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Podcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comMy Brother’s in Love with His MirrorI wrote this poem because Valentine’s Day was coming up, and I wanted a silly love poem that felt a little different from the usual ones. I played around with a few ideas first—like a teacher being in love with homework and quizzes, or my cat falling in love with my dog—but none of them quite clicked. Then I started thinking about how some people, especially teenagers, spend a lot of time checking their reflection, and it made me laugh to imagine what that might look like from a sibling’s point of view. Once I had that...
2026-02-0902 minPoetry for KidsMy Brother’s in Love with His MirrorI wrote this poem because Valentine’s Day was coming up, and I wanted a silly love poem that felt a little different from the usual ones. I played around with a few ideas first—like a teacher being in love with homework and quizzes, or my cat falling in love with my dog—but none of them quite clicked. Then I started thinking about how some people, especially teenagers, spend a lot of time checking their reflection, and it made me laugh to imagine what that might look like from a sibling’s point of view. Once I had that...
2026-02-0902 minPoetry for KidsMy Brother’s in Love with His MirrorI wrote this poem because Valentine’s Day was coming up, and I wanted a silly love poem that felt a little different from the usual ones. I played around with a few ideas first—like a teacher being in love with homework and quizzes, or my cat falling in love with my dog—but none of them quite clicked. Then I started thinking about how some people, especially teenagers, spend a lot of time checking their reflection, and it made me laugh to imagine what that might look like from a sibling’s point of view. Once I had that...
2026-02-0902 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comI’m Thrilled with Exclamation Points!I’ve always loved wordplay, especially poems that play around with the nuts and bolts of language, things like spelling, word order, and the way words look and sound on the page. Over the years, I’ve written poems that make silly use of parentheses, hyphens, and even the spacing between words, just to see what kind of mischief I could get into.
While I was thinking about other punctuation marks I might work into a poem someday—commas, question marks, slashes, brackets, and so on—it suddenly occurred to me that I’d somehow skipped the most obvious...
2026-02-0202 minPoetry for KidsI’m Thrilled with Exclamation Points!I’ve always loved wordplay, especially poems that play around with the nuts and bolts of language, things like spelling, word order, and the way words look and sound on the page. Over the years, I’ve written poems that make silly use of parentheses, hyphens, and even the spacing between words, just to see what kind of mischief I could get into.
While I was thinking about other punctuation marks I might work into a poem someday—commas, question marks, slashes, brackets, and so on—it suddenly occurred to me that I’d somehow skipped the most obvious...
2026-02-0202 minPoetry for KidsI’m Thrilled with Exclamation Points!I’ve always loved wordplay, especially poems that play around with the nuts and bolts of language, things like spelling, word order, and the way words look and sound on the page. Over the years, I’ve written poems that make silly use of parentheses, hyphens, and even the spacing between words, just to see what kind of mischief I could get into.
While I was thinking about other punctuation marks I might work into a poem someday—commas, question marks, slashes, brackets, and so on—it suddenly occurred to me that I’d somehow skipped the most obvious...
2026-02-0202 minPoetry for KidsWarm or Storm?Before I decide what to wear, I often check the weather on my phone. How cold is it outside? Is it going to rain? Will it warm up later in the day? My wife thinks this is a little ridiculous and says I should just look out the window. Or better yet, step outside and see how it feels. But I like knowing what’s coming. A weather app can tell you if you’re going to need a coat, a hat, or an umbrella later on, even if things look fine right now.
One day, while I wa...
2026-01-2602 minPoetry for KidsWarm or Storm?Before I decide what to wear, I often check the weather on my phone. How cold is it outside? Is it going to rain? Will it warm up later in the day? My wife thinks this is a little ridiculous and says I should just look out the window. Or better yet, step outside and see how it feels. But I like knowing what’s coming. A weather app can tell you if you’re going to need a coat, a hat, or an umbrella later on, even if things look fine right now.
One day, while I wa...
2026-01-2602 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comWarm or Storm?Before I decide what to wear, I often check the weather on my phone. How cold is it outside? Is it going to rain? Will it warm up later in the day? My wife thinks this is a little ridiculous and says I should just look out the window. Or better yet, step outside and see how it feels. But I like knowing what’s coming. A weather app can tell you if you’re going to need a coat, a hat, or an umbrella later on, even if things look fine right now.
One day, while I wa...
2026-01-2602 minPoetry for KidsA Cheesy StoryI love cheese, pretty much all kinds of it. A few months ago, I even decided to try making my own cheese for the very first time. I started with cottage cheese, which seemed like a sensible beginner’s choice. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out quite as well as I’d hoped. Still, I really enjoyed the process, and I’m planning to give cheesemaking another try soon.
Today, while I was eating a slice of Swiss cheese and thinking about that not-so-successful experiment, my mind started wandering. I began imagining a cheesemaker who’s a very choos...
2026-01-1902 minPoetry for KidsA Cheesy StoryI love cheese, pretty much all kinds of it. A few months ago, I even decided to try making my own cheese for the very first time. I started with cottage cheese, which seemed like a sensible beginner’s choice. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out quite as well as I’d hoped. Still, I really enjoyed the process, and I’m planning to give cheesemaking another try soon.
Today, while I was eating a slice of Swiss cheese and thinking about that not-so-successful experiment, my mind started wandering. I began imagining a cheesemaker who’s a very choos...
2026-01-1902 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comA Cheesy StoryI love cheese, pretty much all kinds of it. A few months ago, I even decided to try making my own cheese for the very first time. I started with cottage cheese, which seemed like a sensible beginner’s choice. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out quite as well as I’d hoped. Still, I really enjoyed the process, and I’m planning to give cheesemaking another try soon.
