Poems about ANIMALS!
by Little Dazzy Donuts
Here’s a selection of poems about animals taken from the weekly Kids’ Poetry Club podcast, including links to podcast episodes and YouTube videos.
All poems are written by children’s poet, Little Dazzy Donuts. Illustrations by Dot Cherch.
Why not sign up to receive a Poem-A-Week?! A fun poem popping into your email inbox once a week. What a cool idea!!
“Up To Bat”
(available in episode 116 and on YouTube)
They swoop through the air,
and put on a grand show.
Looping the loop,
shoot high, and drop low.
With a quick flap of wings,
they then glide and they munch,
eating thousands of insects
for their breakfast and lunch.
So, when the sun has sent out
the last of its rays,
I grab a lawn chair
to sit down and wait
for the arrival of the
best ever aerial display
that only happens at night.
Never during the day.
There really is nothing
to ever beat that,
which is why, every evening,
I’m first up to bat.
“True Colors”
(available in episode 106 and on YouTube)
If you stumble upon a caterpillar,
take good care of it.
Keep it safe, and let it eat,
so one day on the wind,
a colorful fluttering butterfly
will brighten up your day.
The joy you’ll find when butterflies
visit on their way.
The same is true of people.
There’s a magic there to find.
Inside us all is a butterfly
waiting for the time
we allow ourselves the chance to change
and leave the old behind.
With a burst of color, and a flap of wings,
we finally learn to fly.
“The Ant Dance”
(available in episode 91 and on YouTube)
It may look like I’m dancing,
unless you’re quite near.
Like I’m gyrating to some music
only I can now hear.
You’ll have seen me do free dance,
some steps of Bunny Hop,
the Bump, and the Hustle,
and a little Turkey Trot.
I’ve done the Mambo, the Rumba,
the Salsa, and Jive.
I Breakdanced, then Stick Danced,
and then improvised.
For a while, I did Tango,
the Waltz and the Twist,
but there’s a key piece to the puzzle
that you’ll probably have missed,
and that’s the fact that my body
is crawling with ants.
I have them inside of my t-shirt
and inside of my pants.
If anyone is passing,
and sees this, by chance,
please tell them I’m practicing
what I call The Ant Dance.
“Mole In My Soul”
(available in episode 88)
I consider myself a digger!
I'll dig both day and night.
You’ll find me out in soil and dirt.
I dig with all my might.
Show me a lovely grassy lawn,
I'll tell you to beware.
If you close your eyes then open them,
you’ll see soil piles everywhere.
My shoes are caked with dried on mud.
My clothes are all stained brown.
You know exactly where I’ve been
from the mess I leave around
I dig with shovels, dig with spades,
and dig with my bare hands.
I’ve never really known quite why,
but I’ve come to understand
my role to build long tunnels
and even bigger holes.
On the surface I look quite normal,
but there’s a mole there in my soul.
“Mountains Out Of Molehills”
(available in episode 88)
I walked out one morning
to find that you’d made
a line of mounds, neat and small,
that you’d left on my lawn
like a join-the-dots row
built from the ground up
out of soil.
I decided to leave them
but woke the next day
to find you’d added some more to the top.
What started as dumplings
were growing in size,
leaving me hoping you’d soon
opt to stop.
But, after one week,
they’d reached such a height
that the neighbors could see what you’d done.
And my garden then sat
in near permanent shade
with your mounds of earth
blocking the sun.
Still, I chose to hope
that soon you would tire
and your nightly building would stop.
As I stood on my lawn,
staring up cliffs of soil
with snowy peaks
up at the top.
Now, after a month,
my lawn has now gone,
and it’s clear you’ll be digging until
I wake up each morning
to look out upon
mountains you’ve built
from molehills.
“Bear In Mind”
(available in episode 82 and on YouTube)
When the world is all chilly or frozen,
what cheers me right up,
is to head to Bear Steps.
Where I order a cup
of steaming hot tea
in a nice ceramic pot,
and a freshly toasted tea cake
that I smother with a lot
of yummy runny butter.
Then, I sit there and watch
as the world walks by
in its hats and its coats.
I'm warmed right up,
in part by the tea,
but mostly by separating
the world out from me,
as I sip and I nibble,
there's a peace that I find,
that you're welcome to share.
Just bear it in mind.
“My Calling”
(available in episode 80 and on YouTube)
Are you calling for me?
Or just calling out?
Or just calling,
with no purpose
other than to shout
it out loud
for anyone or no one
to hear what you say?
