Thursday, April 5, 2012

Humorous Children's Poetry- April is Poetry Month







I enjoy the sounds of words, the way the consonants blend together, the long and short sounds of vowels. I enjoy rhymes, the simple kinds and the more sophisticated ones. I enjoy silliness and the absurd. Thinking about poets whose poems are exceptionally auditory and playful I think of the poets whose work is in  the poetry anthology  The Random House Book of Poetry for ChildrenThe Random House Book of Poetry for Children, Random House; First Edition edition (September 12, 1983) is a prized possession of mine.

The poems in the book were selected and introduced by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Arnold Lobel. The book is 248 pages of sheer visual and aural fun and silliness. It has an innocence that today's kids may find unappealing. Maybe not. On children's TV programs you hear rap and other contemporary ways to use letters and words to teach children ABCs and reading. Silliness and the absurd  can still  be found in these forms . It is over twenty years since this anthology was published. It is a classic in my opinion.
Poets include Jack Prelutsky, Eve Merriam, Judith Thurman, Lilian Moore, Gwendolyn Brooks, Mary O'Neill, Emily Dickinson, Myra Cohn Livingston, Ogden Nash, William Cole, Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll, Shel Silverstein, Judith Viorst, Russell Hoban, and R.C. Scriven.



 About Jack Prelutsky




 Arnold Lobel Books



These two poems are in the anthology.

Some Things Don't Make Any Sense at All

My mom says I'm her sugarplum.
My mom says I'm her lamb.
My mom says I'm completely perfect
Just the way I am.
My mom says I'm a super-special wonderful terrific little guy.
My mom just had another baby.
Why?

Judith Viorst

Cats Sleep Anywhere


Cats sleep anywhere, any table, any chair.
Top of piano, window-ledge, in the middle, on the edge.
Open drawer, empty shoe, anybody’s lap will do.
Fitted in a cardboard box, in the cupboard with your frocks.
Anywhere! They don’t care! Cats sleep anywhere.
(Eleanor Farjeon  – 1881-1965)

5 comments:

Cindy Silverstein said...

My daughter was raised on The Random House Book of Poetry. It was one of her most beloved books, and she was and still is a great lover of books. We recently spoke of this book, sharing memories of some of our favorite poems. She is now 23. We still have the book and plan to save it for when she has children. It a wonderful collection of poems, many of which are hilarious and have become the ones we remember most. The book is richly illustrated, making it even more of a delight.

Serena said...

Funny that this book appears here as well as on Patty's blog.

Elizabeth said...

Hi Serena,
Patty and I must have some similar poetic sensibilities. I am going to go read her post.

Elizabeth said...

Serena, What is the link?

Quill and Greyson said...

Hi! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! Of course Fin dictates by the way!