Today, while I was eating a slice of Swiss cheese and thinking about that not-so-successful experiment, my mind started wandering. I began imagining a cheesemaker who’s a very choos...
2026-01-1902 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comToothbrush KaraokeI’ve always loved performing. When I was a kid, I once put on a magic show for my family when I was seven years old. I even rented a cape and a top hat for the occasion. Unfortunately, the show didn’t go very well. Everyone kept shouting out how the tricks were done, which made it hard to feel very mysterious.
Still, that love of performing stuck with me. One of the reasons I fell in love with poetry in the first place was because my father used to sing silly songs and recite nonsense poem...
2026-01-1202 minPoetry for KidsToothbrush KaraokeI’ve always loved performing. When I was a kid, I once put on a magic show for my family when I was seven years old. I even rented a cape and a top hat for the occasion. Unfortunately, the show didn’t go very well. Everyone kept shouting out how the tricks were done, which made it hard to feel very mysterious.
Still, that love of performing stuck with me. One of the reasons I fell in love with poetry in the first place was because my father used to sing silly songs and recite nonsense poem...
2026-01-1202 minPoetry for KidsToothbrush KaraokeI’ve always loved performing. When I was a kid, I once put on a magic show for my family when I was seven years old. I even rented a cape and a top hat for the occasion. Unfortunately, the show didn’t go very well. Everyone kept shouting out how the tricks were done, which made it hard to feel very mysterious.
Still, that love of performing stuck with me. One of the reasons I fell in love with poetry in the first place was because my father used to sing silly songs and recite nonsense poem...
2026-01-1202 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comNo Running in the HallWhen my kids were in elementary school, they loved taking rules very literally. If I told my son not to touch his sister, he would immediately find the exact spot where he could stand as close as possible without actually touching her, and think it was hilarious. Technically, he was following the rule, even if he was clearly missing the spirit of it.
That kind of literal thinking has always made me laugh, especially when it comes to rules at school. Kids hear a rule, take it at face value, and then use a lot of creativity...
2026-01-0502 minPoetry for KidsNo Running in the HallWhen my kids were in elementary school, they loved taking rules very literally. If I told my son not to touch his sister, he would immediately find the exact spot where he could stand as close as possible without actually touching her, and think it was hilarious. Technically, he was following the rule, even if he was clearly missing the spirit of it.
That kind of literal thinking has always made me laugh, especially when it comes to rules at school. Kids hear a rule, take it at face value, and then use a lot of creativity...
2026-01-0502 minPoetry for KidsNo Running in the HallWhen my kids were in elementary school, they loved taking rules very literally. If I told my son not to touch his sister, he would immediately find the exact spot where he could stand as close as possible without actually touching her, and think it was hilarious. Technically, he was following the rule, even if he was clearly missing the spirit of it.
That kind of literal thinking has always made me laugh, especially when it comes to rules at school. Kids hear a rule, take it at face value, and then use a lot of creativity...
2026-01-0502 minPoetry for KidsOur Brand-New TVA lot of my poems are inspired by things that happen in my own life. I wrote this one while my wife was watching a football game with her sister and brother-in-law, and I was in the other room working on a poem. As they cheered at the TV, it made me think about how different people in the same family often want to watch completely different things.
That reminded me that many families wait until Christmas to make big purchases—like a brand-new TV—and that sometimes, instead of bringing everyone together, it can create a whol...
2025-12-1502 minPoetry for KidsOur Brand-New TVA lot of my poems are inspired by things that happen in my own life. I wrote this one while my wife was watching a football game with her sister and brother-in-law, and I was in the other room working on a poem. As they cheered at the TV, it made me think about how different people in the same family often want to watch completely different things.
That reminded me that many families wait until Christmas to make big purchases—like a brand-new TV—and that sometimes, instead of bringing everyone together, it can create a whol...
2025-12-1502 minPoetry for KidsSnow’s NoseI’ve always loved building snowmen. When my kids were younger, we used to spend whole winter afternoons rolling giant snowballs around the yard, hunting for the perfect sticks for arms, and deciding how he should be dresses and decorated. Which hat would work best? Should he have a scarf or a tie? Does he really need a carrot nose or would a button work just as well?
This year, I started thinking about how much personality a snowman seems to have by the time you’re done with it. You give it a hat, a scarf, and...
2025-12-0802 minPoetry for KidsSnow’s NoseI’ve always loved building snowmen. When my kids were younger, we used to spend whole winter afternoons rolling giant snowballs around the yard, hunting for the perfect sticks for arms, and deciding how he should be dresses and decorated. Which hat would work best? Should he have a scarf or a tie? Does he really need a carrot nose or would a button work just as well?
This year, I started thinking about how much personality a snowman seems to have by the time you’re done with it. You give it a hat, a scarf, and...
2025-12-0802 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comSnow’s NoseI’ve always loved building snowmen. When my kids were younger, we used to spend whole winter afternoons rolling giant snowballs around the yard, hunting for the perfect sticks for arms, and deciding how he should be dresses and decorated. Which hat would work best? Should he have a scarf or a tie? Does he really need a carrot nose or would a button work just as well?
This year, I started thinking about how much personality a snowman seems to have by the time you’re done with it. You give it a hat, a scarf, and...
2025-12-0802 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comSoot SuitI love writing poems about the holiday season, so I wanted to start December off with a new funny poem about Santa Claus. To get myself in the right festive mood, I reread Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” better known as “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” As I was reading, a couple of lines jumped out at me:
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
I couldn’t help noticing something amusing about the word “soot...
2025-12-0102 minPoetry for KidsSoot SuitI love writing poems about the holiday season, so I wanted to start December off with a new funny poem about Santa Claus. To get myself in the right festive mood, I reread Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” better known as “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” As I was reading, a couple of lines jumped out at me:
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
I couldn’t help noticing something amusing about the word “soot...
