Originally posted on Sunday, 25 June 2017
I am not a poet. In fact, I never liked poetry until I read Shel Silverstein to my sons. I loved listening to them laugh at the silliness. Then tell me what they thought about the poems and why they made them laugh. As a Kindergarten teacher, I realized the beauty of poetry. I started Poetry Tuesdays and read a poem or two to end each Tuesday’s morning meeting. Again, I found joy in the laughter of the Kindergartners. I also discovered a way to introduce another form of literature to my students.
Kindergartners are not the only students who enjoy poetry. Ask the sixth graders who recently chose a variety of poetry to recite at their Poetry Cafe. From Shel Silverstein to Edgar Allan Poe, from Haikus to couplets, a variety of poets and forms of poetry were selected by the students to recite and share during their poetry night just a few weeks ago.
Poetry is a great way to fit in reading at home. Children’s poetry is usually short. Children’s poetry is usually funny. Children’s poetry is also about things that children can relate to:
Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face
Be glad your nose is on your face,
not pasted on some other place,
for if it were where it is not,
you might dislike your nose a lot.
Imagine if your precious nose
were sandwiched in between your toes,
that clearly would not be a treat,
for you’d be forced to smell your feet.
Your nose would be a source of dread
were it attached atop your head,
it soon would drive you to despair,
forever tickled by your hair
Within your ear, your nose would be
an absolute catastrophe,
for when you were obliged to sneeze,
your brain would rattle from the breeze.
Your nose, instead, through thick and thin,
remains between your eyes and chin,
not pasted on some other place–
be glad your nose is on your face!
Jack Prelutsky
So celebrate April, the National Month of Poetry, with a poem or two. Here are a few websites to get you started:
Jack Prelutsky | Giggle Poetry | The Children’s Poetry Archive