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.

A picnic basket icon representing Kenn Nesbitt's poem "We Went to the Park" We Went to the Park

It might be a little late in the year for picnics in the park, at least where I live. With the days getting colder and the leaves falling, eating lunch outside starts to sound less inviting. Still, I thought it would be fun to imagine one last picnic before winter. All you need is a blanket, some tasty food, and a little cooperation from the weather. Unfortunately, in this poem, the weather isn’t the only thing that refuses to cooperate. This is…

We Went to the Park

We went to the park for a picnic today.
The sky became cloudy and windy and gray.

We spread out our blanket with all of our food.
(A couple of clouds couldn’t ruin our mood.)

An army of ants came and started to munch
on all of the foods we had brought for our lunch.

Some bees started buzzing around our dessert.
Mosquitos attacked us. Their stings really hurt.

A dog began barking. He chased us around
as squirrels and birds dumped our drinks on the ground.

A skunk wandered over. It started to rain.
We ran away screaming. This day was insane!

Completely defeated, we went home and cried.
I think that we’ll have our next picnic inside.

— Kenn Nesbitt

While Walking Down the Street Today

Autumn is definitely here! The days are getting colder, it’s starting to rain more often where I live, and we’ve had some pretty windy days lately.

When I go out in the rain, I usually wear a hat to keep the raindrops off my face and glasses. Of course, when it’s windy too, that creates another problem. Sometimes I have to hold onto my hat to keep it from blowing away. It’s hard to enjoy a walk when the weather is trying to borrow your clothes.

One day, while I was holding my hat firmly on my head, I started wondering what would happen if I let go. How far would it fly? Could I catch it? And where might it lead me if I had to chase it?

That little “what if” became “While Walking Down the Street Today.” I liked imagining a hat that always stayed just out of reach, turning an ordinary walk into a much longer adventure. Sometimes all you need to get a story started is a little breeze. This is…

While Walking Down the Street Today

While walking down the street today
my hat blew off and flew away.
I chased it down the avenue
but couldn’t catch it. On it flew.
I chased that hat across a bridge,
then up along a rocky ridge,
then through a park and past a school,
and all around a swimming pool,
beside a creek, and up a hill,
and on and on and on until…
it suddenly came to a stop!
It fell and landed right on top
of someone. It was my friend Jim.
He smiled at me. I smiled at him.
It felt so good to see his smile.
We stayed and chatted for a while.
We had so many things to say.
I’m glad my hat blew off today.

— Kenn Nesbitt

Cartoon icon of a haunted house representing the poem "Game Night at the Haunted House" by Kenn Nesbitt Game Night at the Haunted House

With Halloween just around the corner, I decided it was time to write a new Halloween poem. Or maybe a monster poem. But then I thought, why not write both?

Of course, there are plenty of poems about monsters being scary, chasing people, or lurking in dark places. But I wanted to do something a little different. I started wondering what monsters might do for fun when they’re not busy frightening everybody.

That’s when I imagined a group of famous monsters getting together at a haunted house for a friendly game night. After all, even Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman probably enjoy playing games with their friends now and then.

But what kinds of games would monsters play? Would they play the same games we do, or would they have their own spooky versions? Once I started thinking about that, I came up with all sorts of silly possibilities, and the poem practically wrote itself.

The result is a poem called “Game Night at the Haunted House.” It’s about a group of monsters having a wonderful time playing some rather unusual games. And, as you’ll discover, they’re always happy to welcome new players.

At least, that’s what they say.

Game Night at the Haunted House

It’s Game Night at the Haunted House
on Halloween this year.
The Wolfman, Mummy, Frankenstein,
and Dracula are here.

They’ve played a game of Duck, Duck, Ghost,
Brain Toss, and Tic-Tac-Boo,
plus Monster Polo, Slime-on Says,
and Dead Light, Green Light too.

They had such fun with Hide-and-Shriek,
and playing Truth-or-Scare,
but all the monsters hope that, next year,
you can join them there.

They say that you should come and play.
They’ll try their best to beat you.
So join them at the Haunted House.
They promise not to eat you.

— Kenn Nesbitt

Introducing Blazing Language

My New Language-Learning Website

If you’ve been visiting Poetry4kids for a while, you probably know that I love writing funny poems for kids. What you might not know is that I also love learning foreign languages, traveling to new places, and finding out about the people and cultures of the world.

Photograph of author Kenn Nesbitt studying in a Paris cafe with headphones on

Well, I’ve been busy combining those interests into a brand-new project in my spare time, and I’m excited to finally share it with you.

It’s called Blazing Language, and it’s a website that helps people learn foreign languages by listening to interesting podcasts about the world around us.

Don’t worry. I’m not giving up writing poetry! I’ll still be posting new poems here on Poetry4kids, just as I always have. This is simply another creative project I’ve been having fun with.

My Hamster Has a Hovercraft

When I was a kid, I had lots of toys, including toy cars, trucks, and airplanes. I loved imagining that they could go on incredible adventures, racing down highways, flying through the clouds, or speeding away from bad guys in daring escapes.

I also had quite a few pets growing up. Over the years, my family had cats and dogs, a parakeet, an aquarium full of fish, and even a snake! But there’s one pet I never had: a hamster.