2025-12-0102 minPoetry for KidsSoot SuitI love writing poems about the holiday season, so I wanted to start December off with a new funny poem about Santa Claus. To get myself in the right festive mood, I reread Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” better known as “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” As I was reading, a couple of lines jumped out at me:
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
I couldn’t help noticing something amusing about the word “soot...
2025-12-0102 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comThanksgivingOne question students often ask me is what my favorite “kind” of poem is. That is, they want to know if I like haiku or limericks or diamantes or some other type of poem best. The word poets use to describe these different kinds of poems is “form.” A form is kind of poem defined by a set of rules, which might include a certain rhyme scheme, number of lines, syllable count and so on.
The truth of the matter is that I don’t normally write in poetic forms, but if I had to pick a favorite...
2025-11-2402 minPoetry for KidsThanksgivingOne question students often ask me is what my favorite “kind” of poem is. That is, they want to know if I like haiku or limericks or diamantes or some other type of poem best. The word poets use to describe these different kinds of poems is “form.” A form is kind of poem defined by a set of rules, which might include a certain rhyme scheme, number of lines, syllable count and so on.
The truth of the matter is that I don’t normally write in poetic forms, but if I had to pick a favorite...
2025-11-2402 minPoetry for KidsThanksgivingOne question students often ask me is what my favorite “kind” of poem is. That is, they want to know if I like haiku or limericks or diamantes or some other type of poem best. The word poets use to describe these different kinds of poems is “form.” A form is kind of poem defined by a set of rules, which might include a certain rhyme scheme, number of lines, syllable count and so on.
The truth of the matter is that I don’t normally write in poetic forms, but if I had to pick a favorite...
2025-11-2402 minPoetry for KidsMy Time Machine Is BrokenBefore we begin, there’s something I haven’t talked about very much. Most people assume I was born in the twentieth century and grew up like everyone else—going to school, learning poetry, all of that. But the truth is a bit more complicated.
I’m actually from the year 3017.
That’s right—thirty-seventeen. A full millennium in the future. Back home, time travel is fairly common. It’s not something people make a big fuss about, either. It’s more like catching bus. You can take a weekend trip to ancient Egypt, visit your great-great...
2025-11-1702 minPoetry for KidsMy Time Machine Is BrokenBefore we begin, there’s something I haven’t talked about very much. Most people assume I was born in the twentieth century and grew up like everyone else—going to school, learning poetry, all of that. But the truth is a bit more complicated.
I’m actually from the year 3017.
That’s right—thirty-seventeen. A full millennium in the future. Back home, time travel is fairly common. It’s not something people make a big fuss about, either. It’s more like catching bus. You can take a weekend trip to ancient Egypt, visit your great-great...
2025-11-1702 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comMy Time Machine Is BrokenBefore we begin, there’s something I haven’t talked about very much. Most people assume I was born in the twentieth century and grew up like everyone else—going to school, learning poetry, all of that. But the truth is a bit more complicated.
I’m actually from the year 3017.
That’s right—thirty-seventeen. A full millennium in the future. Back home, time travel is fairly common. It’s not something people make a big fuss about, either. It’s more like catching bus. You can take a weekend trip to ancient Egypt, visit your great-great...
2025-11-1702 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comDark ParkIt’s the middle of autumn, and the weather is definitely changing. The leaves have mostly fallen from the trees, and it’s been cold and raining for the past few days where I live. I thought I’d write something about this change of seasons—but in a slightly unexpected way.
This poem starts out as a simple bike ride through the park, but things take a strange turn once the weather begins to shift. Here is…
Dark Park
I went for a ride
on my bike in the park.
Some cloud...
2025-11-1001 minPoetry for KidsDark ParkIt’s the middle of autumn, and the weather is definitely changing. The leaves have mostly fallen from the trees, and it’s been cold and raining for the past few days where I live. I thought I’d write something about this change of seasons—but in a slightly unexpected way.
This poem starts out as a simple bike ride through the park, but things take a strange turn once the weather begins to shift. Here is…
Dark Park
I went for a ride
on my bike in the park.
Some cloud...
2025-11-1001 minPoetry for KidsDark ParkIt’s the middle of autumn, and the weather is definitely changing. The leaves have mostly fallen from the trees, and it’s been cold and raining for the past few days where I live. I thought I’d write something about this change of seasons—but in a slightly unexpected way.
This poem starts out as a simple bike ride through the park, but things take a strange turn once the weather begins to shift. Here is…
Dark Park
I went for a ride
on my bike in the park.
Some cloud...
2025-11-1001 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comThe Leaves Are Falling Off the TreesIt’s October, and the weather has finally started turning cold. The leaves are changing colors and beginning to fall, swirling and spinning in the breeze. I’ve already written a couple of Halloween poems this month, so I thought I’d do something a little different, something that simply celebrates the season itself.
The idea for the ending of this poem came to me almost instantly, and I knew I had to write the whole thing just to build up to that moment. I hope you enjoy it.
The Leaves Are Falling Of the Trees
2025-10-2001 minPoetry for KidsThe Leaves Are Falling Off the TreesIt’s October, and the weather has finally started turning cold. The leaves are changing colors and beginning to fall, swirling and spinning in the breeze. I’ve already written a couple of Halloween poems this month, so I thought I’d do something a little different, something that simply celebrates the season itself.
The idea for the ending of this poem came to me almost instantly, and I knew I had to write the whole thing just to build up to that moment. I hope you enjoy it.
The Leaves Are Falling Of the Trees
2025-10-2001 minPoetry for KidsThe Leaves Are Falling Off the TreesIt’s October, and the weather has finally started turning cold. The leaves are changing colors and beginning to fall, swirling and spinning in the breeze. I’ve already written a couple of Halloween poems this month, so I thought I’d do something a little different, something that simply celebrates the season itself.
