Classic Funny Poems for Kids

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Make them laugh and they'll love poetry

I can still remember some of the humorous poems that were read to us children at infants school. Some, like The Jumblies and Matilda (who told such dreadful lies), can still make me smile today.

What makes them so memorable? Is it the rhythm and the rhyme or is it the amusing stories they tell? They can appear quite heartless, for example, Matilda perishes in a fire at the end of the poem. No child I've ever known seems to have minded one little bit. They do pick up on the key phrases, though, and repeat them.

I've read these poems to my own children and others too and I've always had a great response. My own two girls both love to read and love poetry - not just humorous poems either.

This is a small selection of my own favourite funny poems. I hope you'll like them too. Remember, books of chilren's poems make great Christmas and birthday gifts. I've always given them to the children in my life.

There Was a Little Girl by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good
She was very good indeed,
But when she was bad she was horrid.

The Jumblies by Edward Lear 

poems, poetry, jumblies, humor, edward lear, comic,funny, children, kids



If you read this to your children, when you get to the part of the chorus where it says "Their heads are green, and their hands are blue..." - touch your head with your hands, then hold up your hands palm outwards. I guarantee kids will quickly join in with the actions.

I
They went to sea in a Sieve, they did,
In a Sieve they went to sea:
In spite of all their friends could say,
On a winter's morn, on a stormy day,
In a Sieve they went to sea!
And when the Sieve turned round and round,
And every one cried, 'You'll all be drowned!'
They called aloud, 'Our Sieve ain't big,
But we don't care a button! we don't care a fig!

Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
And they went to sea in a Sieve.

II

They sailed away in a Sieve, they did,
In a Sieve they sailed so fast,
With only a beautiful pea-green veil
Tied with a riband by way of a sail,
To a small tobacco-pipe mast;
And every one said, who saw them go,
'O won't they be soon upset, you know!
For the sky is dark, and the voyage is long,
And happen what may, it's extremely wrong
In a Sieve to sail so fast!'

Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
And they went to sea in a Sieve.

III

The water it soon came in, it did,
The water it soon came in;
So to keep them dry, they wrapped their feet
In a pinky paper all folded neat,
And they fastened it down with a pin.
And they passed the night in a crockery-jar,
And each of them said, 'How wise we are!
Though the sky be dark, and the voyage be long,
Yet we never can think we were rash or wrong,
While round in our Sieve we spin!'

Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
And they went to sea in a Sieve.

IV

And all night long they sailed away;
And when the sun went down,
They whistled and warbled a moony song
To the echoing sound of a coppery gong,
In the shade of the mountains brown.
'O Timballo! How happy we are,
When we live in a Sieve and a crockery-jar,
And all night long in the moonlight pale,
We sail away with a pea-green sail,
In the shade of the mountains brown!'

Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
And they went to sea in a Sieve.

V

They sailed to the Western Sea, they did,
To a land all covered with trees,
And they bought an Owl, and a useful Cart,
And a pound of Rice, and a Cranberry Tart,
And a hive of silvery Bees.
And they bought a Pig, and some green Jack-daws,
And a lovely Monkey with lollipop paws,
And forty bottles of Ring-Bo-Ree,
And no end of Stilton Cheese.

Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
And they went to sea in a Sieve.

VI

And in twenty years they all came back,
In twenty years or more,
And every one said, 'How tall they've grown!
For they've been to the Lakes, and the Torrible Zone,
And the hills of the Chankly Bore!'
And they drank their health, and gave them a feast
Of dumplings made of beautiful yeast;
And every one said, 'If we only live,
We too will go to sea in a Sieve,---
To the hills of the Chankly Bore!'

Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
And they went to sea in a Sieve.

The Complete Nonsense of Edward Lear 

The Complete Nonsense of Edward Lear (Faber Children's Classics)

Amazon Price: $11.70 (as of 12/01/2009)Buy Now

I love so many of these poems. Sure, they are nonsense - who could or would go to sea in a sieve? The rhythm of the verses, though, is hypnotic and makes them easy to remember and to say out loud to children. Read The Jumblies a few times to your kids and I bet they will be chanting along with you:

"Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
And they went to sea in a Sieve."

