Poetry Friday: Here’s a Little Poem (collected by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters)

Here’s a Little Poem:  A Very First Book of Poetry (collected by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters) would make a nice addition to a family or preschool class library.  The anthology is divided into 4 sections—self, family (including pets), outdoors, and bedtime.  The poems focus on daily activities, relationships, and observations from a young child’s perspective.  I adore Polly Dunbar’s illustrations.  Most pages depict several visual “scenes” from the poems in vivid colors and lively actions.  Many of the poems are from beloved poets and authors, such as Lee Bennett Hopkins, Langston Hughes, Marilyn Singer, and Robert Louis Stevenson.  Here are a couple of my favorites.

“Dressing Too Quickly” (by Jill Townsend)

Too many buttons.

What a long zip.

Velcro to fasten.

Mind you don’t slip.

Dress more slowly.

You’ll fall in a minute!

You’ve one trouser leg

And two legs in it.

“After A Bath” (by Aileen Fisher)

After my bath

I try, try, try

to wipe myself

till I’m dry, dry, dry.

Hands to wipe

and finger and toes

and two wet legs

and a shiny nose.

Just think how much

less time I’d take

if I were a dog

and could

shake, shake, shake.

For other wonderful poems and reviews visit Teaching Authors for the Poetry Friday Round Up.