Lucy & James Catchpole

Poems for kids | My children’s 6 favourite poetry books

A big poetry post | 6 favourite books from 10 years of parenting

With A A Milne, Sean Taylor, Michael Rosen, Polly Dunbar etc

Lucy and James Catchpole

Poetry matters to children – there’s a reason we start with nursery rhymes before they can even speak. Rhymes interest them, almost from the very beginning. Poems have always been part of our family life.

So this is my big poetry post – our children’s favourites from our first 10 years of parenting. The books they’ve picked up again and again. We’ve ended up with one classic, an anthology, bedtime poems, a how-to-write poetry, toddlers’ choice, and a poem a day book.

  • A collage of all 6 books - jpg covers on a dark brick background (find the names in the caption). Our text on cream paper in the middle reads: ‘My big poetry post 10 years of parenting 6 children's favourites' And in smaller print: ‘find them all on our bookshop.org list’
  • Photo: Viola holds You’re a Poet - a picture book by Sean Taylor. She’s a 5yo white child with long hair, wearing a green pinafore. At her feet are a number of other poetry books. Text on a cream paper background reads: ‘Favourite kids’ poetry books: I had a massive poetry binge with the girls, back when they were 3 & 7. Six months later - seemingly out of nowhere - they started making up poems. (No idea why, or what the moral is. Worth persisting, I guess?!)’

A few summers ago I had a poetry binge with the girls – when they were around 3 and 7 years old. We read a LOT of poetry. And then 6 months later, they started making up their own – seemingly out of nowhere. It was like all those poems had been steeping for 6 months, and suddenly burst out.

And this is also a congratulations to Sean Taylor post – because his new book You’re a Poet is perfect for this. In a far less chaotic way than our unplanned family project, this is a book that prompts even very small people to write poetry. (More below – including my children’s efforts.)