It seems you don't care,
as you're still calling away.
Broadcasting to a world
in a language of song.
I listened for a while,
and it didn't take long
before I tuned into the message
you've been spreading
and bawling,
and I found out at last
that I'd discovered my calling.
“Owl Be There”
(available in episode 80)
When you feel alone, Owl be there.
Owl always be your friend.
Owl be your companion.
Owl stand by you, ‘til the very end.
If you need to leave, Owl come along.
Owl even lead the way.
Owl hold your hand throughout the night.
Owl be there throughout the day.
Owl share in all those happy days.
When sad, Owl make them fun.
Whatever you need, Owl be there.
Owl always be the one.
Though others fall, and others fail, Owl be one that’s true.
Owl not leave.
Owl not go.
Owl be there for you.
“Feathered Friends”
(available in episode 66 and on YouTube)
They’re hopping lots.
They’re in the air.
They’re eating grubs
without a care.
They’re singing songs.
They’re kicking leaves.
They’re on the ground,
and up in trees.
They’re on the feeder.
They’re in the bath.
They’re rummaging through
the cabbage patch.
They’re soaring high.
They’re swooping down.
They’re on telephone wires
all over town.
They’re laying eggs.
They’re building nests.
They’re controlling all our
bugs and pests.
They’re heading South.
They’re heading North.
They’re in flocks migrating
back and forth.
I’m having fun
that never ends,
out here with my
feathered friends.
“Fuzzy And Blurry”
(available in episode 66)
My world’s all fuzzy and blurry.
It makes for quite a sight.
I’m spinning dials,
and squinting hard,
but just can’t get
it right.
For sure, objects seem bigger.
I just can’t tell what they are.
They’re just a blend
of colored shapes
that mash-up near
and far.
I’ve tried with one eye open.
I’ve tried with glasses off.
But nothing works.
I may give up.
The whole thing’s just
too tough.
My 20-20 vision
is zero-zero today.
With my focus gone,
the time has come,
to put these binoculars
away.
“Migration”
(available in episode 66)
Hang on, birds, I’m coming.
Migration’s sure for me.
I’ll pack my clothes,
and bathroom bag.
Just wait there in a tree.
A Winter in the sunshine
by a pool or sea,
with swimming, sports,
and lots of fun.
It sounds ideal to me.
Who needs a plane to reach the warmth,
I’m with the swifts and geese.
They know the way,
I’ll follow them.
I’ll get there in one piece.
Come March, I’ll join you coming home.
I’ll be back again by Spring.
So, wait a mo,
for me to pack,
and then to grow my wings.
“The Fish That Got Away”
(available in episode 55 and on YouTube)
Let me tell you all about
the one that got away!
I’d fished all day,
without a bite,
and no big fish to weigh.
Then, at last,
the line it tugged,
I knew that it was big,
the size perhaps
of my whole foot
and maybe half my leg!
I reeled it in,
imagining
how all would be impressed,
for sure it was a salmon,
a trout or mighty bass.
But in the end,
I found out that
my catch was not so great
as there was no massive fish
attached there to my bait.
Hanging there, was a welly boot -
it was all I caught that day.
And so instead,
I tell this tale
of a fish that got away!
“The Very Modest Fish”
(available in episode 52 and on YouTube)
For a decidedly pretty fish,
you’re a very shy guy.
You blush oh so red,
if I look in your eye.
For all you’ve accomplished,
you have modesty too,
you don’t boast of achievements
that draw attention to you.
You’re bashful and humble:
so reserved for a fish.
To be as unassuming,
is something I wish.
Your unpretentious nature
is what I enjoy.
You brighten the pond,
yet you’re also just koi.
“The Fish Band”
(available in episode 55)
There was a Bass and a Salmon.
A Trout and Carp too.
Playing hard Rock and Sole,
‘til their Breams all came true.
They were Perched up on stage,
with Mullets galore,
and they Clowned and they Floundered.
Did the Conger and all!
They Cod have done better.
It was Roughy for sure,
And most folks agreed that they
broke one or more lures.
If only the band
had ended it sooner,
as it was clear to us all
they were all out of Tuna.
“Pond World”
(available in episode 52 and on YouTube)
There's a pond in my garden -
a different world, so it seems.
I now keep a pond diary
of all that I've seen.
It has dragonflies, frogspawn,
pond snails, and toads.
It has newts and pond skaters.
As for larvae, there's loads.
In Summer, it has grass snakes.
In Winter, there's frogs,
amphibians hide in rockeries
and piles of logs.
