Poems to Read to your Kids
(c) 2009 by Hans U. D. Wiesendanger
Keep Reading!
I made this poem just for you.
I heard that you can read!
That is a clever thing to do
And will help you succeed
In anything you want to be
When you're grown up one day.
If you can read, you're always free,
Whatever people say.
That's why I hope you read a lot,
And then read more and more
And always give it your best shot
To let your mind explore.
Dream!
You like to read, I like to write:
Together we're a team
Just let your mind soar like a kite
And have a fancy dream!
To dream about things is to see
And feel what you can't touch.
Just close your eyes and you will be
A bird and like it much.
And while you're flying far and high
You'll see the people way below
Like little ants hurrying by
And dashing madly to and fro.
Imagine....
Let's you and I agree
To build a castle in the air
That no one else can see;
It's just for you and me to share.
It has huge walls and great big towers,
All topped with brightly colored flags.
It sits atop a hill with flowers
And trees and rocks and stones and crags.
Its chapel has a little steeple,
Its roofs are tiled, its walls are high.
In its courtyard are lots of people,
And birds are flying in the sky.
Now close your eyes and you can see
The castle I described for you.
And now you really don't need me
To think of other castles, too!
For your Birthday
We wish you the moon,
A big red balloon,
And flowers, and cookies, and cake,
And lots of sweet things,
Nice dresses and rings,
Ice Cream and a strawberry cake,
A brand new tutu
In pink or light blue,
And other nice things to wear,
And only the best
For your birthday fest,
And dolls and a big teddy bear!
Dreaming on.....
Say, can you imagine that you are a queen
With a nice golden crown on her head
In the fanciest castle you've ever seen
With a golden four-poster bed?
With many attendants, maids, servants and more
Who 'll do anything you desire,
Give you whatever you ask them for
And bring you nice things to admire.
You never would have to ask them twice;
They'd jump to whatever you say.
You think it surely would be nice
If always you had your own way.
But I'm not so sure we would like all that,
You having your own way and such,
Because then you would be a spoiled, rotten brat
And we could not love you so much!
For Boys: Say, can you imagine that you are a king
With a nice golden crown on his head
In the fanciest castle full of everything
With a golden four-poster bed?
With many attendants, knights, servants and more...
Who 'll do anything you desire,
Give you whatever you ask them for
And bring you nice things to admire.
You never would have to ask them twice;
They'd jump to whatever you say.
You think it surely would be nice
If always you had your own way.
But I'm not so sure we would like all that,
You having your own way and such,
Because then you would be a spoiled, rotten brat
And we could not love you so much!
I Can Do so Many Things!
I can see, I can hear, I can feel, I can touch,.
I can snort, I can sniff, I can smell,
I can stroke, I can pet, and experience so much,
I can savor and taste things so well.
I can walk, I can run, I can climb, I can jump,
I can dance, I can swim, I can skate,
I can creep, I can stand or plunk down like a lump,
I can frown, I can laugh, I can blink, I can smile,
I can cry, I can beam, I can pout,
I can sob, I can wail, I can beam or beguile,
I can snivel, or whimper, or shout.
I can call, I can whisper or yell.
I can hear, I can listen, I can mumble, recite,
Yak, blabber, keep secrets, or tell.
I can love, I can like, I can snuggle and hold
I can hug, I can kiss and embrace
My world is a wonderful place!
Does This Make Sense?
An owl's a furry hooter.
A car horn is a tooter.
Kids like to ride a scooter.
A boy likes his pea shooter.
A kicker is a booter.
A lady likes a suitor.
A dumb kid needs a tutor.
A runner is a scooter.
A Tailor is a suiter.
A cheerer is a rooter.
Our kitty is a neuter.
A hirer's a recruiter,
A digger an uprooter,
A stinker a polluter.
A plumtree is a fruiter,
A running nose a snooter,
A guitarist a luter.
A driver's a commuter,
A smoker a cherooter,
A judge a prosecutor.
