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 Children. The 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
http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/prelutsky/
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/jack-prelutsky
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/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?
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)
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)
