A palindrome is a word, verse, sentence or poem which reads the same backwards as it does forwards. Here, you'll find a selection of books featuring this form of wordplay. Most of these books are meant for younger readers.
If You Were a Palindrome
This entertaining picture book for very young readers is part of a series by Michael Dahl, author of several books on parts of speech and word games. The sturdy binding makes it a good choice for school libraries. Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover: 24 pages ISBN: 9781404831629
Mom and Dad are Palindromes
Stuffed with palindromes, this picture book tells the story of Bob, a young boy who realizes that palindromes are everywhere in his life: his Mom and Dad, his sister Anna, his dog Otto, even his own name! Though he tries his best to avoid them, it seems he encounters a new palindrome at every turn. Reading level: Ages 4-8. Hardcover: 36 pages. ISBN: 9780811843287
Go Hang a Salami! I'm a Lasagna Hog! And Other Palindromes
Palindromes, Anagrams & Other Tricks Words Can Do In this entertaining book, author Jon Agee has compiled over 60 palindromes with imaginative illustrations depicting the wacky wordplay. Reading level: Ages 9-12. Paperback: 80 pages. ISBN: 9780374444730
The Circus of Words
Acrobatic Anagrams, Parading Palindromes, Wonderful Words on a Wire, and More Lively Letter Play This book is aimed at older children who have some experience with palindromes and anagrams. The puzzles are fun, but can be quite challenging. Reading level: Ages 9-12. Paperback: 144 pages. ISBN: 9781556523809
Palindromes and Anagrams
A fairly comprehensive book with many examples of palindromes, including Palindromic Poetry and Vocabularyclept Poetry (using the words of one poem to create another). The book also contains charades, circular reversals, an introduction to multi-word anagrams as well as numerous examples of this form of wordplay. Paperback: 130 pages. ISBN: 9780486206646
Ana Nab a Banana
This book features one hundred palindromic sentences along with wacky illustrations by the author. Paperback: 96 pages. ISBN: 9780452273122
Name Games
Anagrams, Acrostics, and Palindromes on Famous Proper Names Provides a variety of anagrams, clerihews (a witty, satiric verse containing two rhymed couplets and mentioning a famous person), acrostics, palindromes, and pangrams (a sentence, verse, etc., that includes all the letters of the alphabet) based on the names of famous people. ISBN: 9780440503606Too Hot to Hoot
Here's a book of palindromes for wordplay enthusiasts of all ages. It features three-letter palindrome riddles, palindrome puzzles, flip-flop phrases, palindrome sentences, palindromic numbers, and a chapter on three famous palindromes. The visual puzzles and beautiful illustrations make it a good choice for children. 17 pages. ISBN: 9780679204046The Dead Sea Scroll Palindromes
The author, Howard Richler, has been writing a newspaper column entitled Speaking of Language since 1992. The creative palindromes in this book will challenge and entertain young readers while demonstrating that language and word games can be fun! Paperback: 128 pages. ISBN: 9781895854497