushes everyone in the soft, velvety night.
 
By Anna M., Federal Way, WA
 
Anna uses careful word choice in her depiction of a winter evening that Florian calls “evocative and soothing.” With your students, discuss how Anna brings the scene to life through personification. Then as a class, select another natural scene. Brainstorm a list of items that would be present in the scene and from that list, choose several objects and talk about how they could be personified. Use the ideas to write a class poem.

 
"Paz y Amor"
 
Cuando hay paz,
hay amor,
amor llega cuando
lo decides,
no lo sabes
pero al estar
en esta vida
tú dás amor
a tú familia
quizás a todos
a los que tú quieras
con todo tu corazón
cuando nace el amor
nace la paz
Paz es Amor.
 
By Daisy H., Santa Ana, California
 
"Peace and Love"
 
When there is love,
there is peace,
love arrives
when you decide
you do not know it
but in being
in this life
you give love
to your family
perhaps to all those
whom you wish to love
with all your heart
when love is born
peace is born.
Peace is love.
 
English translation by Michelle Williamson.
 
Have volunteers read Daisy's poem aloud in Spanish and English, and talk about how the poem “sounds” in the two languages. Then, move on to a discussion of the theme. How can love lead to peace? Can one exist without the other? Is it easy to love your family? Your friends? How about your enemies? Invite kids to write their own poems about love.
 
Click here to read this year's runners-up.