The idea for the ending of this poem came to me almost instantly, and I knew I had to write the whole thing just to build up to that moment. I hope you enjoy it.
The Leaves Are Falling Of the Trees
2025-10-2001 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comSticky Sweet Trick-or-TreatI came up with the last word of this poem earlier this year. It’s what’s called a portmanteau word, which means a made-up word created by blending two real words together, like combining breakfast and lunch to make the word “brunch.”
Now, at the time, it was the beginning of June, and writing a Halloween poem in the middle of spring didn’t make much sense. So I just jotted the word down in my notes and waited. Now that October is here, I thought it was the perfect time to see if I could turn that...
2025-10-1301 minPoetry for KidsSticky Sweet Trick-or-TreatI came up with the last word of this poem earlier this year. It’s what’s called a portmanteau word, which means a made-up word created by blending two real words together, like combining breakfast and lunch to make the word “brunch.”
Now, at the time, it was the beginning of June, and writing a Halloween poem in the middle of spring didn’t make much sense. So I just jotted the word down in my notes and waited. Now that October is here, I thought it was the perfect time to see if I could turn that...
2025-10-1301 minPoetry for KidsSticky Sweet Trick-or-TreatI came up with the last word of this poem earlier this year. It’s what’s called a portmanteau word, which means a made-up word created by blending two real words together, like combining breakfast and lunch to make the word “brunch.”
Now, at the time, it was the beginning of June, and writing a Halloween poem in the middle of spring didn’t make much sense. So I just jotted the word down in my notes and waited. Now that October is here, I thought it was the perfect time to see if I could turn that...
2025-10-1301 minPoetry for KidsAt Dracula’s MansionWhen October comes around each year, I love writing Halloween poems—especially about monsters, haunted houses, and trick-or-treating. Some of these poems are a little spooky, but most are just meant to be silly and fun, like this one. I started imagining what it might be like if Dracula and his monster friends hosted a Halloween celebration of their own. What would they do if you came knocking on their door? I hope you enjoy the answer.
At Dracula’s Mansion
At Dracula’s mansion, on Halloween night,
the monsters are hiding inside, out of sig...
2025-10-0602 minPoetry for KidsAt Dracula’s MansionWhen October comes around each year, I love writing Halloween poems—especially about monsters, haunted houses, and trick-or-treating. Some of these poems are a little spooky, but most are just meant to be silly and fun, like this one. I started imagining what it might be like if Dracula and his monster friends hosted a Halloween celebration of their own. What would they do if you came knocking on their door? I hope you enjoy the answer.
At Dracula’s Mansion
At Dracula’s mansion, on Halloween night,
the monsters are hiding inside, out of sig...
2025-10-0602 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comAt Dracula’s MansionWhen October comes around each year, I love writing Halloween poems—especially about monsters, haunted houses, and trick-or-treating. Some of these poems are a little spooky, but most are just meant to be silly and fun, like this one. I started imagining what it might be like if Dracula and his monster friends hosted a Halloween celebration of their own. What would they do if you came knocking on their door? I hope you enjoy the answer.
At Dracula’s Mansion
At Dracula’s mansion, on Halloween night,
the monsters are hiding inside, out of sig...
2025-10-0602 minPoetry for KidsIt’s a Farmer’s Job to FarmOne of the things I’ve loved ever since I was a kid is playing with language; making up silly words, twisting familiar phrases, and asking questions that don’t always have logical answers. I grew up reading nonsense poems like “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll and “The Owl and the Pussycat” by Edward Lear, and I still remember the tongue twisters and silly songs my dad used to recite, like “Fuzzy Wuzzy Was a Bear” and “Mairzy Doats.” Those kinds of playful poems and songs sparked something in me, and they’ve inspired many of the poems I’ve written since.
A...
2025-09-2902 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comIt’s a Farmer’s Job to FarmOne of the things I’ve loved ever since I was a kid is playing with language; making up silly words, twisting familiar phrases, and asking questions that don’t always have logical answers. I grew up reading nonsense poems like “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll and “The Owl and the Pussycat” by Edward Lear, and I still remember the tongue twisters and silly songs my dad used to recite, like “Fuzzy Wuzzy Was a Bear” and “Mairzy Doats.” Those kinds of playful poems and songs sparked something in me, and they’ve inspired many of the poems I’ve written since.
A...
2025-09-2902 minPoetry for KidsIt’s a Farmer’s Job to FarmOne of the things I’ve loved ever since I was a kid is playing with language; making up silly words, twisting familiar phrases, and asking questions that don’t always have logical answers. I grew up reading nonsense poems like “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll and “The Owl and the Pussycat” by Edward Lear, and I still remember the tongue twisters and silly songs my dad used to recite, like “Fuzzy Wuzzy Was a Bear” and “Mairzy Doats.” Those kinds of playful poems and songs sparked something in me, and they’ve inspired many of the poems I’ve written since.
A...
2025-09-2902 minPoetry for KidsMy Family PortraitWhen I was in school, I loved to paint and draw. I even thought I would become a comic book illustrator when I grew up! But honestly… I never got very good at it. My pictures usually came out kind of funny, with lots of imperfections. And that’s okay! Everyone makes mistakes when they’re learning something new. It doesn’t matter if you’re practicing the piano, trying a new sport, baking a cake, learning a new language, or painting a picture; mistakes are part of the process. In fact, they’re not really failures at all. They’re what...