The whole year 'round,
there's something to see,
grab a pen and some paper
and come watch with me.
“The Dog Show”
(available in episode 43 and on YouTube)
The performance began quickly,
once the curtain went up,
with a ventriloquist act
from a beagle and pup.
Then on the trapeze
we saw Rover and Spot,
and slight-of-paw magic
from a Dalmation named Dot.
A family of spaniels
performed as a choir,
before a Labrador Retriever
walked the high wire.
Then a rock band of dachsunds
played sing-a-long hits,
while gymnastic Chihuahuas
all did the splits.
I watched quite amazed,
sat in the front row,
the night of the strangest
ever dog show.
“The Story Of Nibbly McNibbleson”
(available in episode 43)
Nibbly McNibbleson was the dog nibbling queen.
She’d nibble everything when she couldn’t be seen.
She nibbled her legs, and she nibbled her paws.
She nibbled so much, her poor body was raw.
Then, she nibbled her blanket the whole of the day,
to the point where she’d nibbled the blanket away.
One day, she tired of nibbling her bed,
and decided she’d try doing licking instead.
So, she licked all the mirrors, the tables, and chairs.
Then, she licked all the rugs and the carpeted stairs.
Her licking won a place in the dog Hall of Fame,
and so Licky McLickerson became her new name.
“99 Dogs”
(available in episode 43)
I saw two people, heading off for a walk
with 99 dogs in a pack.
So, I asked them why they had so many dogs,
and they thought for a while and said back,
“We’ve tried having different numbers of dogs:
from a lot to hardly any.
The lesson we’ve learned is 98’s not enough
but 100 dogs is too many.”
“Crabby The Crab”
(available in episode 34)
Crabby the Crab was only crabby by name.
Despite all of her joy, it seemed such a shame
that she’d be playful, and happy, and joking all day,
still those on the beach would pointedly say,
“Don’t be so crabby, you crabby little crab.”
Now, that could have made a normal crab mad,
but Crabby kept smiling simply because
she liked being happy, and loved who she was,
and she always planned on staying the same:
she wasn’t crabby by nature, only by name.
“Day Trip”
(available in episode 34)
When a family of mice takes a day trip,
they’re going to need a big bus,
because there are so many mice in a family.
There are far more of them than of us.
Off they all went for a day at the beach,
the bus all packed full of mice,
with Gran at the back, the kids at the front.
The weather was set to be nice.
When they arrived, they played in the sand,
and some dipped there paws in the sea,
before they went off to the fairground.
Except Granny, who sat down for tea.
They did every ride, the big and the small,
and before they stopped for a meal,
they all had the fun of running really fast
inside of the big Ferris wheel.
When they got home, the kid mice were asleep,
when the bus pulled up at their house,
which is why we all say, at the end of the day,
please be as quiet as a mouse.
“Bare Bear”
(available in episode 29 and on YouTube)
It's as in bear with,
and not bare behind.
So don’t bear your soul,
but do bear in mind.
Although bare and bear
sound the same word,
they only bear a resemblance
in the way they are heard.
First, you bear down,.
Then, you bear up.
Why bear a grudge?
Just give a bear hug.
Don’t bear the brunt,
or bring pressure to bear.
Trust it to bear fruit,
and be bear aware.
Let me bear witness,
on why you should care.
Although this may be more
than you really can bear.
“Rat Race”
(available in episode 7 and on YouTube)
Mom says she’s in the rat race,
which is a strange thing to be in,
given I’ve never seen here training,
so there’s no way that she’ll win.
I bet that rats can run real fast,
if the distance is quite short,
and the rats have a real advantage
with Mom not good at sport.
If the race takes them through the town,
those rats will all still win,
because the race will pass a coffee shop,
and Mom will just pop in.
I bet those rats are training now –
they'll all be at the gym.
Whereas Mom is sat here eating cake –
if it’s a food race, then she’d win.
In light of all the things I’ve said
about Mom not running fast,
I think it’s best if she goes to work,
and forgets of racing rats.
“Made For Ducks”
(available in episode 14)
The sun didn’t come out today,
and the sky was filled with clouds of gray
that held on loosely to their rain
before dumping it down again,
and again,
until rivers ran where there once were roads
and canoes were paddled where cars once drove.
Those wanting sun were out of luck
for today was mostly just made for ducks.
“Foggy Froggy”
(available in episode 14 and on YouTube)
"It’s foggy," said the froggy
sat on his pad.
The fog thick around him,
visibility bad.
