Alex Connelly

March 5, 2015
Poetry Anthology Introduction
Part One: I believe childrens poetry should, first and foremost, consist of
relatable and approachable language. Children must be able to understand most of
the language in anything they are asked to read. I feel it is important to choose a
variety of selections of poems for children, especially upper-elementary aged
students in order to expose them to some new vocabulary. However, I feel most of
the language and vocabulary must be at least approachable for children. For
example, if a fourth grader is asked to read William Shakespeare, it is possible, but
is probably overwhelming for a young child because the language is in an unfamiliar
diction and format. If you choose to introduce more adult-like poems to children,
make it relatable to them first. This leads into the second quality a childrens poem
needs to have, in my opinion: relatable topics. Childrens poetry should consist of
images and emotions children probably can relate to, or at least grasp.
In relation to the topic or subject of a poem, another essential quality of good
childrens poetry is the vivid imagery. Children need books (and poems) with either

accompanying images or very vivid adjectives and descriptions in order to create a

mental image. Children will lose interest in reading a poem they can not visualize
what is happening within the poem. They want to relate to the characters or be able
to picture themselves in the scenery.
The forth characteristic I feel good childrens poetry should have is a
consistent rhythm with accompanying rhyme. While not all childrens poetry needs
to rhyme, most of it will include some rhyme pattern to emphasize the rhythm.
Children enjoy being able to speak to the beat, so to say. They also seem to enjoy
predicting rhymes within a poem.
I think that many good childrens poems simply involve the element of fun or
enjoyment of sorts. Whether it is done with careful word play or through an
imaginative plot or characters, children want to be entertained. While not all good
poems are considered fun, most of them do offer the student reader a sense of
enjoyment. Many students, especially older ones, enjoy a poem with humor or a
satisfying ending. Younger students enjoy silly poems.
Finally, the sixth characteristic I feel good childrens poetry should have is an
appropriate length along with a sense of fluency. Many choppy poems are off-putting
for young readers unless the plot is fluent. Therefore, if a poem has choppy lines and

a construed plot, the reader probably will be confused or frustrated with the poem.
Also, the length of a poem may be off-putting without proper fluency.
Part Two: I think the poem, Autumn Leaves, by Margaret P. Sutphen, is an
excellent poem for mid-upper elementary school children. It has fairly easy
vocabulary with complex sentences that challenge the reader to think carefully over
what is being said in context without being overbearing. There is vivid imagery of
the scene and a relatable topic about leaves changing color and falling in late
autumn. There is personification in the poem, which challenges students to think
metaphorically, when they are at the appropriate level. This poem is a good poem
because it is concise enough to keep the readers attention and narrow enough to
depict something specific.

Table of Contents
Happy New ..Shel Silverstein....pg 1
A Valentine..Laura E. Richards.pg 2
In LoveShel Silverstein....pg 3
April Fools Day..pg 4
April Rain Song..Langston Hughes....pg 5
Easter..Laura E. Richards.......pg 6
The Easter Hen.Laura E. Richardspg 7
Summer Afternoon..Raymond Souster..pg 8
Sand Cooking..pg 9
SprayD.H. Lawrence.pg 10
Old Uncle Sam.Roger Robicheau...pg 11
This Lang We Love.Roger Robicheau...pg12
A Thunder Storm..Emiliy Dickson....pg 13
September..Lucille Clifton...pg 14
Autumn LeavesMargaret P. Stuphen.pg 15
A Pumpkin Speaks...Amanda Barris..pg 16
Black and Gold.Nancy Byrd Turnerpg 17

The Feast DayAmy McDonall..pg 18

Mall Crawl..Kenn Nesbitt..pg 19
Winter PoemNikki Giovannipg 20
The Little Red Sled.Jocelyn Bush.pg 21
Sledding..Spencer Bassette.pg 22
Christmas Song.Lydia Avery Coonley Wardpg23

Happy New

Joe yelled, Happy New Year.

The Cow yelled, Happy Moo Year.
The ghost yelled, Happy Boo Year.
The doctor yelled, Happy Flu Year.
The penguin sneezed, Happy Ah-choo Year.
The owl hooted, Happy Too-woo- Year.
The cowboy yelled, Happy Yahoo Year.
The trainman yelled, Happy Choo-choo Year.
The clock man yelled, Happy cuckoo Year.
The barefoot man yelled, Happy Shoe Year.
The hungry man said, Happy Chew Year.
There were more Happy ooo-Years
Than you ever heard
At our New Years party
Last June twenty-third.

Shel Silverstein
Every Thing On It

A Valentine

Oh, little loveliest lady mine!

What shall I send for your valentine?
Summer and flowers are far away,
Gloomy old Winter is king to-day,
Buds will not blow, and sun will not shine;
What shall I do for a valentine?