A steerer is a router,
A doubter a disputer,
A piper is a fluter.
What's smaller is minuter,
Hairier is hirsuter,
What's quieter is muter.
And sharper is acuter.
My girls are getting cuter!
Grandpa's getting acuter:
He has a new computer!!!
W O N D E R S O F O U R W O R L D
The Moon
When it is full, our friend, the moon
Looks like a great, big, pale balloon;
Perhaps more like a yellow prune.
At night, it hangs there neighborly
And gives some light so we can see,
Else we might run into a tree!
The Sun
We must be glad the sun shines bright.
It keeps us warm and gives us light,
And when it's gone, it's darkest night.
Without the sun, cold winds would blow
No flowers, trees could ever grow
And there would be no grass to mow.
Kids, puppies, kittens all need sun
To play, romp, jump, skip, walk and run
And do all things that are such fun!
That's why we're glad the sun stands high
And warm and friendly in the sky,
But what nobody knows, is: Why?
The Stars
At night, the sky is full of stars.
Look at them with binoculars:
Can you find Rigel? Venus? Mars?
How many stars are in the sky
At night? How far are they, how high?
What does their twinkle signify?
Why is the sky so full of them,
Like jewels in a diadem?
Who put them there, and why and when?
If you look quietly, maybe
In all that vast enormity
Some pictures in the stars you'll see!
The Ocean
The OCEAN's big and you can't see
Across it to the other side.
Its waves keep rolling merrily,
Rising and falling with the tide.
The OCEAN's big and full of creatures
Like fish and snails and crabs and squids
With beautiful or ugly features
And some quite scary for the kids!
The OCEAN's water's quite a waste,
Undrinkable through no one's fault
It has a most peculiar taste
Because it is chock full of salt.
The Sky
Above the earth , the big, high SKY
Is blue, as far as you can see.
And birds just flap their wings and fly
From here to where they want to be.
Don’t you wish thet you too had wings?
The SKY would be your home to play
And you could see so many things
And, when you want, just fly away!
But then, at night the SKY turns black,
The moon and stars come out and glow.
And then you surely would fly back
To your warm bed which you love so!
The Earth
The EARTH of course is where we live
And plants and animals do live here, too.
So we must be quite sensitive
To live in harmony, them, me and you.
No matter where a man may roam,
Though different from one another,
The EARTH is everybody’s home
And every human is our brother.
All that we need comes from the EARTH,
We get it all but don't know why.
On EARTH we live our lives from birth
Until the day we have to die.
_____________________________________________
Sometimes
Sometimes the moon is big and round,
Sometimes thin as a sickle.
Sometimes hard rain just pelts the ground,
Sometimes it's just a trickle.
Sometimes you sweat when days are hot,
Sometimes you're cold when they are not.
Sometimes the sky is blue and clear,
Sometimes it's grey and clouds appear.
Things can be diff'rent, then and now
We don't know when or why or how.
You can be different sometimes, too:
Sometimes you're happy, sometimes blue,
Sometimes a brat and really bad,
Sometimes the best Mom ever had!
You Read - I Write
You like to read. I like to write.
So what I thought is that we might
have lots of fun together.
We don't need sunshine, don't need snow,
We don't need anywhere to go
in any time or weather.
I write, you read, that's what we'll do.
So tell me what to write for you
I'll try to make it funny.
So, shall I write about a cat,
An elephant, or something that
Looks like an Easter Bunny?
Babysitting You?
They asked me: would I babysit?
That's when I almost blew it!
I said I hated to admit
I didn't want to do it.
And now you prob'ly wonder why
With you I won't come babysit:
As baby you don't qualify:
For you I want to LADYSIT!
Christmas Tree
I love to see the Christmas tree;
It pleases well my eye,
And under it for you and me
are presents piled up high.
There's nothing like a Christmas tree.
Its branches are so green
With lights and ornaments to see
It's such a lovely scene.
I'm glad we have a Christmas tree
So we can celebrate
As one close, happy family.