2025-09-2202 minPoetry for KidsMy Family PortraitWhen I was in school, I loved to paint and draw. I even thought I would become a comic book illustrator when I grew up! But honestly… I never got very good at it. My pictures usually came out kind of funny, with lots of imperfections. And that’s okay! Everyone makes mistakes when they’re learning something new. It doesn’t matter if you’re practicing the piano, trying a new sport, baking a cake, learning a new language, or painting a picture; mistakes are part of the process. In fact, they’re not really failures at all. They’re what...
2025-09-2202 minPoetry for KidsAI Mirror On the WallHave you ever played around with one of those video filters that makes you look older, or younger, or gives you dog ears, or turns your whole face into a cartoon? Apps like Zoom, Snapchat, and others are filled with tools that can instantly change how you look—just for fun. It made me think about the line from Snow White… “Mirror, Mirror on the wall…” What if that magic mirror still existed, but it used artificial intelligence instead of spells and potions?
That idea got my imagination spinning, and the result was this poem. I hope you enjoy...
2025-09-0801 minPoetry for KidsAI Mirror On the WallHave you ever played around with one of those video filters that makes you look older, or younger, or gives you dog ears, or turns your whole face into a cartoon? Apps like Zoom, Snapchat, and others are filled with tools that can instantly change how you look—just for fun. It made me think about the line from Snow White… “Mirror, Mirror on the wall…” What if that magic mirror still existed, but it used artificial intelligence instead of spells and potions?
That idea got my imagination spinning, and the result was this poem. I hope you enjoy...
2025-09-0801 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comAI Mirror On the WallHave you ever played around with one of those video filters that makes you look older, or younger, or gives you dog ears, or turns your whole face into a cartoon? Apps like Zoom, Snapchat, and others are filled with tools that can instantly change how you look—just for fun. It made me think about the line from Snow White… “Mirror, Mirror on the wall…” What if that magic mirror still existed, but it used artificial intelligence instead of spells and potions?
That idea got my imagination spinning, and the result was this poem. I hope you enjoy...
2025-09-0801 minPoetry for KidsThe Reason Vance Learned How to DanceI’ve always loved writing poems about unusual characters—kids, teenagers, or even adults who do outrageous things or take ordinary situations and turn them completely upside down. “The Reason Vance Learned How to Dance” is one of those poems. It’s about a kid who puts in a ton of effort for one very specific reason… and then something unexpected happens.
Poems like this are a fun way to play with something called irony—that’s when the outcome is the opposite of what you’d expect. Imagine practicing all year to go swimming and then forgetting your sw...
2025-09-0102 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comThe Reason Vance Learned How to DanceI’ve always loved writing poems about unusual characters—kids, teenagers, or even adults who do outrageous things or take ordinary situations and turn them completely upside down. “The Reason Vance Learned How to Dance” is one of those poems. It’s about a kid who puts in a ton of effort for one very specific reason… and then something unexpected happens.
Poems like this are a fun way to play with something called irony—that’s when the outcome is the opposite of what you’d expect. Imagine practicing all year to go swimming and then forgetting your sw...
2025-09-0102 minPoetry for KidsThe Reason Vance Learned How to DanceI’ve always loved writing poems about unusual characters—kids, teenagers, or even adults who do outrageous things or take ordinary situations and turn them completely upside down. “The Reason Vance Learned How to Dance” is one of those poems. It’s about a kid who puts in a ton of effort for one very specific reason… and then something unexpected happens.
Poems like this are a fun way to play with something called irony—that’s when the outcome is the opposite of what you’d expect. Imagine practicing all year to go swimming and then forgetting your sw...
2025-09-0102 minPoetry for KidsToday I Met an OctopusThe other day, I was re-reading my all-time favorite book of poetry, Colin West’s fabulous collection, The Big Book of Nonsense. In Chapter 1, there is a poem simply titled “Knitting.” In Chapter 2, there is a poem called “Octopus.” I was still thinking about the knitting poem when I started reading the octopus poem, and it occurred to me that an octopus who liked to knit would be a funny idea for a poem.
Of course, none of what was in Colin’s poems is in mine. That would be plagiarism (copying someone else’s work), and plagiarism is...
2025-08-1802 minPoetry for KidsToday I Met an OctopusThe other day, I was re-reading my all-time favorite book of poetry, Colin West’s fabulous collection, The Big Book of Nonsense. In Chapter 1, there is a poem simply titled “Knitting.” In Chapter 2, there is a poem called “Octopus.” I was still thinking about the knitting poem when I started reading the octopus poem, and it occurred to me that an octopus who liked to knit would be a funny idea for a poem.
Of course, none of what was in Colin’s poems is in mine. That would be plagiarism (copying someone else’s work), and plagiarism is...
2025-08-1802 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comToday I Met an OctopusThe other day, I was re-reading my all-time favorite book of poetry, Colin West’s fabulous collection, The Big Book of Nonsense. In Chapter 1, there is a poem simply titled “Knitting.” In Chapter 2, there is a poem called “Octopus.” I was still thinking about the knitting poem when I started reading the octopus poem, and it occurred to me that an octopus who liked to knit would be a funny idea for a poem.
Of course, none of what was in Colin’s poems is in mine. That would be plagiarism (copying someone else’s work), and plagiarism is...
2025-08-1802 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comTriangles Make Me Feel NervousSometimes I think of the ending of a poem before I know how it’s going to start. An idea for a good ending can come from anywhere, and sometimes it can even come from a poem someone else wrote. That’s the case with this poem.
The poet Joshual Seigal recently wrote a poem called “Motor Skills.” I loved the ending so much, that I wanted to see if I could write something similar. While his poem and mine are completely different, if you read both of them, you should see how the ending of his poem pro...
2025-08-1102 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comMy Sister Found Some ScissorsThis poem was inspired by some real-life hair-raising moments in my family. When my daughter was about six years old, she decided, without warning, to cut her own hair one morning before school. Let’s just say the results were… not great. I had to do a quick fix before we dashed out the door. Then, years later, when she was a teenager, she offered to cut her older brother’s hair. That one didn’t go so well either. And, once again, I was the emergency barber. Fortunately, she never tried to cut her parents hair or give the pets...
