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Sing a Song of Sixpence
"A pocketful of rye, four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie. When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing; Wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?"
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Afternoon on a Hill
"I will be the gladdest thing under the sun!"
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Star Light, Star Bright
"Star light, star bright, the first star I see tonight; I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight!"
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Little Orphant Annie
The poem that inspired the "Annie" comics, musicals, books, and movies!
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Casey at the Bat
"It looked extremely rocky for the Mudville nine that day..."
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Riding in My Car
Kids love Guthrie's song, sing along with the video link at the bottom: "Take you riding in the car, car; I'll take you riding in my car; Brrrm brm brm brm brm brm brm, brrrm b' brrrm..."
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Ship in the Sky
A nostalgic war song kids will get: "My daddy works at the place where they land, so you tell your mama don't be afraid, 'cause dad'll bring your daddy back home again."
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Laughing Corn
You're going to laugh as you read this "corny" poem!
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A Bird Came Down the Walk
A celebration of the everyday: a detailed description of a bird enjoying a worm.
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Three little birds in a row
Curious, what do these three birds talk about, all in a row?
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Five Little Speckled Frogs
"Five little speckled frogs sat on a speckled log, eating the most delicious bugs (yum yum)"
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The Cat and the Fiddle
What a bonus! The Mother Goose nursery rhyme followed by L. Frank Baum's story behind the rhyme!
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Mary Had a Little Lamb
Sing, chant, or dance to the entire collection of Mother Goose nursery rhymes!
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How Cinderella Disposed of Her Shoe
"And Cinderella, fitted out regardless of expense, made both her sisters look about like thirty-seven cents!"
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Spider, say again
"Spider, say again! It's so hard to hear your voice in the autumn wind." Such an elegant delivery of syllables-- enjoy more Haiku poems
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The Bashful Earthquake
"Oh, what a crash! Oh, what a smash! How could I ever be so rash?"
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The Owl and the Pussy-Cat
A lovely adventure with predictable rhyming verse to build confidence in early readers. Illustrated by William Foster.
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The Railway Train
You can rename it I Like to See It Lap the Miles in case you want to read it to someone as a riddle.
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The Echoing Green
An old man's remembrance of the joy of childhood play. Blake's poems from a children's perspective are in Songs of Innocence.
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The Children's Hour
"I hear in the chamber above me, the patter of little feet, the sound of a door that is opened, and voices soft and sweet."
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The Caterpillar
"I crawl on my high and swinging seat, and eat, eat,eat-- as one ought to eat."
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Yankee Doodle
"Yankee Doodle went to town a-riding on a pony, stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni."
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This Land Is Your Land
"This land is your land, this land is my land, from California to the New York Island..."
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Paul Revere's Ride
"Listen, my children, and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere..."
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Swing Song
Butterfly flutters: "Little child, come work with me. Learn to make a perfect nest, that of all things is the best."
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I'd Love to Be a Fairy's Child
"They live on cherries, they run wild-- I'd love to be a Fairy's child."
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Foreign Lands
"Up into the cherry tree who should climb but little me? I held the trunk with both my hands and looked abroad on foreign lands."
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Eletelephony
"Once there was an elephant, Who tried to use the telephant— No! No! I mean an elephone Who tried to use the telephone—"
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The Telephone
"There was an hour, all still, when leaning with my head against a flower, I heard you talk."
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The Land of Counterpane
Best known for his adventure novel Treasure Island, Stevenson's poem is about a child amusing himself while sick in bed.
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Mother Earth's Children
Clever rhymes about all kinds of fruits and vegetables to make eating fresh food more fun! Also enjoy Bird Children and Flower Children
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Once Upon a Time
Find out what happens to the nest of fairies.
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Monosyllabics
"The black cat sat in the fat man's hat; 'Oh, dear!' the fat man said.'May the great gray bat catch the bad black cat who has left me no hat for my head!'"
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Child-Songs
Children could almost skip rope chanting Tennyson's cheery verses.
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Just So Stories Poems
Enjoy the poems to discover how the elephant, camel, whale, leopard, armadillo and more got their animal characteristics in Just So Stories.
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A Song from the Suds
"Queen of my tub, I merrily sing, while the white foam rises high, and sturdily wash, and rinse, and wring, and fasten the clothes to dry."
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The Making of the Long Serpent
Longfellow's tribute to the Viking boat-builder, Thorberg Skafting.
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The Village Blacksmith
"And children coming home from school look in at the open door; They love to see the flaming forge, And bear the bellows roar."
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Waltzing Matilda
Learn the meaning of billabong, jumpbuck, coolibah and swagman in Australia's unofficial anthem!
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Autumn
Dickinson introduces children to personification.
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Jack-O-Lantern Song
"We, Jacks, our lanters did all light--" A specially Halloween collection just for kids!
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Our Little Ghost
Not the least bit spooky, "For, in this happy little soul, shines a sun that never sets."
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Phantasmagoria
"I turned to look in some surprise, and there, before my very eyes, a little Ghost was standing!"
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Twas the Night Before Christmas
This classic poem is a must-read on Christmas Eve!
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The Christmas Ball
Children and fairies sure know how dance under the shade of the Christmas-tree!
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Pippa's Song
It's a perfect spring day: "All's right with the world!"
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Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep."
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The Snowflake Tree
Freeman celebrates the beauty of winter, and the joy of coming home to a warm hearth.
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Winter Sport
"A horse or cart I do not fear. For past them both my sled I steer."
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America the Beautiful
"Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain!"