He can't see the water,
he can't see a fly,
he can't see the bank,
and he can't see the sky.
When the sun's shining
he sees all the pond.
But, when foggy this morning,
he sees nothing beyond
the end of his lily,
so he sits there to wait
for the fog to all lift
and the sun to create
a warm day of sunshine
for frogs to all play.
Nothing dampens frog's life
like a thick foggy day.
“Bee’s Knees”
(available in episode 11 and on YouTube)
You say I’m the bee’s knees.
Oh, please!
How can it possibly be
that the best part of a bee
is the knee?
That makes no sense at all to me
when they fly so fast
and fly so far
to visit two million flowers for one single jar
of their wonderfully yummy, runny honey.
All of which makes it so funny
that it’s the knee that you think of
when you think of me.
Surely I’m as good as a head-to-toe bee!
Four penguin friends decided
to go for a walk in the snow.
They made a packed lunch for their flippers to carry
and lined up ready to go.
The friend at the front was named Slow Coach
so the first mile took such a long time
that the one at the back gave up and went home
leaving just three penguins in line.
Next to lead was a penguin named Speedy,
but his speed meant he'd slide and he'd slip,
and after he fell over for the tenth time,
Slow Coach called an end to his trip.
This left just two penguins out on a walk:
Speedy and one name of Munch,
and at Munch’s insistence they halted the walk,
and both penguins sat down for their lunch!
Later that day the four penguin friends
were huddled at home doing fine.
When one said, "Next time we all go out for a walk,
please let's not do it in line".
It all started on Monday when I found a single ant
sat down on my kitchen floor.
We had a nice chat, and I explained he should leave,
and I politely showed him the door.
The next day, I walked down to my kitchen,
to find ten ants in a long line,
they were making their way to the fruit bowl,
with its oranges, lemons, and lime.
By Wednesday, it was starting to get desperate.
There were ants everywhere I could see.
I could tell that if any of us would be leaving,
the ants all thought it was me!
So, I got myself an anteater,
to vacuum them up with its snout,
and as soon as the ants saw her enter the house,
those ants were quick to march out.
What I’ve now learned about anteaters,
is that, when they come, they’re coming to stay,
and they seem quite a sociable creature,
as four more arrived the next day.
So, now I have a house full of anteaters.
They’re on all the couches and chairs.
There’s a few in the bath, and two in my bed,
and about twenty sat on the stairs.
It seems that I sorted my ant problem,
but I’ve replaced it with another, you see.
If anyone knows what clears anteaters,
please send those details to me!
“Baboon”
(available in episode 8)
Right behind my house is a big hill of trees,
without a single baboon!
It seems sad that the branches have no one to swing,
so I hope a baboon arrives soon.
I’ve written to Santa to ask for his help.
I wrote to my Senator too.
Surely one of them knows of a baboon that could come,
if just for a week, or for two.
Until that day’s here, I’ll look at the trees,
and picture a swinging baboon,
leaping from one branch to the next.
Oh, I hope that baboon arrives soon!
“Tortoise”
(available in episode 7)
I asked my friend, Tortoise, to play on my team,
and I thought that I’d put her in goal.
But she missed every shot,
and we trailed at the half,
she just didn’t seem right for the role.
Her reactions were slow,
and her diving was poor,
I’m sure that no-one could tell,
she’d have been the best goalie ever
if she’d just gotten out of her shell.
Harry the Hedgehog was never picked for the team,
regardless of what sport they’d all play.
He’d stand on the side, and wait for the day
when the coach would say, “Bowling today,”
and he’d curl into a ball and bowl those pins down.
That’s when Harry would be king of the town.
Until that day finally appears,
he's stood at the side, and his teammates he cheers!
“My Homework”
(available in episode 5)
Dinosaurs ate my homework!
They munched up every word.
Now, there’s nothing left to show you.
Is that the strangest thing you’ve heard?
I must have written one thousand words.
Hang on … it was ten thousand or more …
when a group of hungry dinosaurs
just walked in through the door.
I ran screaming to my bedroom,
but left my homework on the floor,
and I heard those dinos eat and roar
with my ear pressed to the door.
They first ate all my essays,
then my science project too,
and for dessert they ate my math books –
there was plenty there to chew.
When finished, they gave a giant burp,
then left me all alone.
The sad loss of my homework being
the only sign they were in my home.
So, now you know why I’m asking,
given that all of this is true,
can I have an extra day of time
to get my homework back to you?