Now, isn't Christmas great?
All Kinds of Girls
The GIGGLICK is a funny child.
She giggles all the time;
She giggles and we don't know why
But giggling's not a crime.
So let her laugh and let her giggle,
Let her be full of beans,
And let her jump and run and wiggle:
That's what a GIGGLICK means.
The WHYWHY drives me up the wall.
She's certainly not shy;
If she is sad or has a ball
She always asks me WHY?
WHY something is, or WHY it's not,
She always wants to know.
If I don't know, she asks WHY NOT?
I wish it wasn't so.
The NOSHMO always tells me NO,
No matter what I say,
To leave or come, or stay or go;
That is the NOSHMO's way.
Well, if she always tells me NO,
I'll tell her NO in turn
When she wants something, too. And so
One day, perhaps, she'll learn!
The MESSIE is not nice to see.
She always makes a mess,
Does not clean up, and causes me
An awful lot of stress.
Her toys are lost behind the door,
Her shoes are in her bed;
She can't find what she's looking for
But only junk, instead.
The CRYBUB cries at every chance
And sheds her tears like rain,
And when I think it's time to dance
She starts to cry again.
Such are the CRYBUB's tearful ways,
I really don't know why.
She'll cry for minutes, hours or days
Till she, at last, runs dry.
The WIGGLEHEIMER can't sit still
And is a sorry sight:
She wiggles, fidgets, moves until
She falls asleep at night
And while she sleeps, at last it seems
That she is still, for now.
I bet, however, in her dreams
She wiggles on, somehow.
The FIBBIE WIBBIE doesn't tell
The truth, and that is really bad!
To tell a fib is never swell!
And if you tell one, I'll be sad.
Don't ever think it's quite ok
To tell a fib, or lie a bit
For next time anything you say
I won't believe, and that is it!
The TANTER PANTHER has a way
To throw a tantrum. O my dear!
Sometimes that's just because I say
Something she doesn't want to hear.
She cries like crazy, tears do flow,
She stomps her little feet,
And when she's cried enough she'll go
And get something to eat.
The WANTY always asks for what
She wants to have right now.
It is important she know that
This makes me furl my brow.
If I don't feel like giving what
The WANTY may demand
She'll never get it and that's that.
One day she'll understand.
The CLODDY doesn't ever say
"Thank you" when given anything.
That causes people great dismay:
They'll think she is a dingeling!
If you can't say "thank you" to me
I'll never give you what you like
And simply let you CLODDY be
And say to you "go take a hike!"
The DAWDLY dawdles all the time
And never gets things done.
While dawdling isn't quite a crime,
It also ain't much fun.
If you're a DAWDLY, that's not nice
And I'll say 'boo" to you!
I'll always have to tell you twice
What you're supposed to do.
The DREAMIE dreams the whole long day,
Deeply absorbed in thought
She doesn't hear what people say
And can't be told, or taught.
While it is quite ok to dream,
Sometimes we all must heed
Or people have to shout and scream
For her to hear, indeed.
The LOOSEY GOOSE can never find
What she is looking for.
In every place she leaves behind
A thing, or two, or more.
She looses ev'rything she needs,
A toy, a hat, a shoe.
Some day I'll find them in the weeds.
One day she'll loose me, too!
The NOISEE goes on people's nerves
Because she's never quiet.
No loving family deserves
Such noise and constant riot!
And though the NOISEE's always loud
With crying, yelling weeping,
Mother and father are quite proud
When she is still -- or sleeping!
____________________________________________________________
All Kinds of Boys
The GIGGLICK is a funny child.
He giggles all the time;
He giggles and we don't know why
But giggling's not a crime.
So let him laugh and let him giggle,
Let him be full of beans,
And let him jump and run and wiggle:
That's what a GIGGLICK means.
The WHYWHY drives me up the wall.
He's certainly not shy;
If He is sad or has a ball
He always asks me WHY?
WHY something is, or WHY it's not,
He always wants to know.