What's more, they will remember it for the rest of their lives.

The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear 

The Owl And The Pussycat

The Owl And The Pussycat Children's Animation

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Matilda told such Dreadful Lies by Hilaire Belloc 

Matilda told such Dreadful Lies,
It made one Gasp and Stretch one's Eyes;
Her Aunt, who, from her Earliest Youth,
Had kept a Strict Regard for Truth,
Attempted to Believe Matilda:
The effort very nearly killed her,
And would have done so, had not She
Discovered this Infirmity.
For once, towards the Close of Day,
Matilda, growing tired of play,
And finding she was left alone,
Went tiptoe to the Telephone
And summoned the Immediate Aid
Of London's Noble Fire-Brigade.
Within an hour the Gallant Band
Were pouring in on every hand,
From Putney, Hackney Downs, and Bow.
With Courage high and Hearts a-glow,
They galloped, roaring through the Town,
'Matilda's House is Burning Down!'
Inspired by British Cheers and Loud
Proceeding from the Frenzied Crowd,
They ran their ladders through a score
Of windows on the Ball Room Floor;
And took Peculiar Pains to Souse
The Pictures up and down the House,
Until Matilda's Aunt succeeded
In showing them they were not needed;
And even then she had to pay
To get the Men to go away!

poems, poetry, matilda, hilaire belloc, children,,humor, funny, kids,
It happened that a few Weeks later
Her Aunt was off to the Theatre
To see that Interesting Play
The Second Mrs. Tanqueray.
She had refused to take her Niece
To hear this Entertaining Piece:
A Deprivation Just and Wise
To Punish her for Telling Lies.
That Night a Fire did break out--
You should have heard Matilda Shout!
You should have heard her Scream and Bawl,
And throw the window up and call
To People passing in the Street--
(The rapidly increasing Heat
Encouraging her to obtain
Their confidence) -- but all in vain!
For every time she shouted 'Fire!'
They only answered 'Little Liar!'
And therefore when her Aunt returned,
Matilda, and the House, were Burned.

 

Hilaire Belloc -Cautionary Tales for Children audiobook

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Cautionary Tales for Children by Hilaire Belloc 

Cautionary Tales for Children

Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 12/01/2009)Buy Now

As I say in the introduction, most kids find these verses hysterically funny even though naughty children receive quite disproportionate punishments for wrongdoing.

The Naming of Cats by T.S. Elliot 

The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there's the name that the family use daily,
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey-
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter-
But all of them sensible everyday names.
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,
A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum-
Names that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there's still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover-
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.

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Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot 

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 12/01/2009)Buy Now

Every poem in this book is a gem. I've never met a person who doesn't love these poems. Andrew Lloyd Webber liked it so much that he wrote a musical using the verses as lyrics - Cats.

Cats - Andew Lloyd Webber's Hit Musical 

Many years ago, soon after Cats opened in the theatre in the West End of London, I was given tickets to see it for my birthday. I was very disappointed as it was one musical that I really didn't want to see. For some reason, it didn't appeal to me. Tickets for sell-out shows in West End theatres are not to be sniffed at, though, so I went. It was fabulous. I enjoyed it so much which was more impressive considering I went expecting to be disappointed. I even went to see it again about a year later and loved it even more.

Cats - The Musical (Commemorative Edition)

Amazon Price: $16.49 (as of 12/01/2009)Buy Now

If you like Old Possum's Books of Practical Cats you are going to love Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webbers' worldwide hit show using the poems from the book as the lyrics for his songs.

The Naming of Cats from the musical 

Cats 03 The Naming Of Cats

Cats 03 The Naming Of Cats.

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How Doth the Little Crocodile by Lewis Carroll 

A Young Saltwater Crocodile
A Young Saltwater Crocodile Photographic Print
Buy at AllPosters.com

This starts out as a seemingly conventional poem, even if a crocodile is an unlikely subject for poetry. Then you get to the final line which should come as a humorous surprise.

How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!

How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in
With gently smiling jaws!"

The Vulture by Hilaire Belloc 

Like many Victorian poems and stories for children, this one has a moral but it is a poem that most children will find amusing. If you read it aloud to your children, you will need to get the rhythm just right so the last two lines scan properly.

