Poetry for Kids

My wife recently started a new job as a school picture day photographer. Every day when she comes home, she has interesting, and often funny stories about the people and things she photographed that day. She’s taken pictures of hundreds of students, of course, but she’s also photographed teachers, school staff, and even a principal’s dog!

One thing she quickly discovered is that the grown-ups aren’t necessarily any easier to photograph than the kids. Teachers, for example, are much more likely to ask for do-overs of their staff photos because they didn’t like their smile, their hair, or the way they looked in the first one.

After hearing all these stories, I started thinking that picture day sounded like a perfect subject for a poem. My wife agreed and asked me to write a funny picture day poem that she could share with her coworkers.

So I wrote this one. Thankfully, she liked it. I hope you do too.

Picture Day

It’s picture day at school today.

I sat down in the chair

then rolled my tongue and crossed my eyes

and messed up all my hair.

I mugged for the photographer.

She frowned and shook her head,

and told me I should comb my hair

and try to smile instead.

She said, “Say cheese!” I puffed my cheeks

and jutted out my chin,

then stuck my fingers in my ears

and forced a silly grin.

She told me that, for picture day,

our portraits should be formal.

Instead, I made a zombie face,

all twisted and abnormal.

The camera clicked. I laughed so hard

I felt like I might burst.

But she just rolled her eyes and said,

“You teachers are the worst.”

— Kenn Nesbitt

The beginning of a new school year can be exciting, but it can also be a little scary. You might wonder who you’ll sit with, whether you’ll make new friends, or whether the other kids will think you’re cool. That was one of the ideas that got me started on this poem.

The other idea has been bouncing around in my head for years. Once, during an assembly at an elementary school, I was speaking to about 200 fourth- and fifth-graders. We were going to write a poem together, so I asked for a volunteer to tell me their favorite thing ever… something we could use as the subject of our poem.

I called on one student, and they enthusiastically shouted, “Space llamas!”

I thought that was hilarious and I told them so, though I heard a lot of other kids groan, which just goes to show that we don’t all like the same things and that’s okay. We ended up writing about regular llamas that day, but I never forgot those space llamas. Every so often, they would wander back into my imagination, waiting for the right poem.

Well, I finally found a place for them. Here’s a back-to-school poem about feeling nervous, trying to fit in, and, of course, Space Llamas.

Space Llamas

I dyed my hair green for the first day of school.

I wore my new Space Llamas shirt to look cool.

I stepped on the bus, but then felt like a fool.

It only had one empty seat.

It looked like I’d have to sit right next to him;

The kid who would always get picked first in gym.

My guts did a backflip. The world seemed to dim.

I gulped and looked down at my feet.

My legs turned to noodles. I whispered a prayer.

I trudged to that seat thinking, “This isn’t fair.

Oh, why’d I decide to have neon-green hair?

I’d rather be home with the flu.”

I plodded along for what felt like a mile,

then took off my pack and stepped out of the aisle.

He glanced at my getup, then gave me a smile

and said, “I like Space Llamas too.”

 — Kenn Nesbitt

Sometimes magazines ask me to write poems on a specific topic. Earlier this year, an editor at Storyworks 4-6, a multi-genre magazine for students in grades 4–6, asked me to write a poem about being nervous about making new friends on the first day of school. Instead of writing just one poem, I did what I usually do and wrote several different ideas so the editor would have a few to choose from.

In the end, they picked a different poem, called “Friendship Starter Kit,” which you’ll be able to read in the September 2026 issue of Storyworks 4-6. But I liked this one so much that I didn’t want it to sit in a folder on my computer, so I decided to share it here instead.

I think one of the nicest things about making new friends is that sometimes it happens when you least expect it. You don’t always have to plan it. Sometimes all it takes is a funny coincidence, a shared interest, or even grabbing the wrong lunchbox. I hope you enjoy it. This is…

Lunchbox Switcheroo

I brought my new lunchbox the first day of school.

Its Zombie Bananas design was so cool.

I stashed it where lunchboxes go, by the door

alongside a jumble of twenty or more.

At lunchtime the bell rang. I picked up my lunch.

I knew it had grapes and a packet of punch

along with lasagna and some kind of treat.

I rushed to the lunchroom and sat down to eat.

I unlatched my lunchbox and, to my surprise,

found caviar, soufflé, and mini meat pies.

I blinked for a minute, then had to conclude

I’d grabbed the wrong lunch with some other kid’s food.

I jumped from the table and, snapping the lid,

I raced around searching for that other kid.

I found him. He said, “This is your lunch. That’s mine.”

They shared the same Zombie Bananas design.

I said, “You like Zombie Bananas? No way!”

He answered, “Of course! We should meet up and play!”

And that’s how a simple mistake, in the end,

turned into the way that I made a new friend.

— Kenn Nesbitt

Celebrate the upcoming release of The Greatest Book of Poetry Ever Written by Kenn Nesbitt! In this special episode, Kenn shares the story behind his biggest poetry collection yet… a “greatest hits” volume featuring 120 of his favorite poems from across his career, including 18 poems appearing in print for the very first time.

Learn why this book is especially meaningful to Kenn, hear about the wonderful illustrations by Rafael Domingos, and discover why a heartfelt endorsement from Jack Prelutsky makes this release one he’ll always treasure.

Plus, enjoy an exclusive reading of a brand-new poem from the collection, “The Pirate of Pickletown.”

Pre-order the Kindle edition here: https://kennn.com/greatestebook

The paperback and hardcover editions will be released on October 13, 2026.

When I’m writing a poem, I often know how it’s going to end long before I know how it’s will begin. It’s a little like taking a road trip. You don’t usually hop in the car and start driving without a destination in mind. First, you decide where you want to go. Then you figure out how to get there. You might take a wrong turn or two along the way, but if you keep your destination in sight, you’ll eventually arrive.

This poem came together much the same way. The ending popped into my head first, and I knew I wanted to build a poem that would lead naturally to it. The challenge was finding just the right beginning and then connecting all the dots in between. Fortunately, I had two very cooperative octopuses to help me get there. I hope you enjoy it. This is…

Octo-Pair

An octopus walking along the sea floor

was startled to look up and see,

an octopus she’d not encountered before

and cried, “Why, you look just like me!”

He also exclaimed, with a look of surprise,

“Your face looks like mine in the mirror.

We have the same siphons and suckers and eyes.

We’re siblings! That couldn’t be clearer.

“Our tentacles also are all the same size,

with all the same spots on the skin.

It’s plain as can be from the arms and the eyes

that you’re my eye-tentacle twin.”

— Kenn Nesbitt