  • Viola holds You’re a Poet - a picture book - she’s a 5yo white child with long hair, wearing a green pinafore, smiling at the camera. On the cover of the book, a small illustrated pig wears green dungarees. It’s by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Sam Usher. The strapline is ‘Ways to start writing poetry’. Our Text reads: 'A great big poetry post. 10 years of parenting 6 favourite books' At the bottom, the words: 'Children’s poetry: our favourites' - which is also at the bottom of all subsequent pages.
  • A collage of all 6 books - jpg covers on a dark brick background (find the names in the caption). Our text on cream paper in the middle reads: ‘My big poetry post 10 years of parenting 6 children's favourites' And in smaller print: ‘find them all on our bookshop.org list’
  • Photo: Viola holds You’re a Poet - a picture book by Sean Taylor. She’s a 5yo white child with long hair, wearing a green pinafore. At her feet are a number of other poetry books. Text on a cream paper background reads: ‘Favourite kids’ poetry books: I had a massive poetry binge with the girls, back when they were 3 & 7. Six months later - seemingly out of nowhere - they started making up poems. (No idea why, or what the moral is. Worth persisting, I guess?!)’
  • My text on cream paper background reads: 'Poetry speaks to children. Whether consciously or not, it starts early - with nursery rhymes when they’re tiny. Some poems kids love seem a bit nothingy to me as an adult. But children’s poets know what they’re doing. This is a post of my children’s favourites - from ten years of parenting. The poetry books in this post are all books they’ve picked out again and again. 10 years of parenting, 6 favourite books’
  • Viola holds Here’s a Little Poem - a large paperback poetry book with warm colours on the cover. Our text reads: ‘A favourite anthology, 3+ This poetry anthology has been around for years - we had a copy because it's illustrated by our client Polly Dunbar. Viola ADORED IT - from around age 3. We read it daily for ages. Here’s a Little Poem, illustrated by Polly Dunbar Edited by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters’
  • A photo over Viola’s shoulder - you can see a page with the poem ‘Your Birthday Cake’, with an illustration of a beautiful mother looking shocked, as a very small child tries to hand her a precarious mud cake. The poem starts: ‘Your birthday cake is made of mud, because I love you so…’ by Rosemary Wells. My text reads: ‘Viola cackles at this one - joy & outrage over the poor mother with her mud cake! Here’s a Little Poem, illustrated by Polly Dunbar’
  • A photo of Viola - now in a red dress - writing hard. Next to her is the book You’re a Poet. My text reads: ‘But this new book isn’t a poetry book: it’s a how-to-write-poetry book. You’re a Poet - - by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Sam Usher. Age 4 to 9.’
  • A close up of a page of You’re a Poet - we see the pig, and the title in the book reads ‘Writing Secrets’. My text reads: ‘Sean Taylor has been running poetry workshops in schools for 30 years - this book’s a distillation of all that experience. Five little stories, interspersed with very child-friendly writing exercises. You’re a Poet, by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Sam Usher’
  • A photo of the open book, with piles of books & Viola in the background. The title of the page reads 'a puddle poem'. Our text reads: 'Like this one - the puddle poem. We did this together - see a bit of Viola's on the next slide.'
  • A photo of notebooks with a roughly handwritten poem, and a spider diagram by a 5yo. Our text reads: ‘A poem by the girls (5 & 9), written with You’re a Poet!! It works really well for these ages.’ next to the poem, which reads: ‘As light as the sun in the sky, As light as a torch in your face, As light as the smooth sand, As light as a bright lamp. As dark as the night sky, As dark as unexpected winter As dark as a black shiny jewel A dark as a shady shadow’ Next to the spider diagram, our text reads: ‘Viola's first go at the ‘puddle poem’'
  • A 2016 photo of When We Were Very Young by AA Milne, outdoors, next to a cup of flowery tea. My text reads: ‘Back to favourite poetry books - a classic. AA Milne is a classic for a reason - I took this photo in 2016, and this book’s been read regularly over all those years.’ Two quotes from the book are written over the top: ‘John had great big waterproof boots on’ and ‘but James was only a snail’
  • A photo of Viola holding The Dream Train - the cover is illustrated, with a fantasy steam train, the palette dominated by blue. My text reads: ‘Poems for bedtime. A collection of soporific night-time poems, all by Sean Taylor. Illustrated by Anuska Allepuz’
  • Inside page from The Dream Train. The poem starts: ‘The Middle of the Night The Knives and Forks are asleep in the kitchen…’
  • Another poetry book - Ready For Spaghetti by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Polly Dunbar. The front cover is blue - strapline is ‘Funny Poems for Funny Kids’ - illustrated young, happy children with a range of hair and skin colours play with spaghetti.
  • Inside page from the same book - our text reads: ‘I don’t know why children find this poem so compelling, but they do!’ The poem starts: ‘Long Leggy Eggy… has a hard shell. Long Leggy Eggy… well, well, well.’
  • Text reads: A Poem a Day This gorgeous poem a day book by Nosy Crow is a great favourite, because the poems are seasonal. They prefer it to the funny one, which surprised me. Photo is of a 5 year old girl holding the book 'I Am the Seed that Grew the Tree'. She has long light brown hair.
  • A photo of Viola holding the same - really quite big - hardback book over her head. Our text reads: ‘It weighs an absolute ton though! (Disabled parent problems.) Luckily, Viola is the strongest girl in Jericho. We told her this once when she was 2, and she has believed it ever since.’
  • 18. A photo of Viola holding You’re a Poet in front of her face, with the words: ‘CLPE have a lesson plan for Sean's You're a Poet - I’ll link it in stories.’

As adults we think of poems as niche – a luxury. But for children it’s different. Poetry is their everyday, starting with nursery rhymes and clapping songs when they’re tiny. So now we’re ten years in to parenting, this seemed like a good moment for a compilation of all the poetry books we’ve really loved and kept coming back to. It’s a biased list of course – we own a lot of our books because we represent the author or illustrator – but within that, these are the girls’ favourites.

Our favourite anthology: Here’s a Little Poem

Edited by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusak, illustrated by Polly Dunbar. Walker Books / Candlewick

When our poetry binge started, Viola was around 3 years old, and we spent hours and hours with this book. For a long time it came out every day.

Here’s a Little Poem is far from new – we had a copy because we represent the illustrator Polly Dunbar.

Children like poems about childhood itself – the detail of it – the food and mess and celebrations, and this book is full of that. Polly’s illustrations of small children and mothers are endlessly appealing. First published all the way back in 2007, it’s a truly international book – with one English and one US editor, it’s sometimes more widely available in the US than the UK.

