Butterfly CycleBy Suzy Gazlay

Hatch, hatch little egg,I'm so very small.

Teeny tiny caterpillar,You can't see me at all.

Crawl, caterpillar, crawl,Munching on a leaf.

Crawling, munching, crawling, munching,Eat and eat and eat.

Form, form chrysalis,I'm a different shape;

Hanging by a silken threadUntil I can escape.

Rest, rest, chrysalisWhile I change inside;

Now at last my time has comeTo be a butterfly.

Stretch, stretch, pretty wings,It's a special day;

Soon they will be strong enoughFor me to fly away.

Fly, fly, butterfly,Fly from flower to tree;

Find a place to lay my eggsSo they can grow like me.

FamilyOur family comes

From many homes,Our hair is straight,Our hair is brown,

Our hair is curled,Our eyes are blue,

Our skins are differentColors, too.

We're girls and boys,We're big and small,We're young and old,We're short and tall.

We're everythingThat we can beAnd still we are

A family.

We laugh and cry,We work and play,

We help each other Every day.

The world's a lovelyPlace to be

Because we areA family.

Glad to Be Me!

Sometimes I wish I was someone else, but mostly I’m glad I’m ME!

We all have our likes and differences as everyone can see.

Some of us like to hurry, some like to take our time.

Some spend all their money, some save each dime.

Some are good at English; some are good at math.

Some of us like showers some prefer the bath.

Some of us are quiet; some of us are loud.

Some of us like to be alone; some of us like a crowd.

Some of us are tall; some of us are short.

Some like to play an instrument, some like to play a sport.

Some of us are black or brown, and some of us are white.

Some of us leave the light on when we go to bed at night.

All of us are special as everyone can see,

You like you, and I like you, but also I

like ME!

A Fish in a SpaceshipBy Kenn Nesbitt

A fish in a spaceship is flying through school.A dinosaur's dancing on top of a stool.

The library's loaded with orange baboons,in purple tuxedos with bows and balloons.

The pigs on the playground are having a racewhile pencils parade in their linens and lace.

As camels do cartwheels and elephants fly,bananas are baking a broccoli pie

.A hundred gorillas are painting the walls,while robots on rockets careen through the halls.

Tomatoes are teaching in all of the classes.Or maybe, just maybe, I need some new glasses.

Springby Karla Kuskin

I’m shoutingI’m singing

I’m swinging through treesI’m winging sky-high

With the buzzing black bees.

I’m the sunI’m the moon

I’m the dew on the rose.I’m a rabbit

Whose habitIs twitching his nose.

I’m livelyI’m lovely

I’m kicking my heels.I’m crying “Come dance”

To the freshwater eels.

I’m racing through meadowsWithout any coat

I’m a gamboling lambI’m a light leaping goat

I’m a budI’m a bloom

I’m a dove on the wing.I’m running on rooftops

And welcoming spring!

Mother Doesn’t Want a DogBy Judith Viorst

Mother doesn’t want a dog.Mother says they smell,

And never sit when you say sit,Or even when you yell.

And when you come home late at nightAnd there is ice and snow,

You have to go back out becauseThe little dog had to go.

Mother doesn’t want a dog.Mother says they shed,

And always let the strangers in And bark at friends instead,

And do disgraceful things on the rugs,And track mud on the floor,

And flop upon your bed at nightAnd snore their doggy snore.

Mother doesn’t want a dog.She’s making a mistake.

Because, more than a dog, I thinkShe will not want this snake.

The Teachers' Showby Bruce Lansky

I have an important announcement.I want everybody to know:

on Monday all classes are cancelled.The teachers will put on a show.

Miss Teresita will juggle meatballs.Miss Anita will dance with a bear.

Miss Carola and I will yodel.Miss Carolina will tear out her hair.

Sister Mary Jo is quite entertaining.She does something you've never seen.

If you want a bad case of measlesShe’ll paint them on red, white, and

green.

Sister Catherine is also performing.She’s come up with something quite new.

She’s doing her act in the kitchen.She’s dumping the cooks in the stew.

Your parents are certainly welcome,but make sure to tell them the rule:

If any of them arrive tardy,they'll have to be kept after school..

Patricia Brought Her ParakeetPatricia Brought Her Parakeetby Kenn Nesbitt

Patricia Brought Her ParakeetIt pecked at Patrick’s puppy.

Samantha’s salamander swiftlygobbled Gracie’s guppy.

Savannah’s snapping turtlesnapped the nose of Franklin’s frog.

I’d say Fernando’s ferretwent berserk on Daniel’s dog.

Poor Jordan found his gerbilbeing chased by Katelyn’s cat,and everyone was panicking’cause Ryan brought his rat.

The teacher screamed and fainted,and she fell right off her stool.

I guess I shouldn’t bringmy pet tarantula to school.

She soon enough recovered,but you should have heard her yell.

It looks like that’s the last time

we’ll bring pets for show-and-tell.

My Feelings by Meish Goldish

There are things I have that I can't see,

Things that change inside of me.What, oh what, can those things be?

My feelings!

When a freind calls up and says, "Let's play,"

When I work in school and get and "A,"

When my favorite dinner's on its way,I'm happy!

When I can't go out because of rain,When my tummy hurts and I'm in pain,

When my favorite toy goes down the drain,I'm sad!

When thunder booms, and the lights go out,When suddenly I hear a shout,

When an ugly bug will crawl about,I'm afraid!

At times I'm happy, at times I'm sad,At times I'm scared, at times I'm glad,

I know I'm me, because I've had My feelings!

A Pizza the Size of the SunBy Jack Prelutsky

I’m making a pizza the size of the sun,A pizza that’s sure to weigh more than a ton,

A pizza too massive to pick up and toss,A pizza resplendent with oceans of sauce.

I’m topping the pizza with mountains of cheese,

With lots of peppers, pimentos and peas,

With mushrooms, tomatoes and sausage galore,

With every last olive they had in the store.

My pizza is sure to be one of a kind.My pizza will leave other pizzas

behind.

My pizza will be a delectable treatThat all who love pizza are welcome

to eat.

The oven is hot. I believe it will takeA year and a half for my pizza to

bake.

I hardly can wait till my pizza is doneMy wonderful pizza the size of the

sun.

Autumn Leaves by Eve Merriam

DowndowndownRed

yellowbrown

Autumn leaves tumble down,Autumn leaves crumble down,Autumn leaves bumble down,

Flaking and shaking,Tumbledown leaves.

SkitteryFlittery

Rustle byHustle by

Crackle and crunchIn a snappety bunch.

Run and catchRun and catchButterfly leavesSailboat leaves

Windstorm leaves.Can you catch them?

Swoop,Scoop,

Pile them upIn a stompy pile and

JumpJump

JUMP!