Prithee, Saint Valentine, tell me here,

Why do you come at this time o' year?
Plenty of days when lilies are white,
Plenty of days when sunbeams are bright;
But now, when everything's dark and drear,
Why do you come, Saint Valentine dear?

I've searched the gardens all through and through,

For a bud to tell of my love so true;
But buds are asleep, and blossoms are dead,
And the snow beats down on my poor little head;
So, little loveliest lady mine,
Here is my heart for your valentine.

- Laura E. Richards

In Love

If my face could only twist,

Then I could give my cheek a kiss
And whisper in my lovely ear,
Youre so beautiful, my dear.
And look into my eyes and see
Just how much Im in love with me.

-Shel Silverstein
Every Thing On It

April Fools Day

The first of April, some do say,
Is set apart for All Fools day,
But why the people call it so
Nor I, nor they themselves, do know.
-Old English Almanac
Poems For the Childrens Hour

April Rain Song

Let the rain kiss you

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.
-Langston Hughes
A Poem for Every Day

Easter

Give flowers to all the children,

This blessed Easter Day,
Fair crocuses and snowdrops,
And tulips brave and gay;

Bright nodding daffodillies,

And purple iris tall,
And sprays of silver lilies,
The loveliest of all.

And tell them, tell the children,

How in the dark, cold earth,
The flowers have been waiting
Till spring should give them birth.

All winter long they waited,

Till the south wind's soft breath
Bade them rise up in beauty,
And bid farewell to death.

Then tell the little children

How Christ our Saviour, too,
The flower of all eternity,
Once death and darkness knew.

How, like these blossoms, silent,

Within the tomb he lay;
Then rose in light and glory,
To live in heaven alway.

So take the flowers, children,

And be ye pure as they;
And sing of Christ our Saviour,
This blessed Easter Day.

- Laura E. Richards

The Easter Hen

Oh! children, have you ever seen

The little Easter Hen,
Who comes to lay her pretty eggs,
Then runs away again?
She only comes on Easter Day;
And when that day is o'er,
Till next year brings it round again,
You will not see her more.
Her eggs are not like common eggs,
But all of colors bright:
Blue, purple, red, with spots and stripes,
And scarcely one that's white.
She lays them in no special place,
On this side, now on that.
And last year, only think! she laid
One right in Johnny's hat.
But naughty boys and girls get none:
So, children, don't forget!
And be as good as good can be
It is not Easter yet!
- Laura E. Richards

Summer Afternoon

To zig-zag with the ant

through grass-topped jungles, sway
in many-mastered trees with birds, hang fluttering
over the tiger lilies with the lone
while butterfly,
anything, anything
but sitting here sheltered from the sun,

while all around me the summer

burns, beats, and blazes
from sun to sky to green-

hot, naked, unashamed beauty!

-Raymond Souster
A Book of Nature Poems

Sand Cooking

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, in the bright sun,

Bake me a pie, and bake me a bun.
Our creams from the ocean, our sugars dry land,
And the plums are the pebbles that grown in the sand.

-Seashore Play
Poems For the Childrens Hour

Spray

It is a wonder foam is so beautiful.

A wave bursts in anger on a rock, broken up
in a wild white sibilant spray
and falls back, drawing in tis breath with rage,
with frustration how beautiful!

-D.H. Lawrence
A Book of Nature Poems

Old Uncle Sam

You all know me, Im Uncle Sam

So gosh darn proud, oh yes I am

Im for this country, all the way

But you knew that, I'll never sway

I've been around for quite awhile

Forget my age, Im still in style

Like Yankee Doodle, yes siree

Like Troy, New Yorks great history

Im so proud Yankee Doodles kin

And proud what Troy for me has been

Twas Eighteen Twelve when all began

Too bad there was no cameraman

Our country fought its second war

We would prevail, just like before

Your Uncle Sam knows all too well

The facts are clear, war can be hell

Stay close to your Old Uncle Sam

I'm here for you, thats what I am

We are the great Land of The Free

Thanks to those marching faithfully

Salute and thank the brave you see

Do not forget, theyre tops with me

America, stand up and cheer

Our forces keep our freedom clear

One Nation Under God we stay

This truth endures to greet each day

***

My time now draws to bid farewell

Twas grand to have you for a spell

Goodbye to you, each worthy friend

God Bless You, all my love I send

- by Roger Robicheau
This Land We Love

How beautiful this land we love

We cherish all good people of

With pride we call this home our own

Oh how our seed of freedoms grown

American is what we are

Our time has nurtured us so far

For truth and justice we do strive

Our laws are meant to not deprive

We know were not the perfect place

As we are of the human race

In God we trust along our way

His goodness near, both night and day

So please do stop and pray awhile

Ask help in facing each new mile

And now Ill end with words so clear

Concerning freedom we hold dear

Let Grateful Thought Well Deep Inside

For Soldiers Brave Our Countrys Pride

- by Roger Robicheau

A Thunder-storm

The wind begun to rock the grass

With threatening tunes and low,-He flung a menace at the earth,
A menace at the sky.