If I don't know, he asks WHY NOT?
I wish it wasn't so.
The NOSHMO always tells me NO,
No matter what I say,
To leave or come, or stay or go;
That is the NOSHMO's way.
Well, if he always tells me NO,
I'll tell him NO in turn
When he wants something, too. And so
One day, perhaps, he'll learn!
The MESSIE is not nice to see.
He always makes a mess,
Does not clean up, and causes me
An awful lot of stress.
His toys are lost behind the door,
His shoes are in his bed;
He can't find what he's looking for
But only junk, instead.
The CRYBUB cries at every chance
And sheds heistears like rain,
And when I think it's time to dance
He starts to cry again.
Such are the CRYBUB's tearful ways,
I really don't know why.
He'll cry for minutes, hours or days
Till he, at last, runs dry.
The WIGGLEHEIMER can't sit still
And is a sorry sight:
He wiggles, fidgets, moves until
He falls asleep at night
And while he sleeps, at last it seems
That he is still, for now.
I bet, however, in his dreams
He wiggles on, somehow.
The FIBBIE WIBBIE doesn't tell
The truth, and that is really bad!
To tell a fib is never swell!
And if you tell one, I'll be sad.
Don't ever think it's quite ok
To tell a fib, or lie a bit
For next time anything you say
I won't believe, and that is it!
The TANTER PANTHER has a way
To throw a tantrum. O my dear!
Sometimes that's just because I say
Something he doesn't want to hear.
He cries like crazy, tears do flow,
He stomps his little feet,
And when he's cried enough he'll go
And get something to eat.
The WANTY always asks for what
He wants to have right now.
It is important he know that
This makes me furl my brow.
If I don't feel like giving what
The WANTY may demand
He'll never get it and that's that.
One day he'll understand.
The CLODDY doesn't ever say
"Thank you" when given anything.
That causes people great dismay:
They'll think he is a dingeling!
If you can't say "thank you" to me
I'll never give you what you like
And simply let you CLODDY be
And say to you "go take a hike!"
The DAWDLY dawdles all the time
And never gets things done.
While dawdling isn't quite a crime,
It also ain't much fun.
If you're a DADWDLY, that's not nice
And I'll say 'boo" to you!
I'll always have to tell you twice
What you're supposed to do.
The DREAMIE dreams the whole long day,
Deeply absorbed in thought
He doesn't hear what people say
And can't be told, or taught.
While it is quite ok to dream,
Sometimes we all must heed
Or people have to shout and scream
For him to hear, indeed.
The LOOSEY GOOSE can never find
What he is looking for.
In every place he leaves behind
A thing, or two, or more.
He looses ev'rything he needs,
A toy, a hat, ashoe.
Some day I'll find them in the weeds.
One day he'll loose me, too!
The NOISEE goes on people's nerves
Because he's never quiet.
No loving family deserves
Such noise and constant riot!
And though the NOISEE's always loud
With crying, yelling weeping,
Mother and father are quite proud
When he is still -- or sleeping!
____________________________________________________________
Animal Farm
Flitsy the dog is a happy camper
Running around like a nut, all day
He'll dash and dart and flit and scamper
And sometimes he's here and sometimes away.
Purry the cat loves to sit in your lap
And if you stroke her, she'll love it and purr.
Or she'll be lazy and just take a nap
Or stretch and yawn and lick clean her fur.
Hermie the worm burrows deep in the ground
Where he is hidden from birds which would eat him.
He's always quiet and can't make a sound
Not even when other worms show up to meet him.
Blackie the crow is a bit of a thief,
Likely to steal what is lying around.
Can't talk very much.What he says is quite brief:
Caw, caw, caw, caaaw is his only sound!
Arrow the sparrow is one peppy bird
Sitting in trees, bushes, or on the ground
When he is happy, he sure can be heard
Talking and tweeting one big, happy sound.
Hoppy the rabbit has very long ears
And hops around on his hind legs like mad.
