For children

grouping together some of my verse that especially has children in mind

A 2-year old’s Birthday Perplexities

feel puzzled and dazzled … I think I’ll just go up to bed!
Cherry

A 5-year old’s bedroom (IP)

I open my eyes, and what do I see? My own little world that is just for me – the curtains whose shapes and figures I weave into stories of heroes and...
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A ‘little bit’ of what you fancy … (IP)

A little runny honey is lovely to lick, but a lot just makes my tummy sick; and chocolate too is yummy, but it makes me feel so funny if I stuff...

An 18 month-old meets Penelope the Penguin

‘Hello! I’m Penelope the Penguin’ (Mum wriggling bright hand puppet) “He-ow” (huge smile from ear to ear, shining eyes) …
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Back-seat kids!

Stop that bickering in the back! …

Caring Restraint!

I’ll hold your hand for your own good – you cannot see the things that could be dangerous, hurt, or make you fall – I’ll hold your hand while you are small! I’ll hold your hand
Cherry

Colours for Kids 10)

Coal and soot and the sky at night (before the moon has risen to shed some light), the patches on a panda, dark stripes across the zebra, the telly...
Cherry

Colours for Kids 11)

Bananas and daffodils, egg yolk and butter …
Cherry

Colours for Kids 4)

Snow newly fallen, and milk in the cup, a fresh piece of paper before …

Colours for Kids 5)

… pretty pink blossom of a cherry tree drifting down like pink-petal snow …
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Cherry

Colours for Kids 7)

Blackcurrant* squash and deep purple pansies, Teletubbies’ Tinky winky, purple ‘red*’ cabbage, the velvet of the queen’s crown, – and the mountain...

Colours for Kids 8)

Grey school trousers, skirts and socks, grey rain clouds, and seaside rocks, grey knives and forks, and grandad’s hair, roads and pavements...
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Colours for Kids 9)

Oranges and clementines, satsumas too, carrots for dinner or a snack to chew, orange goldfish in a bowl swim round and round, traffic cones with...

Comeuppance

Hung on the gallows he built for another (of KIng Xerxes and Haman's plot)
Cherry

from the bus' mouth …

"Twenty past nine, at the village green, the forthcoming happenings as yet unseen. Who would be coming along to pay and purchase a ticket for town today? …

Grave Visit (IP)

Black boots, brown boots in a line … ‘Look sad, ’cos smiling’s not permitted’, John said, to make me laugh or squeak …
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Cherry

How long is high?

‘Mary can reach the table bottom, I can reach the top, Dan can reach the curtain rail – but where does growing stop? ‘Dad can’t reach the ceiling,...
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I’m Bertie the bus! (IP)

Twenty past nine, at the village green, the forthcoming happenings as yet unseen. Who would be coming along to pay and purchase a ticket for town today?
Cherry

KidsSpeak

On prematurely awaking from a car-nap, Little boy lost …, Nearly three – “You can’t see me!”, How long is high?, A 5-year old’s bedroom

Nearly three – “You can’t see me!”

Nearly 3, hide behind a tree – “You can’t see me!” though a spotty anorak is sticking out from round the back! “You can’t see me!” Yes, I know I forgot to go

The Clever Little Bike (IP)

There was a thief who stole a bike – the little bike he did not like the thief who pedalled him away – determined that he would not stay upon his...

Learning Counting 3, 4, 5 …

1, 2, 3 Breakfast, lunch and tea Mummy, Daddy, me: 1, 2, 3 … Now we’ve got 1 more 3 and 1 makes 4 …
Cherry

Kids’ Contrasts

The giraffe is tall, the fly is small, the sun gives light – so it’s dark at night. The snail is slow – but watch the cars go – fast! – keep away!...
Gold cherry

The seasons' round

Autumn leaves are falling down falling down, falling down …
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Cherry

Imagine …

I’m a lion in a cage in an angry roaring rage … … I’m a frightened little mouse quietly scuttling round the house. … I’m a Mummy feeling wild for I’...

If I were …

If I were a bird that flies, I’d fly up high into the sky. If I were a fish that swims I’d glide through the sea and feel so free. If I were … But, you know what? …

Come, children, let’s garden!

In earth that’s brown we plant our seeds from which are grown (together with weeds) the flowers we chose and the lettuce and leeks: each seedling...
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Big River, Big Life

Anaconda large and long with a squeeze that’s very strong … River dophins rather pink …cayman black …
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One

An attempt at some fun poems during December on the day's numbers, for children

2

2 hands to …
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Cherry

3

… and every day there’s 3 main meals …
Cherry

4

4 sides to a square …
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Cherry

5

5 days for school – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then Thursday, Friday; 5 fingers on each hand (though one is called a thumb) 5 petals on a...

6

6 sides (including top and bottom) to cubes and bricks. And every insect …
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7

7 days in every week – … 7 full musical notes in the scale.: …
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8

8 legs on a spider – 4 on each side (4 and 4 makes 8); 8 tentacles on an octopus (like arms) An octagon is a flat shape with 8 straight sides ‘octo’...
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9

… We ring 9, then 9 again, and 9 once more on a phone if there is a …
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11

… the number of players in football or cricket teams.…

12

… hours … old pennies …

13

spring … summer … autumn … winter
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14

sonnet … scales … moon

15

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 =
Cherry

16

How many legs has a caterpillar?
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Cherry

17

Haiku example: 'Winter life withdrawn, safely shielded from the cold …'
Cherry

18

In Welsh the word for 18 is ‘two-nines’ (deunaw) in the Breton language it is ‘three-sixes’ (triwec’h) …

19

‘Straightforwardness’ is a word that …
Cherry

20

… But now I’ve reached 20 – I think that that’s plenty!

What can you hear?

Shut your eyes: What can you hear? … “Buzz! buzz! buzz!”– … whose squeaky brakes!
Gold cherry

What's the opposite?

Heavy and light, black and white, hot and cold , young and old, fast and slow, up high , or down below : how many opposites do you know? The giraffe...
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Fish Finger Maths!

10 fish fingers hot on the grill. Susie went to bed feeling rather ill, Tommy wanted 3 his empty tum to fill, Bertie asked for 2 – and a ½ – ‘Thanks...
Cherry

Thrill

What a surprise … It looks like we’ve seen in books. What funny stuff! Is it enough …
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Cherry

Let the Blue through!

Blue light flashes Woo-woo! Woo-woo! Woo-woo! …Blue lights once more flashing by… Again see blue lights flash, but why …

Everyone important!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and then again 10 lots of 10 make such a lot – that's a 100 sheep you've got! (a lot!) Jesus told a story one day of...

Cow — and Bull

A cow is big with doleful eyes, munching, chewing … The bull is bigger, burly …
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Cherry

Firework party, a little early

Fizzy fireworks, sparkling lights: no fear here of ghosts or bombs, but colourful exciting sights – squeals, bright eyes, a rolling surprise: wheesh...
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Gold cherry

“This night I will …”

“I’ll stay awake and keep so quiet and see them bring …
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What happened, little car?

“Little car, little car, have you been far? have you been far?” ‘They drove me off and made me go fast and then just kept going, I was drained at...
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Cherry

How far in an hour?

In an hour from now this car should have gone 30 miles if we carry on at the speed we are going, but, hey, how far will our world (and us on it) have...
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