A photo over Viola’s shoulder - you can see a page with the poem ‘Your Birthday Cake’, with an illustration of a beautiful mother looking shocked, as a very small child tries to hand her a precarious mud cake. The poem starts: ‘Your birthday cake is made of mud, because I love you so…’ by Rosemary Wells. My text reads: ‘Viola cackles at this one - joy & outrage over the poor mother with her mud cake! Here’s a Little Poem, illustrated by Polly Dunbar’
Viola holds Here’s a Little Poem - a large paperback poetry book with warm colours on the cover. Our text reads: ‘A favourite anthology, 3+ This poetry anthology has been around for years - we had a copy because it's illustrated by our client Polly Dunbar. Viola ADORED IT - from around age 3. We read it daily for ages. Here’s a Little Poem, illustrated by Polly Dunbar Edited by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters’

Your Birthday Cake – Rosemary Wells

Your birthday cake is made of mud 
Because I cannot cook.
I cannot read a recipe or follow in a book.
I’m not allowed to use the stove
To simmer, roast or bake.
I have no money of my own to buy a birthday cake.
I’m sure to get in trouble if I mess around with dough.
But I’ve made your birthday cake with mud
Because I love you so.

Affiliate links – we get a small percentage.

Here's a Little Poem on Polly Dunbar's website
Here's a Little Poem from UK Bookshop
Free international delivery from Blackwell's
And Here's a Little Poem from US bookshop.org

Favourite write your own poetry: You’re a Poet

by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Sam Usher. Walker Books / Candlewick.

Sean’s You’re a Poet came out on the same day as Mama Car, but we had an advance copy a few months before, and as the summer stretched out, I started reading it with the girls.

Remember my story at the top – when I read lots of poetry with my daughters, then months later they started making up their own? Reading and writing poetry are clearly linked, but the poetry children come up with by their own can be… idiosyncratic.

Sean has been running poetry workshops in schools for THIRTY YEARS – he really has honed his craft, and poured it all into this book.

Across five little stories, a piglet with floppy ears and green dungarees (drawn with utter charm by Sam Usher) discovers new ways in which words combine to make poems. It’s very well done, as you’d expect.

And after each little story there’s a short, very child-friendly exercise.

A photo of Viola - now in a red dress - writing hard. Next to her is the book You’re a Poet. My text reads: ‘But this new book isn’t a poetry book: it’s a how-to-write-poetry book. You’re a Poet - - by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Sam Usher. Age 4 to 9.’
A photo of Viola holding You’re a Poet in front of her face, with the words: ‘CLPE have a lesson plan for Sean's You're a Poet - I’ll link it in stories.’

Just below is a poem the girls wrote with one of the exercises in the book – a characterful poem that hangs together. It’s a lovely thing Sean’s done.

As light as the sun in the sky,
As light as a torch in your face,
As light as the smooth sand,
As light as a bright lamp.

As dark as  the night sky,
As dark as unexpected winter,
As dark as a black shiny jewel,
A dark as a shady shadow.
- Mainie (9) and Viola (5)

I hope other parents – and teachers – find and use Sean’s book. CLPE and Walker Books have a free lesson plan to download.

You’re A Poet Teachers’ NotesDownload pdf 659 KB
You're a Poet from Blackwell's
From UK Bookshop
From US Bookshop
From Amazon UK

Favourite classic: When We Were Very Young

by A. A Milne. illustrated by  E. H. Shepard. Farshore.

Back to traditional poetry books – as in books full of poetry.

AA Milne is a classic for a reason, a rare book that I remember fondly from my own childhood – as did my mother and grandmother. And when I read it to my children, it held their attention too, 100 years later.

I took these photos in 2016, when my eldest was just two years old, and this book’s been pulled out regularly over all those years.

Some of the poems have aged better than others, inevitably. ‘Happiness’ and ‘The Four Friends’ are two the girls asked for again and again.