2025-07-2101 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comThe ShowdownMy friend and colleague Alan Katz , author of the “Silly Dilly” song books such as Take Me Out of the Bathtub, mentioned that going to be doing a performance called “The Joke Show” and he said that it’s called a “show” because you’re expected to “show up.” Since we both write funny poems, I jokingly asked if there “would be a showdown if I showed up?” As soon as I said it, I realized there was the seed of a poem in there. My wife was on the phone with her mother at the time and as soon as she hung up, she...
2025-07-1401 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comIce Pops, Ice PopsSummer is here, and the days are getting hot! I wrote this poem a couple of years ago for Storyworks 2 magazine, just in time for the end of the school year. Now that July has arrived again and the days are scorching, it felt like the perfect moment to share it on the website, along with a little “ice advice.” After all, there’s nothing better than a cool, sweet treat on a scorching day… as long as you remember how to treat your treat. This is…
Ice Pops, Ice Pops
Ice pops, ice pops.
A ta...
2025-06-3001 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comBernadette the BurperSometimes the silliest ideas make for the funniest poems. This one started with a simple question: What if someone was really, really good at burping? I mean unbelievably good. That idea made me laugh, so I knew I had to run with it. The result is a poem that plays with repetition, exaggeration, and a little bit of mischief—just the kind of humor that makes poetry extra fun. I hope you enjoy meeting one of the world’s most talented burpers… even if not everyone in her family appreciates her skills. This is…
Bernadette the Burper
Be...
2025-06-2302 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comI Found a Secret PassagewayWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt.
Have you ever found something unexpected—a hidden passage, a strange map, or a place no one else seemed to know about? Did you then keep it a secret too, or was it too good not to share?
This poem is all about discovering a secret place and exploring the unknown. It also uses repetition to build a rhythm and to heighten the sense of mystery. As you read it, see if you can feel the excitement of the narrator’s journey and maybe imagine where your own se...
2025-06-1602 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comHyper NateWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt
I thought of the idea for this poem while I was out on a brisk walk one day, feeling unusually full of energy. That got me thinking about how some kids just seem to have endless energy—always moving, always playing, always going. I began imagining what it would be like to be one of those kids, and from there the idea for “Hyper Nate” was born.
This poem is all about motion and excitement and the joy of being active. It has a bouncy rhythm and lots of...
2025-06-0801 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comAnnette the DetectiveWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt.
I’ve always enjoyed writing poems about characters who are a little… well… less than excellent at what they do. There’s something especially funny about someone who tries their best but still manages to get everything hilariously wrong. Over the years, I’ve written about a pirate who’s never seen the sea, a scientist who searches for things that don’t exist, an old west bank robber who always fumbles the loot, and many more kooky characters.
This time, I thought it would be fun to take on the c...
2025-05-2702 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comThe Sofa Ate My FatherWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt. One of my favorite things about writing poems is playing with language—especially when it comes to words or phrases that can mean more than one thing. Sometimes, we use expressions that sound perfectly normal… until you stop and really think about what they say. And when you do, well, they can start to sound pretty silly.
Today’s poem is one of those. It began with a common phrase you’ve probably heard before, and turned into something completely unexpected. Let’s see what happens when everyday language takes a very...
2025-05-1901 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comThe Underwear TreeWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt.
This poem was inspired by another poet I greatly admire—Jack Prelutsky. I had been reading his poem “As Soon as Fred Gets Out of Bed,” which is a wonderfully silly poem that features underwear. That got me thinking, “Maybe it’s time I wrote an underwear poem too.”
I also remembered another poem Jack wrote years ago called “I’m Growing a Glorious Garden,” where the garden grows musical instruments instead of vegetables. That poem planted a seed in my imagination—what if something even stranger grew in the garden? An...
2025-05-1202 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comMother’s Day BreakfastWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt. Today’s poem is all about a well-intentioned surprise that doesn’t go quite as planned. With Mother’s Day right around the corner, one young child decides to do something extra special—make breakfast and deliver it to Mom in bed. But sometimes, even the best ideas can turn into a bit of a mess. Stick around for a funny, food-flinging adventure called…
Mother’s Day Breakfast
I brought my mom Mother’s Day breakfast in bed.
I tripped and spilled orange juice right on her head.
...
2025-05-0501 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comMy Smelly TelephoneWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt.
One of the things that I enjoy most about writing poems is playing with words—especially when a word sounds like something else entirely. Today’s poem is one of those where the idea came from imagining a mix-up… the kind of mix-up that might happen if you were shopping for something high-tech and got something completely unexpected instead. This is…
My Smelly Telephone
My telephone is smelly.
It’s a smelly telephone.
I wish it didn’t stink but
it’s the only one I o...
2025-04-2801 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comAn Oyster CelebrationWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt.
Sometimes a poem begins with just a sound—two words that almost rhyme, or a funny phrase that gets stuck in my head. That’s what happened with today’s poem. I started playing with the sounds of two familiar words, and before long, I found myself wondering, “What if there were a place where people celebrated one of these things instead of the other?” Though the result may seem a little bizarre, I had so much fun writing it that I just had to share it. This is…
An Oyste...
2025-04-1401 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comSplash!Welcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt.
The seasons are changing, and it feels like winter is finally over—but spring hasn’t really started yet. Where my sister lives, people like to say they have only three seasons: summer, winter, and mud. I always thought that was a funny way to describe this in-between time of year, when the snow is melting, the ground is wet and messy, and everything turns to sludge.