That got me wondering what might happen if I combined two things I loved as a kid: pets and toy vehicles. What if a hamster got hold of a whole collection of toy cars, boats, and airplanes? What would he do with them? And why would a tiny little hamster need so many different ways to get around?

I started imagining a hamster with some pretty fancy transportation, including a monster truck, a limousine, a submarine, and even a hovercraft. Before long, I had a poem about a very unusual pet with a mysterious collection of vehicles. I hope you enjoy it. This is…

My Hamster Has a Hovercraft

My hamster has a hovercraft.
I couldn’t tell you why.
I think he’s on a secret mission.
Maybe he’s a spy.

He also has a monster truck,
a long black limousine,
a motorcycle, speedboat,
and a snazzy submarine.

He has a helicopter
and a supersonic jet,
a Lambo, a Ferrari,
and a cherry-red Corvette.

His cage contains a hamster wheel
he uses every day,
but when he saw my toys,
he snatched them up and ran away.

It seems he doesn’t need to be
the fastest pet alive.
He’s just so tired of exercise,
he’s learning how to drive.

— Kenn Nesbitt

My New Poetry Book Is Here!

It’s Here! My Biggest Book of Poetry Ever!

I have some BIG news!

Cover of The Greatest Book of Poetry Ever Written by Kenn Nesbitt

Today, October 13, 2026, my brand-new book, The Greatest Book of Poetry Ever Written by Kenn Nesbitt, is officially available! I’ve been working on this book for a long time, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to finally share it with you.

Now, before you ask, no, I don’t actually think I’ve written the greatest book of poetry ever. That would be a pretty ridiculous claim, wouldn’t it? That’s why I called it The Greatest Book of Poetry Ever Written by Kenn Nesbitt. You see, I’m only claiming that it’s the greatest book of poetry ever written by me.

And even that’s a bit of an exaggeration. In fact, if you look closely at the cover, you’ll see a tiny footnote that says “by weight.” Because, while I can’t promise this is my greatest book, I can definitely promise it’s my biggest, heaviest book of poetry ever!

120 Poems. 12 Chapters. One Ridiculously Big Book.

Most of my poetry books contain around 50 or 60 poems. This one has 120 poems spread across 259 pages, making it roughly twice the size of my usual collections.

I’ve organized the book into 12 fun-filled sections, with 10 poems in each. You’ll find poems about animals, monsters, school, sports, food, fairy tales, and all sorts of other silly subjects.

I’ve included many of my favorite poems from previous books, along with poems that have appeared on Poetry4kids.com but have never been published in a book before.

In fact, 18 of the poems are appearing in print for the very first time!

And, of course, the book is filled with wonderfully funny illustrations by Rafael Domingos.

Whether you’ve been reading my poems for years or you’re just discovering them, I hope you’ll find plenty here to make you laugh.

My New Favorite Book

Kids often ask me which of my books is my favorite. I usually tell them it’s my newest book, because every new book is like my baby. I’ve spent months taking care of it, and now I’m excited to introduce it to the world.

Of course, unlike a real baby, this one doesn’t cry in the middle of the night, need its diaper changed, or spit up on my shirt.

On the other hand, it weighs quite a bit more than my other books, so you probably shouldn’t try to carry it around in a baby stroller.

But Don’t Just Take My Word for It!

Of course, I’m probably a little biased when it comes to my own poetry. So don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what my friend Jack Prelutsky, America’s first Children’s Poet Laureate, has to say about the book:

“No poems were harmed in compiling this collection of Kenn’s best poems. As a matter of fact, if you read these poems, you’ll be protected from falling meteorites, volcanic explosions, and encounters with Bigfoot. Yes, these poems are that good.”

— Jack Prelutsky, America’s first Children’s Poet Laureate and author of The New Kid on the Block, Scranimals, and many other books.

Get Your Copy!

The Greatest Book of Poetry Ever Written by Kenn Nesbitt is available starting today in three editions:

  • Paperback — Perfect for reading at home, in the classroom, or under the covers with a flashlight.
  • Hardcover — A sturdy edition for libraries, classrooms, and anyone who wants to keep their poetry collection forever.
  • Kindle eBook — All the poems without the extra weight!

Get The Greatest Book of Poetry Ever Written by Kenn Nesbitt on Amazon

If you enjoy funny poetry, or know a young reader who does, I hope you’ll consider picking up a copy. It also makes a terrific gift for birthdays, holidays, classrooms, and school libraries.

And if you do get a copy and enjoy it, I’d be grateful if you’d please leave a review on Amazon. Reviews help other readers discover my books, and they mean a lot to me.

Thank You!

One of the best things about being a children’s poet is getting to share my work with readers like you. For nearly three decades, I’ve been posting funny poems here on Poetry4kids.com, and it still makes me happy to know that kids, parents, and teachers all over the world are reading them, laughing at them, and sharing them with others.

This book is a celebration of that.

So thank you for reading my poems, sharing them with your friends, and helping me do what I love most: making people laugh.

I hope you enjoy The Greatest Book of Poetry Ever Written by Kenn Nesbitt.

Is it really my greatest book ever? I’ll let you be the judge of that. But I can guarantee it’s the heaviest.

Happy reading!

— Kenn