Incidentally, ‘The Four Friends’ – about an elephant, a lion, a goat and a snail – is fascinating me at the moment. Are they in a zoo, as I always imagined? But then – why the goat? The goat isn’t… food for the lion is it?! Or are they in fact stuffed toys, lined up in a game? If you have any answers or speculations, I’d love to know. The internet is not helping me on this.

A page from When We Were Very Young - the poem Happiness is partially illustrated with original watercolour vignettes, of Christopher Robin in waterproofs. The poem is the same as the text on the right of the image.
A 2016 photo of When We Were Very Young by AA Milne, outdoors, next to a cup of flowery tea. My text reads: ‘Back to favourite poetry books - a classic. AA Milne is a classic for a reason - I took this photo in 2016, and this book’s been read regularly over all those years.’ Two quotes from the book are written over the top: ‘John had great big waterproof boots on’ and ‘but James was only a snail’

Happiness – A A Milne

John had
Great Big
Waterproof
Boots on;
John had a
Great Big
Waterproof
Hat;
John had a
Great Big
Waterproof
Mackintosh -
And that
(Said John)
Is
That.

I wasn’t enthusiastic about the UK editions available – I found the modern editions pointlessly ugly compared to my grandparents’ old editions. But an exact copy of the first edition seems to be coming for the centenary. It’s expensive, but I’ve pre-ordered. (Links below – affiliate, we get a small percentage.)

Expensive new centenary edition
From Blackwell's - international delivery included
From Amazon UK
America gets beautiful, decently priced editions?! 
Beautiful inexpensive hardback - US bookshop.org

Favourite for toddlers: Ready for Spaghetti

by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Polly Dunbar. Walker Books / Candlewick.

Poetry speaks to children – and their taste isn’t always the same as adults’. To be frank, some poems that kids love seem a bit nothingy to me as an adult. But children’s poets know what they’re doing.

And Michael Rosen is very, very tuned in with what chimes with young children.

Ready for Spaghetti, published in 2022, is a great choice for a fun first poetry book. Full of the sort of child-friendly wordplay Rosen is famous for, and Polly’s irresistible illustrated children.

I don’t know why children find ‘Long Leggy Eggy’ so compelling, but their eyes genuinely shine when they see it!

Inside page from the same book - our text reads: ‘I don’t know why children find this poem so compelling, but they do!’ The poem starts: ‘Long Leggy Eggy… has a hard shell. Long Leggy Eggy… well, well, well.’
Another poetry book - Ready For Spaghetti by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Polly Dunbar. The front cover is blue - strapline is ‘Funny Poems for Funny Kids’ - illustrated young, happy children with a range of hair and skin colours play with spaghetti.

From Long Leggy Eggy – Michael Rosen

Long leggy eggy...
sitting in your cup.
Long leggy eggy...
gobble you up!

There’s an official lesson plan by CLPE and Walker Books, free to download at The Reading Agency – geared towards preschool and EYFS.

Affiliate links – we get a small percentage.

Ready For Spaghetti - international delivery included from Blackwell's
Ready For Spaghetti from UK Bookshop
From US Bookshop
And from Amazon UK

Favourite for bedtime: The Dream Train

by Sean Taylor, Illustrated by Anuska Allepuz. Walker Books / Candlewick.

If Ready For Spaghetti is full of get up and go, as parents, sometimes (perhaps frequently), what we want is the precise opposite. Poetry of calm.

Enter this collection of soporific night-time poems, all by Sean Taylor, enchantingly illustrated by Anuska Allepuz.

The poems have lodged in the girls’ heads. For example, whenever I mention having had a bad night’s sleep, Viola says seriously, ‘remember my advice – you have to just close your eyes’. Which is so sweet and funny from a 4 or 5 year old, I have to try not to laugh. I’ve only just realised she got it from this book – this short poem:

You’ll Find This Advice Wise – Sean Taylor

If you'd like a good night's rest, 
you'll find this advice is wise. 
When you go to sleep... 
don't forget to close your eyes.
Inside page from The Dream Train. The poem starts: ‘The Middle of the Night The Knives and Forks are asleep in the kitchen…’
A photo of Viola holding The Dream Train - the cover is illustrated, with a fantasy steam train, the palette dominated by blue. My text reads: ‘Poems for bedtime. A collection of soporific night-time poems, all by Sean Taylor. Illustrated by Anuska Allepuz’

Another favourite from The Dream Train is ‘The Middle of the Night’. The image of the knives and forks sleeping in the kitchen drawer is particularly appealing to children, with their tendency to anthropomorphise everything.