The leaves unhooked themselves from trees

And started all abroad;
The dust did scoop itself like hands
And throw away the road.

The wagons quickened on the streets,

The thunder hurried slow;
The lightning showed a yellow beak,
And then a livid claw.

The birds put up the bars to nests,

The cattle fled to barns;
There came one drop of giant rain,
And then, as if the hands

That held the dams had parted hold,

The waters wrecked the sky,
But overlooked my fathers house,
Just quartering a tree.

-Emily Dickson
Selected Poems (unabridged)

September
I already know where Africa is
And I already know how to
Count to ten and
I went to school every day last year,
Why do I have to go again?

-Lucille Clifton
A Poem for Every Day

Autumn Leaves
The leaves are dropping from the trees,
Yellow, brown and red.
They patter softly like the rainOne landed on my head!

But when the sleep of winter comes

The cuddle down to rest;
Then Mother Nature tucks them in
With snow as she thinks best.

-Margaret P. Sutphen
Poems For the Childrens Hour

A Pumpkin Speaks

Said a pumpkin to me,

Id rather be
A lantern for all
The world to see!

With a mouth a-smile,

All, all the while,
Id fright the dark
For many a mile!

-Amanda Barris
Poems For the Childrens Hour

Black and Gold

Everything is black and gold,

Black and gold, tonight:
Yellow pumpkins, yellow moon,
Yellow candlelight;

Jet-black cat with golden eyes,

Shadows black as ink,
Firelight blinking in the dark
With a yellow blink.

Black and gold, black and gold,

Nothing in between,
When the world turns black and gold,
Then it's Halloween!

-Nancy Byrd Turner

The Feast Day

T is for turkey so crispy and brown,
H is for the ham with its sugary crown,
A for the apple pie grandmother makes,
N for the nuts and the nice little cakes,
K for the kins-folk who come to break bread,
S for the sauce made of cranberries red,
G is for gravy, enjoyed not the least,
I is for Indians at the first feast
V is for voices of young and of old,
I stands for ice cream so dainty and cold,
N is for nonsense which makes the day bright,
G for the games we all play until night.
-Amy McDonall
Poems For the Childrens Hour

Mall Crawl

We went to the mall the day after Thanksgiving,

to purchase the Christmas gifts we would be giving.
My mother, my father, my sister and I,
we all had our lists of the presents we'd buy.

We got up at dawn and went straight to the Mall,

but came home without any presents at all.
For though we were there from the morning till dark,
we spent the day looking for someplace to park.

--Kenn Nesbitt

Winter Poem
Once a snowflake fell
On my
brow and I loved
It so
much and I kissed
It and it was happy and called its cousins
And brothers and a web
Of snow engulfed me then
I reached to love them all
And I squeezed them and
they became
A spring rain and I stood
perfectly
Still and was a flower

-Nikki Giovanni
A Poem for Every Day

The Little Red Sled

Come out with me! cried the little red sled.

Ill give you the wings of a bird, it said.
The ground is all snowy;
The wind is all blowy!
Well go like a fairy,
So light and so airy!

-Jocelyn Bush
Poems for the Childrens Hour

Sledding
S peeding down a hill,
L ow on my sled,
E ating the flakes that fly in my mouth,
D igging my gloves in the snow,
D riving myself through trees,
I n and out in and out,
N ow up a high jump,
G ripping my sled.
-Spencer Bassette
A Poem for Every Day

Christmas Song

Why do bells for Christmas ring?

Why do little children sing?

Once a lovely, shining star,

Seen by shepherds from afar,
Gently moved until its light
Made a manger-cradle bright.

There a darling baby lay

Pillowed soft upon the hay.
And his mother sang and smiled,
"This is Christ, the holy child."

So the bells for Christmas ring,

So the little children sing.

- Lydia Avery Coonley Ward

Bibliography of Favorite Childrens Books

Bouton, Josephine. Poems for the Children's Hour. Platt & Munk, 1945. Print.
Cole, William. A Book of Nature Poems. Viking Juvenile, 1969. 252. Print.
Moger, Susan. A Poem for Every Day. Susan Moger, 2006. 128. Print.
Silverstein, Shel. Every Thing On It. HaperCollins, 2011. 208. Print.
Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends. HaperCollins, 1974. 192. Print.