Poems for the Young at Heart

We see a very special bond when a parent reads nursery rhymes to a child. In no small part is the closeness elicited by the child's delight in language. Even before babies are aware that words have meanings they respond to the rhymes and rhymes that characterise verses for the very young. Language has an aesthetic as well as a utilitarian function, and appreciation of the former quality is almost certainly innate. Although children will have stories read to them when they attend primary school, poetry is all too often conspicuous by its absence. This is a pity bearing in mind the evident pleasure afforded by nursery rhymes prior to school attendance. In the early and mid-20th century it was a commonplace for children to learn poems by heart and to recite them. These poems could often be recalled word for word in later life. Why this valuable activity is so rare in schools today is a mystery. Experience of teaching poetry in primary schools gives us a clear idea of the kind of poems children enjoy. In the first place, formal verses which rhyme are preferred to free verse. In terms of subjects, poems about children are understandably popular, as are poems about animals. Humour, too, is appreciated by those of primary school age. And this collection features poems on all the themes mentioned. It is hoped that children - and their parents and younger teachers - will find much to please in Poems for the Young at Heart.