Fifteen Children’s Poems
Giraffe Slide
Oh! Such a tall, tall slide,
bright and pretty—what a sight!
Little monkey, come and slide,
one somersault—you bump your nose.
Little rabbit comes to slide,
rolls right down and splits her lip.
Little rooster slips on through,
flaps his wings and crows, “Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
Little black dog—what a pest—
runs beneath it just to pee.
Hey! Giraffe, oh giraffe,
you’re such a fun, fun slide!
The Sun and the Moon
The sun and moon are having a race,
to see which one can run the fastest.
The sun is first across the hill,
the moon comes chasing close behind.
The sun runs on with a reddened face,
the moon runs pale and white.
Through daytime and through nighttime,
neither one will ever stop.
Did the sun outrun the moon?
Or did the moon pass by the sun?
You come be the referee—
I’m afraid you won’t know either!
Heavy Rain
Old Heaven starts to grumble,
and pours down all his water,
pours till every street is flooded,
pours till seedlings cry for mercy.
Pours till ponds get diarrhea,
pours till frogs croak through the night.
Heaven, Heaven, stop the rain—
tomorrow I still have gymnastics!
Light Rain
Old Heaven caught a cold and sneezed,
spraying all the streets with drops.
Little Bao goes off to school beneath an umbrella,
his shoes splashed dirty all the way.
A puppy lies beneath the eaves,
whimpering at the rain.
Paper cups and paper plates roll in the wind,
and no children come outside to play.
The Cat’s Eyes
Oh my, oh my, how curious!
The sun climbs up the hill,
and the cat’s eyes turn to slits.
Meow, meow, meow, meow,
sniffing here and sniffing there,
with its little nose held high.
Oh my, oh my, what a wonder!
The sun drops down behind the hill,
and the cat’s pupils turn round again.
Little Kitten
She sees me eating bread,
licks her tongue and watches me.
Meow, meow, meow, meow,
her two round eyes are lightbulbs.
She sees little brother peeing,
rubs against his feet and acts all sweet.
The Scatterbrain
After school I race toward home,
then suddenly remember I forgot something.
Back to school I hurry fast—
“Teacher! My abacus is gone!”
“What’s that underneath your arm?”
Teacher looks at me and softly smiles.
Oh no, this is so embarrassing—
it’s sleeping soundly in my armpit!
Pinky Promise
Hold out your little pinky,
let’s hook our fingers tight.
Neither one may tell a lie—
we are both good friends.
Grandfather and Grandchild
Whenever Grandpa comes to my house,
he loves to pull me to his chest,
and with his hard, scratchy whiskers,
rub my tender little cheeks.
Scratch my tender little cheeks,
I dodge left and right and tuck my neck.
Grandpa opens his mouth—hee, hee, hee!
Grandpa and grandchild laugh with joy.
One Apple
Big brother went to school,
big sister went to school,
Mother gave me an apple,
sour and sweet—it tasted so good.
Big brother came home from school,
big sister came home from school.
As soon as they came in, I spread out my hands:
“I didn’t eat an apple today.”
Big brother glared at me:
“You ate one and say you didn’t!”
Big sister stuck out her lips:
“Mother plays favorites. How strange!”
Funhouse Mirror
We look into the mirror together.
I turn fat,
you turn thin.
A great big fat one,
a long, long skinny one.
You push me, I push you,
and we switch our places.
We switch our places.
I turn thin,
you turn fat.
A long, long skinny one,
a great big fat one.
So ugly! So ugly!
We nearly laugh our bellies open.
Finding the Cell Phone
Mother’s cell phone disappeared,
and she hurried everywhere to look.
“Where did that darn phone go?
Baby, hurry, help Mama find it.”
Baby came out of the bathroom,
his round little face blooming like a flower,
holding the prize of victory in his hand:
“Mama phone—Baby got…”
Baby is already two years old,
a sensible child everyone loves.
Mama kisses his little face.
“My baby is getting better and better.”
Baby Climbs High
Kang-Kang loves to climb up high,
climbs onto his little wooden chair,
then climbs Daddy’s writing desk,
climbs across the back of the sofa,
then climbs the cabinet by the bed.
“Don’t climb! Come down right now!”
Mama gets terribly angry,
her voice like thunder rolling with rain.
Kang-Kang gets scared and starts to cry.
Kang-Kang has so much energy,
he is curious about the world around him.
He wants to become a grown-up,
he wants to explore the secrets all around.
Mama, Mama, don’t be anxious,
let him go and try his way.
Children grow taller through bumps and falls,
and grow up through tumbling and scrambling.
The Spider Spins a Web
Spider, spider,
big round belly,
climbing up,
climbing down,
busy, busy.
What are you doing,
busy, busy?
I’m weaving a web,
waiting for prey.
When mosquitoes and flies arrive,
they fill my belly.
Spider, spider,
free and easy,
flying to flowers,
flying to trees.
What are you doing,
drawing pictures, weaving cloth?
I am spinning silk,
building a nest, making a house.
Working freely,
feeding myself.
Tossing Sandbags
(Girls wrapped sand in bright scraps of cloth to make little tofu-shaped bags, tossing and catching them with great enthusiasm.)
Sisters, come play tossing sandbags,
all five fingers work together.
Throw five, catch five—
big sister gets a bump upon her head.
Throw four, catch one—
fourth sister wears a bright red coat.
Throw three, catch two—
third sister loves char-siu buns.
Throw two, catch three—
second sister marries a rich man.
Throw one, catch four—
fifth sister is clever with hands and heart.
Sisters, come play tossing sandbags,
you sing, I laugh—what happiness!