Poetry Friday: I Like This Poem
When I was in the UK this spring, I found a delightful poetry anthology called I Like This Poem: A collection of poems chosen by children for children in aid of The International Year of the Child. The book was published in 1979 as a fundraiser and was unique insofar as the poems had been selected and recommended by children from ages 6-15. The anthology is divided into age categories, so a parent or children themselves, can select the section appropriate to their age or the age of their child. As to be expected, I had differing experiences reading the poems to my twelve year old son and my eight year old daughter.
One of the nice details in this anthology is the inclusion of a child’s comment on why s/he liked the particular poem. I found with reading the poetry to my son — some of it difficult to grasp or opaque to him — that it helped to have another child’s comment on why the poem was liked or meaningful. Indeed, it also helped me as a reader better experience the poem as well! My son preferred funny poems, but I was struck by several comments by readers about how the ‘beauty’ in the poems moved them.
With my daughter, I had an entirely different reading experience. My daughter responded best to poems that played with sounds. Midway through our readings, she got it into her head that she would like to act out the poems. A particular favorite was “On the Ning Nang Nong” by Spike Milligan. A playful-with-words kind of poem, it goes like this:
On the Ning Nang Nong
Where the Cows go Bong!
And the Monkeys all say Boo!
There’s a Nong Nang Ning
Where the trees go Ping!
And the tea pots Jibber Jabber Joo.
Watching my daughter happily ‘booing’ like a monkey and ‘bonging’ like a cow, I felt she was experiencing poetry at its most exuberant and celebratory best.
This week’s Poetry Friday host is Kate Coombs at Book Aunt.
August 28th, 2009 at 4:01 am
Oh, I do like this poem! Going to link up to it in today’s post over at ‘Hello, Net Baby’! (Once I get the time to write that is!)
August 28th, 2009 at 9:01 am
It’s a wonderfully playful poem and do come back here and list the url to your link if you’ve time!
August 28th, 2009 at 9:23 am
That sounds like a wonderful collection. I do think the children’s comments would add some clarity and thought for the kids afterwards.
August 28th, 2009 at 10:39 am
We love this poem too! Spike Milligan is a great favourite in our household – and somehow his nonsense poems are really easy to learn off by heart!
We have this book – it is such a wonderfully eclectic selection; and Kelly, you’re right: especially for a younger child, reading about why an older child has chosen a particular poem is really empowering in helping them to put together their own thoughts about a poem.
August 28th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Sally -
I haven’t heard that poem in years but as soon as I read the first line it was a flashback to my childhood. I seem to remember hearing it set to music too but perhaps we just invented our own little sing-song with it.
August 28th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
I’m another fan. I love the way Milligan did the recap – from memory “So it’s ning nang nong, cows go bong, Nong nang ning, trees go ping …”etc. I always loved Jabberwocky too.
Corinne’s comment made me remember they sang it on Play School in Australian TV, and I found the video which your daughter might like to see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8CHnbdEXgQ
August 29th, 2009 at 5:45 am
I want to jump up and jibber jabber joo too after reading this. Gotta find this anthology.
August 31st, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Hi, thanks for the video link, Book Chook. My daughter enjoyed it very much! Milligan’s poetry is indeed, very musical, and is aptly interpreted by other media!
September 6th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
This is indeed a great little book. The comments from young readers (matched the age-defined chapters) adds to the discovery. It is a rich, diverse and challenging selection.
September 8th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
That sounds like a great collection.
November 27th, 2009 at 1:04 am
[...] once wrote a post on the poem “On the Ning Nang Nong” by Spike Milligan. That poem has never left my [...]