Selected Books
A Curious Collection of Cats
"Surely the time has come for a book of cat-related poems that upsets the status quo in some fashion."
--Booklife
Falling Hard, 100 love poems by teenagers
Candlewick Press
Falling Hard was reviewed in the New York Times. My fourth anthology with Candlewick, it's an ALA Quick Pick and on the New York Public Library list of Books for the Teen Age. I had a great time speaking about it on Boston NPR. The anthology is an uncensored discussion of love through poetry.
Bees, Snails, & Peacock Tails
McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster)
"The duo behind Birdsongs (2007) teams up again in this winning introduction to the patterns and shapes found in the natural world. From the dazzling eyes of the male peacock's feathers to the hexagonal chambers of the bee's hive, Franco's spirited poems explore the many forms and functions of nature's geometry."
"This inviting book is bound to spark more careful observation of the shapes and colors in the reader's natural world."
Birdsongs
McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster)
"Franco and 2004 Caldecott Honor artist Jenkins celebrate the free concert that birds perform for backyard audiences every day. There's a method to their merriment: as the book introduces various species, it uses their sounds to count down from 10 to one.."
Chosen as a "Parenting Pick Best Book"
Mathematickles!
McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster)
"Word lovers might stand a better chance of becoming math lovers if more math lessons were like these..."
"Enchanting..."
"Franco plus Salerno adds up to plenty of fun..."
Counting Our Way to the 100th Day
McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster)
"the bouncy, humorous poems include an amazing variety of math concepts...delivered with a light touch"
"The range of 100-related concepts is truly inspirational..."
"Teachers will think of dozens of ways to use this collection, not only on the hundredth day of school, but on all the other days as well."
You Hear Me? poems and writing by teenage boys; Things I Have to Tell You, poems and writing by teenage girls
Candlewick Press
"Betsy Franco presents the writing of more than 50 boys around the country who wrestle with their identity, emotions, and daily life."
--Publisher's Weekly
...honest, raw and sometimes tender selections..."
--School Library Journal
"With more urgency than many YA novels,...many teens will recognize their search for themselves..."
--Booklist