He's frightened by anything loud that he hears
But give him a carrot and he'll be so glad.
Mooey the cow does eat nothing but grass
Producing the milk that all kids like to drink.
Don't you wish now that you had a big glass?
Milk makes you big, smart and strong, I think.
Neighy the horse looks so handsome and tall
Swishing its tail and then throwing its head.
Riders hang on tight so that they don't fall
But keep on riding and riding, instead.
Clucky the chicken is busy all day
Pecking at whatever's lying around.
It also lays eggs, sometimes out of the way,
And therefore those eggs are quite hard to be found.
Baa-Baa the sheep likes life on the farm.
It has a fine, thick coat of wool
Which keeps it comfortably warm
In winter time when it is cool.
Scurrie the beetle is hard to be found
It hides in cracks and out of sight
But loves to scurry all around
In the middle of the night.
Crawlie the spider catches flies
In webs it spins of threads like silk.
It likes them all in any size
And drinks their blood, like you drink milk!
Quackie the duck lives on the pond
And swims around and catches fish.
Or like a feathered vagabond
He flies away with one big swish.
Billy the Squirrel climbs every big tree
And buries good nuts in the ground
He does not work and he's always free
And darting like mad all around.
____________________________________________________________
Animal Limericks
The BIRD in the bush sings with glee
Because he is happy and free
And after he sings
He spreads wide his wings
And flies to another nice tree.
The MONKEY we find in the zoo.
He is a great actor, it’s true:
He bounces around
In the trees, on the ground
And often acts silly -- like you!
The DOG is a person’s best friend.
His master he’ll love and attend.
At others he growls
Around them he prowls
His master to aid and defend.
The KITTEN is cuddly with charm.
It likes to sit where it is warm.
When you stroke its fur
It’ll love it and purr
And snuggle up close in your arm.
The TURTLE lives in its own shell.
It can’t run away very well.
It pulls in its head
And all legs, instead,
Without even saying farewell!
The HIPPO’s very heavy set
And way too huge to make a pet.
It lives in the river
Which would make you shiver
‘Cause water is so cold and wet.
The LIZARD can slither and run
But loves to lie still in the sun.
It looks at the skies
Eats moskitoes and flies.
I wouldn’t think that is much fun!
The ZEBRA’s of pretty good height
And really a beautiful sight.
You can see, of course,
It looks like a horse
Except that it’s striped black and white.
The GIRAFFE is tall as can be.
It roams through the fields and is free.
It looks very proud
Its head in a cloud
While munching the leaves off a tree.
The PIG is quite useful, I guess.
It usually lives in a mess.
It eats all it finds.
Slops, veggies and rinds
And so finds its happiness.
What do we know about the COW?
It has two horns above its brow.
But it isn’t wild;
It’s temper is mild;
It chews on grass and gives milk, somehow.
The MOUSE we hardly ever see.
It lives in a hole in secrecy.
At night it comes out
And scurries about
For something to eat, quite greedily.
The HORSE is beautiful and tall
And thinks that you are very small.
If you have the knack
You can ride on its back
But please hold on, or wou will fall!
The SPIDER’s net is hard to see,
Traps flies and moths efficiently
And when they’re caught
Without much thought
The spider eats them greedily.
The WORMS are crawling in the ground.
They never make the slightest sound
Birds like to eat them
Whenever they meet them
Because they’re sweet and long and round.
Deep in the water FISHES swim.
They usually are quick and slim.
They never cause troubles;
They swim and blow bubbles
Which sometimes makes them look quite grim.
The DUCK, that little vagabond
Swims happily around his pond. Sometimes he flies
Into the skies
Above us all, and far beyond.
How cuddly is the TEDDYBEAR,
All full of curly, soft. brown hair!
He lives in a tree
Where he’s happy and free
And doesn’t have a thing to care.
The ELEPHANT lives in the zoo.
He’s fifty times as big as you!
A big fat hunk,
He has a trunk
And two big teeth, but that you knew!