So I decided to write a poem celebrating the muddy, splashy, sock-soaking season that comes right before the flowers bloom and th...
2025-03-3101 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comI Went for a WalkWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt.
I wanted to write a poem about nature in the springtime, especially for young reader… kids in first grade. Spring is such a fun season to explore the outdoors—you never know what kinds of animals or colors you might see! So I thought it would be fun to create a simple, playful poem that includes both: a list of colorful animals that follow a child home like a parade of pets.
I hope you enjoy the rhythm, the rhyme, and the chance to imagine your own list o...
2025-03-2401 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comI Tried to Catch a LeprechaunWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt
With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I thought it would be fun to write a poem about the tradition of trying to catch a leprechaun and find his pot of gold. Many kids set leprechaun traps, hoping to outsmart the tricky little creatures. But I started wondering—what if, after all that effort, you didn’t catch a leprechaun at all? What if you ended up catching something much less exciting instead?
That idea made me laugh, so I decided to turn it into this poem. I hope i...
2025-03-1701 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comRandom AndyWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt.
A publisher recently asked me to write a fun poem for first graders that would help build phonemic awareness—the ability to hear, recognize, and play with sounds in words. They wanted something that would show how syllables and sounds can be changed, moved around, and combined in new ways. I had a great time coming up with silly word mashups and actually wrote several different poems for them.
In the end, the publisher chose to publish one of the other poems I wrote, but I liked this...
2025-02-2401 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comI’ve Started Getting YoungerWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt.
Have you ever dreamed about not getting any older and just staying young forever? I know I had that thought once or twice when I was a kid. But what if that wish actually came true—but not in the way you expected? This poem plays with the idea of aging in reverse, turning what might seem like a fun, magical experience into something a little more alarming!
I love writing poems that take an ordinary idea, like making a birthday wish, and turning it into something unex...
2025-02-1802 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comOur Teacher’s ValentineWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt.
Valentine’s Day was coming up, and I had been trying for days to think of something funny to write about—but nothing seemed quite right. Then, in the middle of the night, I woke up from a sound sleep with the ending of this poem suddenly clear in my head. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, quickly jotted down the idea, and went right back to sleep. The next morning, when I looked at what I had written, I still thought it was a good idea, so I sat...
2025-02-1002 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comI Am a CowWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt.
The first time I ever saw a cow, I was about three years old. My father took me to a dairy farm, and I remember standing right next to a wooden fence, face to face with a huge cow. I was completely surprised! For many years afterward, my dad loved to tell the story of how I looked up at him and asked, “What do they do to us?”—a question that still makes me laugh today.
While most of my poems are written for kids ages 8 and up...
2025-02-0302 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comI’ll Never Ride the WaterslideWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt.
When I was 11 years old, my school took the sixth graders on a field trip to the mountains where there was snow. Many of the kids brought sleds or inflatable tubes to ride down the hills, and I brought a tube as well. At first, I was too scared to ride it, so I sat out and watched. Unfortunately, I also forgot to bring my lunch that day. While the other kids were eating, I finally worked up the courage to try the hill. Let’s just say it didn...
2025-01-2701 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comIt’s a Drag to Be a DragonWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt.
I wanted to write a poem about the feeling of not fitting in, a theme that many of us can relate to at some point in our lives. Having recently written a poem about a misunderstood snake, I decided to switch things up and tell the story from the perspective of an awkward, larger-than-life creature: a dragon. The phrase “It’s a Drag to Be a Dragon” popped into my head, and the poem grew from there, exploring the humorous challenges a dragon might face in everyday life.
Of cou...
2025-01-2002 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comIt’s Lonely as a BoaWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt. Today I’m sharing a poem inspired by one of the more unusual pets my family had when I was a kid—a boa constrictor! Our boa was a wonderful pet—gentle, calm, and friendly—but I know that many people find snakes scary, even harmless ones. That got me thinking: what if a boa could tell its own story about being misunderstood? Here’s my poem, “It’s Lonely as a Boa.” I hope you enjoy it!
It’s lonely as a boa.
Though I’m just a simple snake,
...
2025-01-1302 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comSkylar the SculptorWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt. I’ve always loved cheese. Today, as I was eating an especially cheesy pizza for lunch, the idea of an artist creating entire sculptures out of cheese seemed irresistibly whimsical and delicious. There has been a long tradition among children’s poets, such as Colin West in the UK and Jack Prelutsky in the US, of creating poems about unusual characters with strange and funny talents. I thought Skylar the Sculptor would fit perfectly into this tradition, using her imagination (and a ton of cheese) to make incredible, edible art.
Alth...
2025-01-0602 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comI’m Counting the Days until ChristmasWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt. Today I’d like to share a fun new holiday poem with you. With Christmas just around the corner, I found myself wondering how many days were left until the big day. The phrase “I’m Counting the Days until Christmas” popped into my head, and I loved the rhythm of the words, as well as the idea of checking off each day on a calendar while excitedly looking forward to Christmas Day. It seemed like the perfect topic for a holiday poem! I hope you enjoy this festive little rhyme about the...
2024-12-1601 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comMy Brother Made a SnowballWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt. I grew up in a part of California where it never snowed, but every now and then my parents would take me and my brothers to the nearby mountains in the wintertime to play in the snow. We loved building snowmen and throwing snowballs at one another. Later, when I moved up north where it snows every winter, my own kids grew up doing the same—building snow forts and having snowball fights, but they got to do it in the front yard.
This poem was inspired by those memo...
2024-12-0901 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comIt’s Thanksgiving NightWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner here in the US, I wanted to write a fun poem about the holiday that captures the feeling of overindulging at a big family feast.
Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude and togetherness, but it’s also a time when we often eat more than we should—something kids and grown-ups alike can relate to. I thought it would be fun to explore that universal experience from a playful perspective, imagining what it might feel like to share the aftermath of a big...
