Thank you for including Barbed Wire Between Us in this list of 9 Outstanding Poetry Collections for Young Readers and Teens from School Library Journal!
2026 Stars So Far Home Page
These lyrical titles include homages to Langston Hughes and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as a collection of pet poems.
Our Home, Our Only Home by Marion Dane Bauer. illus. by Sophie Diao. Candlewick. (Wondrous World). ISBN 9781536234039.
This Hair Belongs by JaNay Brown-Wood. illus by. Erin K. Robinson. Astra. ISBN 9781662620867.
Melodies of the Weary Blues: Classic Poems Illustrated for Young People by Langston Hughes. illus. by Various. HarperCollins/Harper. ISBN 9780063327054.
The Dream Builder’s Blueprint: Dr. King’s Message to Young People by Alice Faye Duncan. illus. by E.B. Lewis*. Astra/Calkins Creek. ISBN 9781662680311.
If Pets Wrote Poems: A Parody Collection by Susan Johnston Taylor. illus. by Sandie Sonke. Gnome Road. ISBN 9781957655659.
No Brain the Same: Neurodivergent Young Activists Shaping Our Future. ed. by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson & Jeanette Bradley. illus. by Jeanette Bradley. Charlesbridge. ISBN 9781623545833.
Pondering: A Story in Cinquains by Paul Paolilli & Daniel Brewer. illus. by Dao Thuy Linh. WorthyKids. ISBN 9781546008668.
Time for Haiku: Four Seasons of Poems by Josep Santaeulàlia. illus. by Luciano Lozano. tr. from Catalan by Lawrence Schimel. Red Comet. ISBN 9781636551739.
Barbed Wire Between Us by Mia Wenjen. illus. by Violeta Encarnación. Red Comet. ISBN 9781636551920.
* E.B. Lewis is accused of sexual misconduct.
p.s. Related posts:
Barbed Wire Between Us ORIGINAL Song by Daria Music
Teacher’s Guide for BARBED WIRE BETWEEN US
How to Fold an Origami Crane (activity for BARBED WIRE BETWEEN US)
11 Children’s Books Featuring Origami Cranes
BARBED WIRE BETWEEN US at the Japanese American National Museum
UNBREAKABLE and BARBED WIRE BETWEEN US interview in Publishers Weekly
BARBED WIRE BETWEEN US gets Starred Review from School Library Journal!
To examine any book more closely at Amazon, please click on image of book.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Follow PragmaticMom’s board Multicultural Books for Kids on Pinterest.
Follow PragmaticMom’s board Children’s Book Activities on Pinterest.
My books:
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Barbed Wire Between Us by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Violeta Encarnación
- ⭐ Starred review from Kirkus
- ⭐ Starred review from Publishers Weekly
- ⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal
- Kirkus: The Most Anticipated Children’s Books of Spring 2026
Free and downloadable guide:
Barbed Wire Between Us Teacher’s Guide
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
- California Eureka Non-Fiction Gold Award
- Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
The Traveling Taco:
- California Eureka Non-Fiction Silver Award
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
- Reading Rockets’ Summer Reading Guide 2025
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court
- ALSC Notable Children’s Book
- 2025 Carter G. Woodson Book Award Middle Level Honoree
- Orbis Pictus Recommended Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
- 2024 Julia Ward Howe Prize for Children’s Literature Winner
- California Eureka Non-Fiction Award Honor Book
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
- Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year 2025
- Recommended Reading for the Social Justice Literature Award 2025 (International Literacy Association)
- Pennsylvania Mountain Laurel Book Award Nominee 2026-27
- Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- ⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal!
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Massachusetts Book Award Long List
- dPICTUS 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award Long List
- Nautilus Silver Winner, Nonfiction Children’s Picture Book
- Sunshine State Young Readers Award Orange Blossom List for Nonfiction
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Bookshop.org / Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Bank Street College’s The Best Children’s Books of the Year
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
