Child Poetry

You gotta know the rules to play the game. Ball is life. Take it to the hoop. Soar. What can we imagine for ourselves? What if we were the star players, moving and grooving through the game of life? What if we had our own rules of the game to help us get what we want, what we aspire to, what will enrich our lives? The Playbook is intended to provide inspiration for kids ages 10 and up to help them succeed on and off the court.

Upon the release of his first published work, Howl and Other Poems, in 1956, Allen Ginsberg became the unlikely force of a movement that would change a generation. Literature, art, sex, love, family, politics; nothing would ever be the same. The Beat Generation was born through Ginsberg and his friends.

Here is a collection of 41 favorite classic children's poems by some of our best loved writers, including Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll, Robert Browning, Rudyard Kipling, and others.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are! Sing along with Pete the Cat on his groovy adaptation of the classic children's bedtime song "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".

Llama Llama has new neighbors! Nelly Gnu and her mama stop by for a play date, but Llama's not so sure it's time to share all his toys. Maybe just his blocks? It could be fun to make a castle with Nelly.... But wait - Nelly has Llama's little Fuzzy Llama! The fun turns to tears when Fuzzy Llama is ripped in two, "all because of Nelly Gnu!" Mama comes to the rescue and fixes Fuzzy, but she makes it clear: "I'll put Fuzzy on the stairs, until you're sure that you can share."

Do you ever feel like you are too small or too ordinary? That's how Itsy and Bitsy feel. When these two charming little mice hear that a king is coming to Bethlehem, they run to find him. But they can't find the king, and other animals discourage them. "Don't even try," they say. "The king doesn't care about little ones like us." Itsy and Bitsy are just about to give up when something amazing happens.

Enregistrement original, chanté par Mary Alain et les enfants : 20 rondes et comptines classiques pour les enfants. 1. Il était un petit navire, 2. J'ai du bon tabac, 3. Au clair de la lune, 4. Dansons la capucine, 5. Meunier tu dors, 6. Frère Jacques, 7. Le roi d'Yvetot, 8. La boulangère a des écus, 9. As-tu vu la casquette, 10. Gentil coquelicot, 11. Petit papa, 12. Avec mes sabots, 13. Monsieur de la Palisse, 14. Il court le furet, 15. J'ai des poules à vendre, 16. Biquette ne veut pas sortir du chou, 17. Il était une bergère, 18. Ne pleure pas Jeannette, 19. Il y a des roses blanches, Marie-Madeleine.

In this poem, a bee, a flower, a butterfly, and a snail all ask, “Where’s the rain?” Finally, a girl brings the rain to them with her watering pail.

Una historia irresistible y un mensaje al puro estilo de Roald Dahl: no crezcas nunca, aunque te hagas mayor.

Thirty-five years after the publication of the much-loved classic There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly comes There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed the Sea, a fantastic prequel to the original title. Here the old lady swallows more and more creatures from the sea to try and catch the initial fish.

First grade - it's the big time! After all, it's a real, honest-to-goodness grade. In verses that are both funny and full of heart, D. J. Steinberg celebrates big and small moments, ones that all young "scholars" will relate to - baby teeth that won't fall out, choosing the perfect library book, celebrating Pajama Day, and wrangling with the mysteries of spelling. From the first day of school to the last, this engaging anthology is essential listening for all soon-to-be first-graders.

This adorable audiobook celebrates all the familiar milestones and moments shared by every single kindergartener. Whether it's the first-day-of-school jitters or the hundredth-day-of-school party, every aspect of the kindergarten experience is introduced with a light and funny poem.

Seventh grader Henrietta Weldon gets to switch schools—finally! She’ll be “mainstreaming” into public school, leaving her special education school behind. She can’t wait for her new schedule, new friends, and new classes. Henri’s dyscalculia, a learning disability that makes math challenging to process and understand, is what she expects to give her problems.

Hà and her family have worked hard to make a life for themselves in the US, but it hasn’t come easy. Hà has only just started to feel settled when Mother decides that the family will move to Texas for a new job. Hà knows how hard starting over is and doesn’t want to have to do it again. But sometimes even an unwanted change can bring opportunity, new friends, and a place to call home.

Learn to count and add with this traditional rhyme.

Twelve-year-old Victoria Reeves is all set for her “First Magnificent Summer with Dad,” even though it’s been more than two years since she last saw him. She’s ready to impress him with her wit, her maturity, and her smarts—at least until he shows up for the long road trip to Ohio with his new family, The Replacements, in tow. But that’s not the only unpleasant surprise in store for Victoria. As Victoria captures every moment of her less than magnificent summer in her journal, she discovers that the odds are stacked against her in the contest-no-one-knows-is-a-contest.

Rocket is embarking on her first solo mission. Her goal? Place a satellite into orbit to take pictures of the beautiful unknown. With a few words of encouragement from Ground Control, Rocket sparks ignition and blasts off to discover all the beauty of outer space. But when it’s time for reentry, she wonders if she can do it alone. With Ground Control’s parting words in mind, Rocket trusts that she knows exactly what to do. She returns home at hypersonic speed and excited for her future expeditions…maybe next time, to the moon.

Rock-a-Bye Rumpus is a delightful collection of sweet and fun action poems for the very young, specially chosen by best-selling author Julia Donaldson.

Sadie has learned to tie her shoes! Now she wants to tie everything she can. She ties her socks, her sleeves, and even her hair! She gets so excited about tying other things together, though, that she doesn’t notice her shoe has come untied again!

This children's audiobook will have you laughing out loud. There are funny poems about animals, school, weird monsters—in fact, anything that is unusual, silly, or just plain daft that can be fitted into a rhyme. This is definitely not a book to be missed by anyone under the age of 140 years old with a sense of the absurd.