On this page you’ll find some of the best loved poems from the classic book Poems Teachers Ask For where teachers of the time put forth their favorite poetry to use in the classroom. Many of these works in rhyme and prose are timeless while others are a glance back into the history of the era. For parents and teachers of today, it’s a great opportunity to introduce children to poetry in the traditional as well as homeschool classrooms.
Poems from Book 1
Briar Rose Jalmar Hjorth Boyesen
The Barefoot Boy John Greenleaf Whittier
Over the Hill to the Poor-house Will Carletonby
The Children Charles M. Dickenson
Somebody’s Mother Brine
Woodman Spare That Tree George Pope Morris
A Boy’s Song James Hogg
A Woman’s Question Lena Lathrop
Be Strong Maltibie Davenport Babcock
When the Teacher Gets Cross
The Bluebird’s Song by Emily Miller Huntington
The Lost Chord By Adelaide A. Procter
Sleep, Baby, Sleep by Elizabeth Prentiss
L’envoi Rudyard Kipling
The Wild White Rose Ellen H. Willis
The Building of the Ship H.W. Longfellow
Telling of the Bees John G. Whittier
The Four Leaf Clover Ella Higginson
Golden Keys
Mr. Finney’s Turnip
A Boy and His Stomach
Old Ironsides Oliver Wendell Holmes
My Mother Unknown Author
November by Alice Gary
Little Birdie by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Opportunity by John J. Ingalls
Pippa’s Song by Robert Browning
Christmas Everywhere by Phillips Brooks
Daffodils by William Wordsmith
Darius Green and His Flying Machine by John T. Trowbridge
The Calf Path Sam Walter Foss
The Ride of Jennie M’Neal Will Carleton
The Frost Hannah F. Gould
A Day Well Spent Author Unknown
How Cyrus Laid the Cable by John G. Saxe
Lady Moon by Lord Houghton
Don’t Give Up by Phoebe Cary
The Quality of Mercy by William Shakespeare
How Many Seconds in a Minute? by Christina G. Rossetti
The Baby George MacDonald
Song of the Sea Barry Cornwall
Diffidence Unknown Author
Guilty or Not Guilty Unknown Author
Kate Shelley Eugene J. Hall
There’s but One Pair of Stockings to Mend To-night
Invictus Henley E. William
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat Edward Lear
The Corn Song John G. Whittier
The Smack In School William Pitt Palmer
Seven Times One Jean Ingelow
Seven Times Two Jean Ingelow
Seven Times Three Jean Ingelow
Seven Times Four Jean Ingelow
Sister and I Author Unknown
Better Than Gold Alexander Smart
The Brown Thrush Lucy Larcom
The Fountain James Russell Lowell
To a Skylark Percy Bysshe Shelley
The Brook Alfred Lord Tennyson
To a Waterfowl William Cullen Bryant
To a Butterfly William Wordsworth
Is It Worth While? Joaquin Miller
Johnny’s Hist’ry Nixon Waterman
A Legend of Bregenz Adelaide A Procter
The Little Plant Kate L. Brown
Thanatopsis William Cullen Bryant
Second Table Nixon Waterman
Seein’ Things Eugene Field
The Kid Has Gone to the Colors W. M. Herschell
The Penny Ye Mean to Give Unknown Author
Plain Bob and a Job James W. Foley
A Poet’s Prophecy Tennyson
The Landing of the Pilgrims Felicia Hemans
The Overworked Elocutionist Unknown Author
Rock Me to Sleep Elizabeth Allen Akers
An Answer to Rock Me to Sleep Unknown Author
Riding On the Rail J. G. Saxe
So Was I by Joseph Bert Smiley
Thanksgiving-Day Lydia Maria Child
The Two Glasses Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Reply To “A Woman’s Question” Nettie H. Pelham
The Rhodora Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Singing Leaves James Russell Lowell
The Sin Of Omission Margaret E. Sangster
The Things Divine Jean Brooks Burt
The Tin Gee Gee Fred Cape
Tommy’s Prayer John F. Nicholls
Try, Try Again Unknown Author
“Tommy” Rudyard Kipling
Unawares Emma A. Lent
The Vagabonds J. T. Trowbridge
The Voice of Spring Felicia D. Hemans
Washington W. C. Bryant
Washington’s Birthday Hezekiah Butterworth
The Water Mill Sarah Doudney
When the Light Goes Out Harry S. Chester
Which Shall It Be? Ethel Lynn Beers
Who Stole the Bird’s Nest Lydia Maria Child
You Put No Flowers On My Papa’s Grave C. E. L. Holmes
Work Thou For Pleasure Kenyon Cox
Poems from Book 2
Home by Edgar A. Guest
The House with Nobody In It by Joyce Kilmer
Color in the Wheat by Hamlin Garland
The Broken Pinion by Hezekiah Butterworth
Annabel Lee Edgar Allan Poe
