Rilly Sabbit, Kix are for Trids

Elementary educators, good ones at least, don’t just depend on the school library to encourage reading. That teacher will also have his or her own personal library of children’s literature available in the classroom for the students. The students can access the classroom library during free reading, and the teacher can use it for reading aloud and for other curriculum needs. The standard rule that my professors use is that every elementary teacher should have around 200 personal books for the classroom library.

I have started amassing my own collection for my future classroom. Thank God for Scholastic in that I can purchase books cheaper than I could at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com. I recently purchased a book from then by Shel Silverstein. Most people have heard of Uncle Shelly. He was a famous writer of children’s poetry among other things and his books have been treasured for years. His latest book, Runny Babbit, was published posthumously in 2005.

Runny Babbit, is a book of spoonerism poetry and it is hysterical. My daughter and I have enjoyed sitting down and reading this together. She just cackles at the crazy lines and delights in switching them back and reading them correctly. It truly is a billy sook. Here is one of the poems about Runny Babbit who is sick with chicken pox.

I just can't tell you how much fun my daughter and I have had reading these to each other, laughing and then reconstructing them. This was going to be a Christmas present to her, but when I got it, I just couldn't wait to read them to her. I'm going to take it to my parents' house for Christmas and read it to the kids.

Runny’s Bight Toots
By Shel Silverstein

Runny put on bow snoots
‘Cause it was cold outside,
But then he pouldn’t cull them off
No tratter how he mied.
He halled for celp – his buddies came
To hend a lelping hand.
Now Runny is the very tallest
Lunny in the band.


(click here to hear my daughter read this poem.)