2024-11-2501 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comSuspenseWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt. A couple of years ago my friend, the children’s poet Janet Wong, asked if I would contribute a poem to an anthology she was creating with children’s literature professor Sylvia Vardell called Things We Feel. She gave me several photos to choose from as inspiration, and I particularly liked one of a young boy tossing a bowling ball. It made me think about that moment of suspense—the thrill, the hope, and the uncertainty you feel as soon as the ball leaves your hands.
As with other books in...
2024-11-1801 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comThis Morning at SchoolWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt. As a student, I remember being so tired in school some days that I would fall asleep at my desk and the teacher would have to wake me up. I was never so tired in the morning that I went to school in my pajamas or bedsheet or blankets. But a friend of mine actually did this once when she was in college. She was so sleepy that she woke up at the very last minute, wrapped her sheet around herself and walked to class.
Recalling this recently, I th...
2024-11-0401 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comThe Monsters’ ThanksgivingIdeas for poems can come from lots of different places. Sometimes when I write a poem, the idea starts with a single word or a phrase. In this case, I was thinking about the upcoming holidays, Halloween and Thanksgiving. Halloween made me think of monsters, including Frankenstein’s monster, which made me think of “Frankenstein’s Thanksgiving.” It occurred to me that it might be fun to write a single poem that combines Halloween and Thanksgiving into a single holiday. This poem is the result.
The Monsters’ Thanksgiving
When monsters spend Thanksgiving
at the house of F...
2024-10-2802 minPodcast – Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry4kids.comRobot HalloweenWelcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt. With Halloween just around the corner, I wanted to write a poem about the holiday. I had already written a poem about spooky monsters called “The Monsters’ Thanksgiving,” so this time I thought it would be fun to come up with a poem about trick-or-treating. I imagined creating a time-saving device to help collect more candy, and the idea of an army of trick-or-treating robots came to me.
The very next day, I saw a headline that read, “Inventor Builds Six Robot Copies of Himself, Uses One to Give Speeches a...
2024-10-2802 min
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Cutting Chai Stories: Write copy that feels goodHow Kenn Nesbitt's poems for kids are the gateway drug to everythingMy interview with Kenn Nesbitt, who is an American children’s poet and humorist, and author of more than 20 books for kids. In 2013, he was named Children’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation. His website, poetry4kids.com is the most visited children’s poetry site on the internet.
Kenn talks about how he loves to twist children's brains with impossible ideas, how he rewrites each line in his head 10 times, yet sometimes the best idea is the first idea, where he gets the inspiration from for his funny poems, why he thinks poems are a delive...
2021-02-1835 min
tbs eFM The Wake Up Crew0407 Thinking Aloud : My Robot's Misbehaving by Kenn Nesbitt0407 Thinking Aloud : My Robot's Misbehaving by Kenn Nesbitt
2017-04-0700 mintbs eFM The Wake Up Crew0331 Thinking Aloud : My Robot's Misbehaving by Kenn Nesbitt0331 Thinking Aloud : My Robot's Misbehaving by Kenn Nesbitt
2017-03-3100 min
My Symphony Of LifeMy Symphony Of Life - Episode# 31 - Featuring Journaling Coach & Author Mari McCarthy And Children's Poet & Author Kenn NesbittI'm Ana the host of My Symphony Of Life and welcome back! I’d like to take the time to thank you for listening to My Symphony Of Life. You are the reason why we do this! You are an integral part of our community and network. If there is a topic you’d like to hear more about or if you know someone who’d be perfect for me to talk to, please email me at feedback@audiosmaximus.com. If you missed episode 30, I encourage everyone to go back and listen to that show! Our last featured guest was Ma...
2013-02-1919 minAudios Maximus Media Network/Thrive Media NetworkMy Symphony Of Life - Episode# 31 - Featuring Journaling Coach & Author Mari McCarthy And Children's Poet & Author Kenn NesbittI'm Ana the host of My Symphony Of Life and welcome back! I’d like to take the time to thank you for listening to My Symphony Of Life. You are the reason why we do this! You are an integral part of our community and network. If there is a topic you’d like to hear more about or if you know someone who’d be perfect for me to talk to, please email me at feedback@audiosmaximus.com. If you missed episode 30, I encourage everyone to go back and listen to that show! Our last featured guest was Ma...
2013-02-1919 min
Audios Maximus Media Network/Thrive Media NetworkMy Symphony Of Life - 004 3/27/2011 - Interview With Kenn Nesbitt and Cooking Segment With Steve and Julie BlazeWelcome to our fourth episode of My Symphony Of Life. On this episode we will be talking about topics such as: Spring is in the air. Spring forward, Spring Clean, and Spring Fashion. It's motivation and action time. Time is of the essence! We will have calendar dates on what's going on in the Baton Rouge Metro area. I'm also giving a shout out to all the local and national touring bands that we've featured on The Tour Bus Music Show at www.audiosmaximus.com. We've been meeting and making friends with a lot of new people. We're featuring several s...
2011-03-2753 minMy Symphony Of LifeMy Symphony Of Life - 004 3/27/2011 - Interview With Kenn Nesbitt and Cooking Segment With Steve and Julie BlazeWelcome to our fourth episode of My Symphony Of Life. On this episode we will be talking about topics such as: Spring is in the air. Spring forward, Spring Clean, and Spring Fashion. It's motivation and action time. Time is of the essence! We will have calendar dates on what's going on in the Baton Rouge Metro area. I'm also giving a shout out to all the local and national touring bands that we've featured on The Tour Bus Music Show at www.audiosmaximus.com. We've been meeting and making friends with a lot of new people. We're featuring several s...
2011-03-2753 min