April Showers Mary E. Wilkins
April! April! Are You Here? Dora Read Goodale
Aux Italiens Robert Bulwer Lytton
Awakening Margaret E. Sangster
The Children We Keep Mrs. E.V. Wilson
The Circling Year Ramona Graham
Cleon and I Charles Mackay
A Christmas Long Ago Unknown Author
Columbus Helen L. Smith
Conscience and Future Judgement Unknown Author
The Ballad of the Tempest by James T. Fields
Billy’s Rose George R. Sims
Betty and the Bear Unknown Author
The Ballad of East and West Rudyard Kipling
The Babie Hugh Miller
Bill’s in the Legislature Author Unknown
Boy and Girl of Plymouth Helen L. Smith
The Boy Who Didn’t Pass Author Unknown
Break, Break, Break Alfred Tennyson
Dandelion Nellie M. Garabrant
The Death Of the Flowers W.C. Bryant
Don’t Kill the Birds D.C. Colesworthy
Duty Robert Browning
The Eve of Waterloo Lord Byron
Excelsior Henry W. Longfellow
The Fireman’s Story Unknown Author
The Fortunate Isles Joaquin Miller
The Flower of Liberty Oliver Wendell Holmes
Flying Jim’s Last Leap Emma Dunning Banks
Chums J. W. Foley
Give Them the Flowers Now Leigh M. Hodges
God’s Message to Men Ralph Waldo Emerson
Grandfather’s Clock Henry C. Work
The Gray Swan Alice Carey
Grandmother’s Quilt Unknown Author
Gunga Din Rudyard Kipling
Health and Wealth Unknown Author
The Heartening Winifred Webb
His Mother’s Song Unknown Author
Hullo Sam Walter Foss
If All the Skies Henry Van Dyke
The Isle of Long Ago Benjamin Franklin Taylor
Jim Brady’s Big Brother J.W. Foley
John Maynard Horatio Alger Jr.
The Legend Beautiful Henry W. Longfellow
The Lamb William Blake
The Last Leaf Oliver Wendell Holmes
Law and Liberty E.J. Cutler
Leaving the Homestead Unknown Author
A Legend of the Northland Phoebe Cary
Let us Be Kind Lomax W. Childress
Life, I know not What Thou Art Anna L. Barbauld
The Little Fir-Trees Evaleen Stein
The Lost Occasion John G. Whittier
Lullaby J. W. Foley
Little Willie’s Hearing Unknown Author
Mad River Henry W. Longfellow
A Message For the Year Elizabeth Clarke Hardy
The Minstrel Boy Thomas Moore
The Minuet Mary Mapes Dodge
Mother O’ Mine Rudyard Kipling
My Prairies Hamlin Garland
The Mystic Weaver Unknown Author
Nearer Home Phoebe Carey
A New Leaf Carrie Rice Shaw
A Night With a Wolf Bayard Taylor
Nobody’s Child Phila H. Case
O’ Grady’s Goat Will S. Hays
The Old Actor’s Story George B. Sims
The Old Kitchen Floor Author Unknown
An Old Man’s Dreams Eliza M. Sherman
“One, Two, Three!” Henry Cuyler Bunner
Our Flag Margaret E. Sangster
Our Own Margaret E. Sangster
Out In the Snow Louise Chandler Moulton
Our Presidents-A Memory Rhyme Isabel Ambler Gilman
Picciola Robert Henry Newell
The Parts of Speech Unknown Author
The Petrified Fern Mary L. Bolles Branch
Piller Fights D. A. Ellsworth
Little Bateese W. H. Drummond
A Prayer for a Little Home London Spectator
The Quangle Wangle’s Hat Edward Lear
The Railroad Crossing Hezekiah Strong
Rain On the Roof Coates Kinney
The Real Riches John G. Saxe
The Red Jacket George M. Baker
Ring Out, Wild Bells Alfred Lord Tennyson
The Romance of Nick Van Stann
The Sandman Margaret Vandergrift
Santa Filomena Henry W. Longfellow
The School-Masters Guests Will Carelton
September Arnold George
September Days Helen L. Smith
September Gale O.W. Holmes
She Was A Phantom Of Delight
Small Beginnings Charles Mackay
Solitude Ella Wheeler Wilcox
The Station Master’s Story George R. Sims
The Stranger On the Sill Thomas Buchanan Read
The Sunset City Isabel Ambler Gilman
The Teacher’s “If” R. J. Gale
There Was A Boy William Wordsworth
Towser Shall Be Tied To-night Unknown Author
Trailing Arbutus J. G. Whittier
The Two Kinds of People Ella Wheeler Wilcox
The Two Angels Henry W. Longfellow
The Two Little Stockings Sara Keables Hunt
The Two Pictures Unknown Author
When Father Carves the Duck E. V. Wright
When My Ship Comes In Robert Burdette Jones
When Papa Was A Boy E. A. Brininstool
Why the Dog’s Nose Is Always Cold Author Unknown
The Wishing Bridge John Greenleaf Whittier
The Witch’s Daughter John Greenleaf Whittier
With Little Boy Blue Sarah Beaumont Kennedy
The Wood Box Joseph C. Lincoln
The Women of Mumbles Head Clement Scott
Wolseys Farewell to His Greatness William Shakespeare
Work A Song of Triumph by Angela Morgan
