“Caterpillar” by Christina Georgina Rossetti

Brown and furry

Caterpillar in a hurry;

Take your walk

To the shady leaf or stalk.

May no toad spy you,

May the little birds pass by you;

Spin and die,

To live again a butterfly.

Hi, I’m Grace, and this is the Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Poems Podcast. It’s a poetry podcast by a kid, for kids. Are you ready for today’s Pickled Poem?

Email ⁠[email protected]⁠ and let me know what you thought about today's episode. I’d love to hear YOUR favorite poem, too, so make sure to include that in the email and it might show up in a future episode. Make sure your parents have subscribed to this podcast, and ask them to leave a rating and review so more kids and families can enjoy pickled poems. 

Oh, and I should mention that this podcast is sponsored by the ⁠Homeschool Conversations with Humility and Doxology podcast⁠, which is hosted by my Mom. So if you have a parent listening, they should probably check that one out, too. 

Now go pick a peck of pickled poems! I’ll see you next week!

“Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face” By Jack Prelutsky

Be glad your nose is on your face,

Imagine if your precious nose
were sandwiched in between your toes,
that clearly would not be a treat,
for you'd be forced to smell your feet.

Your nose would be a source of dread
were it attached atop your head,
it soon would drive you to despair,
forever tickled by your hair.

Within your ear, your nose would be
an absolute catastrophe,
for when you were obliged to sneeze,
your brain would rattle from the breeze.

Your nose, instead, through thick and thin,
remains between your eyes and chin,
not pasted on some other place--
be glad your nose is on your face!

Hi, I’m Grace, and this is the Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Poems Podcast. It’s a poetry podcast by a kid, for kids. Are you ready for today’s Pickled Poem?

Oh, and I should mention that this podcast is sponsored by the Homeschool Conversations with Humility and Doxology podcast, which is hosted by my Mom. So if you have a parent listening, they should probably check that one out, too. 

Now go pick a peck of pickled poems! I’ll see you next week!

Hi, I’m Grace, and this is the Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Poems Podcast. It’s a poetry podcast by a kid, for kids. Are you ready for today’s Pickled Poem?

Email [email protected] and let me know what you thought about today's episode. I’d love to hear YOUR favorite poem, too, so make sure to include that in the email and it might show up in a future episode. Make sure your parents have subscribed to this podcast, and ask them to leave a rating and review so more kids and families can enjoy pickled poems. 

Oh, and I should mention that this podcast is sponsored by the Homeschool Conversations with Humility and Doxology podcast, which is hosted by my Mom. So if you have a parent listening, they should probably check that one out, too. 

Now go pick a peck of pickled poems! I’ll see you next week!

My Shadow

by Robert Louis Stevenson 

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,

And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.

He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;

And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—

Not at all like proper children, which is always very

For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber

And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him

He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,

And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.

He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see;

I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,

I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;

But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,

Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled poems,

A peck of pickled poems, Peter Piper picked;

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled poems,

Where’s the peck of pickled poems that Peter Piper picked?

Hi, I’m Grace, and this is the Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Poems podcast! Or you can just call it the Pickled Poems Podcast for short if you want.

I’m a kid like you, and I really love poems. And I hope you do, too. Or if you don’t know if you like them yet, I hope you’ll at least be willing to listen to my podcast and take a chance. 

It’s ok if you don’t like pickles. But I think you should at least be willing to give poetry a try.

I like silly poems and serious poems. Poems that make me laugh, and poems that make me cry. Long poems that tell a story, and short poems that are kind of like jokes.

Once, when I was little, I got a little overwhelmed at the playground. Do you know what I did? I found a quiet corner and recited “My Shadow” (one of my FAVORITE poems, by the way) to my mom. That poem helped me feel happier, and I went back to playing. Because another thing about me you should know? I LOVE climbing REALLY HIGH on things like trees and playgrounds and anywhere else it might be kind of dangerous but also really fun. My mom says I’m basically a monkey.

(I wonder…do you think monkeys like poems, too?)

So, what can you look forward to with my brand new Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Poems podcast? Every week I’ll bring you a new poem to enjoy. I’ll read it twice (maybe 3 times if it is super short). And that’s all there is to it! You can listen every day if you want to memorize them, or just listen once if you want. 

There’s no lessons. No homework. Just another kid sharing her favorite poems with YOU! 

Make sure you’re subscribed to this podcast so you don’t miss a single poem. And I would love to hear what poems YOU enjoy! Do you have a favorite? Email me at [email protected] and let me know. Maybe your favorite poem will show up on a future episode!

So, to review:

Until next time, go pick a peck of pickled poems for yourself!