Author: Kenn Nesbitt

Kenn Nesbitt, former U.S. Children's Poet Laureate, is celebrated for blending humor and heart in his poetry for children. Known for books such as "My Cat Knows Karate" and "Revenge of the Lunch Ladies," he captivates young readers globally.

Enter the STEAM Powered Poetry Video Contest!

If you love poetry, creativity, and a little bit of science, I’ve got something fun to share with you! My friend and fellow children’s poet Heidi Bee Roemer and her team of poets and educators have launched a wonderful opportunity for students who enjoy blending art and imagination with science, technology, engineering, and math.

It’s called the STEAM Powered Poetry Video Contest, and it’s open now through April 30, 2026. This contest invites junior high, high school, and college students to create short, engaging one-minute videos based on poems from a special collection of STEAM-themed poetry. There’s no entry fee, and you could win up to $100!

How Audiobooks Build Fluency in Young Readers

If you’ve ever listened to a child labor through a book, sounding out word after word, you know how much effort goes into decoding. For young readers, so much mental energy is spent just figuring out the words on the page that there’s little left for fluency, expression, or comprehension. That’s where audiobooks can make a huge difference. Far from being “cheating,” listening to books is one of the best ways to help children grow into strong, confident readers.

Introducing Lifetime Memberships on Poetry4kids

I’m thrilled to share some exciting news! In addition to monthly memberships, Poetry4kids now offers lifetime memberships—a one-time contribution of $99 that gives you VIP access on the site, forever.

When I first created Poetry4kids 30 years ago, my goal was simple: to help kids fall in love with reading through laughter and language. Over the years, the site has grown to include more than a thousand funny poems, dozens of writing lessons, hundreds of activity worksheets, and loads of teacher resources, all designed to make poetry fun and accessible for children and educators everywhere. Your support as a member helps me keep creating new poems, producing educational content, and maintaining the website so kids (and teachers) can keep enjoying it for free.

Until now, memberships have been available on a monthly basis, with levels ranging from $1/month to $25/month. These memberships unlock access to premium pages (including poems by reading level and poetic techniques), student activity worksheets, free ebooks, and other exclusive goodies. But I know that not everyone wants another monthly subscription to keep track of, so I’ve added a Lifetime Membership option for those who’d rather make a single, lasting contribution.

As a lifetime member, you’ll receive everything offered in the Fan, Cheerleader, and Booster levels, including:

The Leaves Are Falling Off the Trees by Kenn Nesbitt The Leaves Are Falling Off the Trees

It’s October, and the weather has finally started turning cold. The leaves are changing colors and beginning to fall, swirling and spinning in the breeze. I’ve already written a couple of Halloween poems this month, so I thought I’d do something a little different, something that simply celebrates the season itself.

The idea for the ending of this poem came to me almost instantly, and I knew I had to write the whole thing just to build up to that moment. I hope you enjoy it.

The Leaves Are Falling Of the Trees

The leaves are falling off the trees.
It’s fun to watch them whirl.
It only takes the slightest breeze
to make them swoop and swirl.

They twist and spin, they dip and dance.
Their flights are acrobatic.
They do this yearly, not by chance;
instead, it’s autumn-matic.

— Kenn Nesbitt

Sticky Sweet Trick-or-Treat by Kenn Nesbitt Sticky Sweet Trick-or-Treat

I came up with the last word of this poem earlier this year. It’s what’s called a portmanteau word, which means a made-up word created by blending two real words together, like combining breakfast and lunch to make the word “brunch.”

Now, at the time, it was the beginning of June, and writing a Halloween poem in the middle of spring didn’t make much sense. So I just jotted the word down in my notes and waited. Now that October is here, I thought it was the perfect time to see if I could turn that one silly word into a whole poem, and this is what I came up with.

Sticky Sweet Trick-or-Treat

I went trick-or-treating.
I only got stuff
with marshmallows in it
or marshmallow fluff.

My basket was filled up
with Rice Krispies Treats,
s’mores, Peeps, and Moon Pies,
and other such sweets,
like cocoa with marshmallows
floating on top,
a rocky road bar,
and a marshmallow pop.

I’m not sure what happened.
I guess this must mean
I went trick-or-treating
on Marshmalloween.

— Kenn Nesbitt

The Power of Poetry for English-Language Learners

When children are learning a new language, laughter can be one of the most powerful teaching tools you have. Humor not only lightens the classroom atmosphere, but it also opens the mind to absorb new sounds, rhythms, and words. Over the years, I’ve discovered that funny poetry—short, rhythmic, and full of imagination—can make learning English not only easier, but genuinely joyful.

As someone who has spent decades writing funny poems for children, I’ve had the privilege of hearing from teachers all around the world who use my work in their classrooms. And as a language learner myself—having studied both Spanish and Portuguese—I know firsthand what it feels like to wrestle with pronunciation, spelling, and meaning in a new language. I keep those experiences in mind whenever I write, always aiming to create poems that are playful, musical, and accessible for learners of every level.