From The Middle of the Night – Sean Taylor

It's the middle of the night.
The knives and forks are asleep in the kitchen,
The towels are asleep in the bathroom...

...The wind is asleep in the clouds.
But the stars are awake in the sky.
In the middle of the middle of the night.
The Dream Train: Sean Taylor's website
Blackwell's
UK Bookshop
US Bookshop
Amazon UK

Favourite poem a day: I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree

edited by Fiona Waters, illustrated by F Preston-Gannon. Nosy Crow Books.

Poem a day books work really, really well for us. I Am the Seed that Grew the Tree from Nosy Crow is a gorgeous example – well chosen poems, beautifully illustrated.

This is a great favourite, because the poems are seasonal. I find the girls more and more interested in the seasons as they get older. (I expected them to prefer the Nosy Crow funny poem a day book, but they surprised me.)

It includes ‘Bed in Summer’ – one of those poems that reminds you that some things never change: children have always complained, come summer, about going to bed in daylight.

Bed in Summer – Robert Louis Stevenson

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer, quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.
A photo of Viola holding the same - really quite big - hardback book over her head. Our text reads: ‘It weighs an absolute ton though! (Disabled parent problems.) Luckily, Viola is the strongest girl in Jericho. We told her this once when she was 2, and she has believed it ever since.’
Text reads: A Poem a Day This gorgeous poem a day book by Nosy Crow is a great favourite, because the poems are seasonal. They prefer it to the funny one, which surprised me. Photo is of a 5 year old girl holding the book 'I Am the Seed that Grew the Tree'. She has long light brown hair.
I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people's feet
Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?
- 1885

Just one con about this book – its weight. (Luckily, Viola – left – is the strongest girl in Jericho. We told her this once when she was 2, and she’s believed it ever since.) This might be a disabled parent problem, but I’d love a small poem-a-day book for children. In fact – more small children’s poetry books generally would be good. I’m thinking Beatrix Potter size. The Edwardians were great at that – I think we’re missing a trick.

Affiliate links to order:
From Blackwell's
From UK Bookshop
Published as Sing a Song of Seasons in the US
From Amazon UK

Before I finish this, I’m still none the wiser on ‘The Four Friends’ – toys? Zoo? So I thought I’d put the poem here, in case you want a go at analysing it.

'The Four Friends' - an illustrated page from When We Were Very Young by A A Milne.

The Four Friends – A A Milne

Ernest was an elephant, a great big fellow,
Leonard was a lion with a six foot tail,
George was a goat, and his beard was yellow,
And James was a very small snail.

Leonard had a stall, and a great big strong one,
Ernest had a manger, and its walls were thick,
George found a pen, but I think it was the wrong one,
And James sat down on a brick

Ernest started trumpeting, and cracked his manger,
Leonard started roaring, and shivered his stall,
James gave a huffle of a snail in danger
And nobody heard him at all.
Ernest started trumpeting and raised such a rumpus,
Leonard started roaring and trying to kick,
James went on a journey with the goats new compass
And he reached the end of his brick.

Ernest was an elephant and very well intentioned,
Leonard was a lion with a brave new tail,
George was a goat, as I think I have mentioned,
but James was only a snail.

What is the story with the wrong pen? Why do we hear nothing about George after he finds it – except the past tense line at the very end? And why does Leonard’s six foot tail become a ‘brave new tail’? So many questions – and no answers. Of course, the joy of poetry is that you can enjoy it without understanding every word.

Looking for the books?

You can find all these books on our UK Bookshop and US Bookshop lists.

UK Bookshop – our big poetry list
US Bookshop – our big poetry list

– Lucy Catchpole

A photo of James Catchpole & wife Lucy and their daughters - with James's book What Happened to You - published by Little Brown

Books by Lucy and James Catchpole – below

What Happened to You? You're So Amazing! Mama Car, Owning It: Our disabled childhoods, We've Got This: Essays by Disabled Parents, Going Viral. Books by Lucy & James Catchpole

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