“Raining Cats & Dogs”
(available in episode 4)
I overheard someone say
it was raining cats and dogs today,
so I grabbed my coat and grabbed my hat
to dash outside to catch a cat.
I pictured them raining in the streets
with dogs then landing up in trees.
But there were no animals to be found,
just big deep puddles on the ground.
I imagine that they landed safe,
and ran off quick to get away.
Next time it rains, I hope it brings
a flood of animals and other things.
I'd like a shower of kangaroos,
and a quick downpour of gnus.
I'd want a drizzle of raccoons,
and a thin mist of baboons,
then after about an hour or two,
the street would just be one big zoo!
“The Cat’s Return”
(available in episode 4)
This house is tidy!
This house is clean!
I find myself wondering,
what does this all mean?
Is somebody visiting,
later today,
that we must impress
in some special way?
Or are they selling the house,
and I just didn’t know?
If so, they better take me
wherever they go!
Or did I enter the wrong house
when I came back alone,
and this perfectly clean place
is not my own home?
Whatever is it,
why this house is clean,
I assume it’s an accident
and not something they mean
to stay perfect forever
in this sparkly state,
so I’ll just do my usual
and mess up this place!
Me and my dog go out for a walk,
and it’s plain for all to see,
that it’s really not me who is walking the dog,
it’s the dog who is out walking me.
My dog is quite a bit bigger than me,
and so she can easily drag me round town.
One minute she’s taking me up a long street,
and the next she brings me back down.
She takes me around all her best places,
like the butchers and down to the park.
Sometimes she gets tired, lays down and won’t move,
and we’re stuck there ‘til way after dark.
At the end of the day, she’ll sprint us back home.
My poor feet, they won’t touch the ground.
Despite all of this, I love every walk –
I’m a pet of the world’s greatest hound.
It may surprise you to know that the birds in your yard
are quite a competitive bunch.
They’ll fight over food any time of the day,
and especially at breakfast and lunch.
From a very young age, just out of the shell,
birds hear a message quite firm,
that the pathway to food and a very full tum
is to rise early and go get a worm!
The trouble with the early bird getting the worm,
is there’s so many birds to be fed.
So once one leaves early to find a nice worm,
the others just can’t stay in bed.
It all started on Monday with a very keen bird,
who was up right before dawn.
In response, the others set an earlier alarm
to beat that bird the next morn.
Each day, the birds got up earlier:
at five, then four, and then three,
and by Friday at midnight the birds were all up
with none left asleep in the tree.
Eventually the birds all looked at each other,
stood in the yard all the night,
and agreed it was silly waiting hours for worm,
and they went back to bed ‘til sunrise.
From that day on, the birds changed their approach:
there was an important lesson to learn,
that there’s a lot to be said to having breakfast in bed,
and eating cereal and toast, and not worm.
“I Was Woken This Morning”
(available in episode 2)
I was woken this morning
by the unmistakable sound
of a flock of migrating pigs.
With their small wriggly tales
and large flapping wings
catching the gusts
from a northerly wind.
And with a chorus of oinks,
off they did fly,
those migrating pigs
way up in the sky.
I wake up each morning,
and check that everything’s right,
just in case a part of me
wandered off in the night.
When I woke up this morning,
I counted my toes.
I counted my fingers,
and I counted my nose.
I counted my elbows.
I counted my tummy.
I counted my knees.
I know that sounds funny.
It totaled 26 when I counted last night.
If I count 25, I’ll be in for a fright.
If I count 27, then a new thing has grown,
and for sure a doctor will come
to see me at home.
I suggest you count too,
when you go to bed,
and you start with your toes,
and end with your head.
It’s the best you can do
to check everything’s right,
and that nothing gets lost
when off wandering at night.
I had tried really hard, but totally failed
to fall asleep in my bed.
So I used an old trick a friend told to me
and I counted some sheep in my head.
I pictured the first one entering my room.
Soon there was two, three, then four.
Before very long there were sheep everywhere,
plus they were lined up outside my door.
There was almost no room for any more sheep.
They were three-sheep-deep on my bed.
Plus I’d stacked them on top of the wardrobe,
and there was one balanced right on my head.
Things were starting to get desperate:
one hundred sheep in disarray.
So I decided to picture a sheepdog
to come in and herd them away.
Ten minutes later, that sheep dog
had my bedroom empty of sheep.
To be honest the whole thing had tired me so much,
I soon found myself fast asleep.
My advice to you is quite simple.
If you’re ever counting sheep, there’s no doubt,
you should open your door and your window,
so the sheep can come in and get out.
