Runny Babbit

I love getting lost in a good book, but sometimes there is not enough time in the day!  On those days, I encourage you to get lost in a poem!  Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein is one of my all time favorite poetry collections for children.  This collection of poetry took Silverstein twenty years to compile and was published several years after his death. If you and your child need a good laugh (and a mental workout), you need to get your hands on Runny Babbit.

The introductory poem explains the layout of the book:

     Way down in the green woods
     Where the animals all play,
     They do things and they say things
      In a different sort of way-
     Instead of sayin' "purple hat,"
     They all say "hurple pat."
     Instead of sayin' "feed the cat,"
     They just say "ceed the fat."
     So if you say, "Let's bead a rook
     That's billy as can se,"
     You're talkin' Runny Babbit talk,
     Just like mim and he.

Children LOVE these poems! They find it hilarious that the characters speak funny.  You will find it hard to read, but you will laugh too.  This selection of poetry shows children how fun it can be to play with language.  They will want to rearrange the letters and create their own silly poems.  

When reading these poems, just have fun with them.  See if your child can read it the way it is written and then see if they can put the poem "back-to-normal."  Challenge your child to talk Runny Babbit style.  It is much harder than you think and it takes a lot of phonetic skills to be able to do so!

Turn off your television, gather your child next to you on the couch and share a laugh or two!