Poetry for Kids

It might be a little late in the year for picnics in the park, at least where I live. With the days getting colder and the leaves falling, eating lunch outside starts to sound less inviting. Still, I thought it would be fun to imagine one last picnic before winter. All you need is a blanket, some tasty food, and a little cooperation from the weather. Unfortunately, in this poem, the weather isn’t the only thing that refuses to cooperate. This is…

We Went to the Park

We went to the park for a picnic today.

The sky became cloudy and windy and gray.

We spread out our blanket with all of our food.

(A couple of clouds couldn’t ruin our mood.)

An army of ants came and started to munch

on all of the foods we had brought for our lunch.

Some bees started buzzing around our dessert.

Mosquitos attacked us. Their stings really hurt.

A dog began barking. He chased us around

as squirrels and birds dumped our drinks on the ground.

A skunk wandered over. It started to rain.

We ran away screaming. This day was insane!

Completely defeated, we went home and cried.

I think that we’ll have our next picnic inside.

— Kenn Nesbitt

Autumn is definitely here! The days are getting colder, it’s starting to rain more often where I live, and we’ve had some pretty windy days lately.

When I go out in the rain, I usually wear a hat to keep the raindrops off my face and glasses. Of course, when it’s windy too, that creates another problem. Sometimes I have to hold onto my hat to keep it from blowing away. It’s hard to enjoy a walk when the weather is trying to borrow your clothes.

One day, while I was holding my hat firmly on my head, I started wondering what would happen if I let go. How far would it fly? Could I catch it? And where might it lead me if I had to chase it?

That little “what if” became “While Walking Down the Street Today.” I liked imagining a hat that always stayed just out of reach, turning an ordinary walk into a much longer adventure. Sometimes all you need to get a story started is a little breeze. This is…

While Walking Down the Street Today

While walking down the street today

my hat blew off and flew away.

I chased it down the avenue

but couldn’t catch it. On it flew.

I chased that hat across a bridge,

then up along a rocky ridge,

then through a park and past a school,

and all around a swimming pool,

beside a creek, and up a hill,

and on and on and on until…

it suddenly came to a stop!

It fell and landed right on top

of someone. It was my friend Jim.

He smiled at me. I smiled at him.

It felt so good to see his smile.

We stayed and chatted for a while.

We had so many things to say.

I’m glad my hat blew off today.

— Kenn Nesbitt

With Halloween just around the corner, I decided it was time to write a new Halloween poem. Or maybe a monster poem. But then I thought, why not write both?

Of course, there are plenty of poems about monsters being scary, chasing people, or lurking in dark places. But I wanted to do something a little different. I started wondering what monsters might do for fun when they’re not busy frightening everybody.

That’s when I imagined a group of famous monsters getting together at a haunted house for a friendly game night. After all, even Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman probably enjoy playing games with their friends now and then.

But what kinds of games would monsters play? Would they play the same games we do, or would they have their own spooky versions? Once I started thinking about that, I came up with all sorts of silly possibilities, and the poem practically wrote itself.

The result is a poem called “Game Night at the Haunted House.” It’s about a group of monsters having a wonderful time playing some rather unusual games. And, as you’ll discover, they’re always happy to welcome new players.

At least, that’s what they say.

Game Night at the Haunted House

It’s Game Night at the Haunted House

on Halloween this year.

The Wolfman, Mummy, Frankenstein,

and Dracula are here.

They’ve played a game of Duck, Duck, Ghost,

Brain Toss, and Tic-Tac-Boo,

plus Monster Polo, Slime-on Says,

and Dead Light, Green Light too.

They had such fun with Hide-and-Shriek,

and playing Truth-or-Scare,

but all the monsters hope that, next year,

you can join them there.

They say that you should come and play.

They’ll try their best to beat you.

So join them at the Haunted House.

They promise not to eat you.

— Kenn Nesbitt

When I was a kid, I had lots of toys, including toy cars, trucks, and airplanes. I loved imagining that they could go on incredible adventures, racing down highways, flying through the clouds, or speeding away from bad guys in daring escapes.

I also had quite a few pets growing up. Over the years, my family had cats and dogs, a parakeet, an aquarium full of fish, and even a snake! But there’s one pet I never had: a hamster.

That got me wondering what might happen if I combined two things I loved as a kid: pets and toy vehicles. What if a hamster got hold of a whole collection of toy cars, boats, and airplanes? What would he do with them? And why would a tiny little hamster need so many different ways to get around?

I started imagining a hamster with some pretty fancy transportation, including a monster truck, a limousine, a submarine, and even a hovercraft. Before long, I had a poem about a very unusual pet with a mysterious collection of vehicles. I hope you enjoy it. This is…

My Hamster Has a Hovercraft

My hamster has a hovercraft.

I couldn’t tell you why.

I think he’s on a secret mission.

Maybe he’s a spy.

He also has a monster truck,

a long black limousine,

a motorcycle, speedboat,

and a snazzy submarine.

He has a helicopter

and a supersonic jet,

a Lambo, a Ferrari,

and a cherry-red Corvette.

His cage contains a hamster wheel

he uses every day,

but when he saw my toys,

he snatched them up and ran away.

It seems he doesn’t need to be

the fastest pet alive.

He’s just so tired of exercise,

he’s learning how to drive.

— Kenn Nesbitt

I only recently discovered just how popular squishy toys have become. These soft, stretchy, squeezable toys come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and colors, including cute animals, funny faces, and even pretend food. Kids love to squeeze them, stretch them, squish them, and watch them slowly return to their original shapes. They’re fun to play with, and squeezing them can even help some people relax or relieve stress.

When I learned how much kids love their squishies, I thought it would be fun to write a poem about someone who absolutely adores theirs. After all, a favorite toy can feel almost like a best friend, and what better way to celebrate that friendship than with an ode, a poem of praise?

But then I started thinking about something funny. When you really love a squishy, you don’t just admire it or cuddle it. You squeeze it, squash it, stretch it, twist it, and generally put it through all sorts of terrible treatment. If squishies had feelings, they might have a very different opinion of the relationship!

So I decided to write a poem in which the narrator makes one loving declaration after another, while casually admitting to some rather questionable behavior. The result is “Dear Squishy, I Love You,” a poem about a friendship that’s full of affection, even if it might not always look that way. This is…

Dear Squishy, I Love You

Dear Squishy, I love you.

(I yanked on your nose.)

I treasure our friendship.

(I stomped on your toes.)

You’re thoughtful and caring.

(I stretched out your skin.)

You’re endlessly cheerful.

(I twisted your chin.)

You never get grumpy.

(I pushed in your eyes.)

You never hold grudges.

(I mangled your thighs.)

You make me so happy.

(I pounded your ear.)

You’re one in a million.

(I sat on your rear.)

I’m lucky to have you.

(I scrunched up your cheek.)

I’ll love you forever.

(Except if you leak.)

— Kenn Nesbitt