Poetry for Children 5903-23
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Favorite Silverstein poems

All poems on this page were written by Shel Silverstein

Something Missing

 

I remember I put on my socks,

I remember I put on my shoes.

I remember I put on my tie

That was painted

In beautiful purples and blues.

I remember I put on my coat,

To look perfectly grand at the dance,

Yet I fell there is something

I may have forgot----

What is it? What is it?. . .

 

A Light in the Attic, Harper & Row Publishers, 1981

 

attic.gif
Available from amazon.com.Accessed June 9,2005

Introduction
I think kids will like this poem. I always seem to be forgetting things. You have to look at the pictures to really understand it.
 
Expansion
Don't show the children the picture, just read the poem. Ask  what do you think could be missing? A good activity to get kids into discussions. Ask the class to finish the poem. Who knows where it could lead?

zebra.jpg
Available from homepage.univie.ac.at/. ../pwperspd.htm . Accessed June 12, 2005

 

Zebra Question

 

I asked the zebra,

Are you black with white stripes?

Or white with black stripes?

And the zebra asked me,

Are you good with bad habits?

Or are you bad with good habits?

Are you noisy with quiet times?

Or are you quiet with noisy times?

Are you happy with some sad days?

Or are you sad with some happy days?

Are you neat with some sloppy ways?

Or are you sloppy with some neat ways?

And on and on and on and on

And on and on he went.

I’ll never ask a zebra

About stripes

Again.

 

A Light in the Attic,Harper & Row Publishers 1981

Introduction

I think of a little five year old asking question when I read this poem. By the time you finish answering their question you are so confused you forget  what the question was.

Expansion

Have the children pick out the verbs in the sentences.  List the verbs on the board and write the opposite of that verb.  Ask for volunteers in the class to read the poem each one takes a different sentence. Take the zebra  and color him in different colors instead of black and white.

More poems