Please Mrs. Butler

It's Poetry Friday in the Kidlitosphere. Book Aunt is hosting this week's round-up of poetry themed blogging.

I'm in with a link to one of my favourite children's authors reading one of my favourite kidlit poems.

As I was obsessively google-ing the Ahlbergs  (Peepo, Each, Peach, Pear, Plum, The Baby's Catlalogue etc.) I turned up these fantastic recordings of Allan  reading a selection of his poems for the Children's Poetry Archive. His reading of Please Mrs Butler, about a slightly batty school teacher, seems like an appropriate one for this time of year. Take no offense teachers, Allan was an educator himself. To listen to Allan recite in full Midlands accented glory click here.

Parents and teachers can download a lesson plan for Please Mrs Butler from The Poetry Archive

Poems Every Child Should Know

Its Poetry Friday in the kidlitosphere. This week the round-up is being hosted at my juicy little universe. Hop on over to to see whose blogging about poetry today. I'm sharing a poem from the anthology Poems Every Child Should Know edited by Mary E. Burt and first published in 1904. The poem is by Robert Browning, the introductory text was written by the editor.

Pippa.

"Spring's at the Morn," from "Pippa Passes," by Robert Browning (1812-89), has become a very popular stanza with little folks. "All's right with the world" is a cheerful motto for the nursery and schoolroom.

The year's at the spring,The day's at the morn;Morning's at seven;The hillside's dew pearled; The lark's on the wing;The snail's on the thorn;God's in His heaven—All's right with the world! Robert Browning.

Ms.Burt's belief in the necessity of teaching poetry to children is so passionately articulated in the preface to the book that I thought I'd include it here as well:

There  are people who believe that in the matter of learning poetry there is no "ought," but this is a false belief. There is a duty, even there.... Children should build for their future--and get, while they are children, what only the fresh imagination of the child can assimilate.

They should store up an untold wealth of heroic sentiment; they should acquire the habit of carrying a literary quality in their conversation; they should carry a heart full of the fresh and delightful associations and memories, connected with poetry hours to brighten mature years. They should develop their memories while they have memories to develop.

The frontis piece from the original edition:

Poems Every Child Should Know was obtained from Project Gutenberg. This e-book is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg license. Visit Project Gutenberg at www.gutenberg.net