Condor, Turkey Buzzard, Vulture
Buy at AllPosters.com

The Vulture eats between his meals
And that's the reason why
He very, very rarely feels
As well as you and I.

His eye is dull, his head is bald,
His neck is growing thinner.
Oh! what a lesson for us all
To only eat at dinner!

Kindness to Animals by J. Ashby-Sterry 

This poem is definitely tongue in cheek. Older children will probably get the humour while younger ones might need it explaining to them.

Speak gently to the herring and kindly to the calf,
Be blithesome with the bunny, at barnacles don't laugh!
Give nuts unto the monkey, and buns unto the bear,
Ne'er hint at currant jelly if you chance to see a hare!
Oh, little girls, pray hide your combs when tortoises draw nigh,
And never in the hearing of a pigeon whisper Pie!
But give the stranded jelly-fish a shove into the sea,--
Be always kind to animals wherever you may be!

Oh, make not game of sparrows, nor faces at the ram,
And ne'er allude to mint sauce when calling on a lamb.
Don't beard the thoughtful oyster, don't dare the cod to crimp,
Don't cheat the pike, or ever try to pot the playful shrimp.
Tread lightly on the turning worm, don't bruise the butterfly,
Don't ridicule the wry-neck, nor sneer at salmon-fry;
Oh, ne'er delight to make dogs fight, nor bantams disagree,--
Be always kind to animals wherever you may be!

Be lenient with lobsters, and ever kind to crabs,
And be not disrespectful to cuttle-fish or dabs;
Chase not the Cochin-China, chaff not the ox obese,
And babble not of feather-beds in company with geese.
Be tender with the tadpole, and let the limpet thrive,
Be merciful to mussels, don't skin your eels alive;
When talking to a turtle don't mention calipee--
Be always kind to animals wherever you may be.

Eletelephony by Laura Elizabeth Richards 

elephant, baby, poems, poetry, humor, funny, kids,,children,

Once there was an elephant,
Who tried to use the telephant-
No! no! I mean an elephone
Who tried to use the telephone-
(Dear me! I am not certain quite
That even now I've got it right.)
Howe'er it was, he got his trunk
Entangled in the telephunk;
The more he tried to get it free,
The louder buzzed the telephee-
(I fear I'd better drop the song
Of elephop and telephong!)


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A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson 

A Child's Garden of Verses: A Classic Illustrated edition

Amazon Price: $13.59 (as of 12/01/2009)Buy Now

Robert Louis Stevenson has always been a popular author with children both for his exciting stories of adventure like Treasure Island and for his children's poetry.

The Camel's Hump by Rudyard Kipling 

The Camel's hump is an ugly lump
Which well you may see at the Zoo;
But uglier yet is the hump we get
From having too little to do.

Kiddies and grown-ups too-oo-oo,
If we haven't enough to do-oo-oo,
We get the hump-
Cameelious hump-
The hump that is black and blue!

We climb out of bed with a frouzly head,
And a snarly-yarly voice.
We shiver and scowl and we grunt and we growl
At our bath and our boots and our toys;

And there ought to be a corner for me
(And I know' there is one for you)
When we get the hump-
Cameelious hump-
The hump that is black and blue!

camel, hump, poems, poetry, comic, funny,,humor, rudyard kipling, children, kids
The cure for this ill is not to sit still,
Or frowst with a book by the fire;
But to take a large hoe and a shovel also,
And dig till you gently perspire;

And then you will find that the sun and the wind,
And the Djinn of the Garden too,
Have lifted the hump-
The horrible hump-
The hump that is black and blue!

I get it as well as you-oo-oo-
If I haven't enough to do-oo-oo!
We all get hump-
Cameelious hump-
Kiddies and grown-ups too!

The Complete Verse of Rudyard Kipling 

Complete Verse

Amazon Price: $14.28 (as of 12/01/2009)Buy Now

I bought an edition of Rudyard Kipling's Complete Verse about 20 years ago and I often dip into it. You can tell it's a well loved book because it's getting that shabby look books get when well used.

Children's Books 

Poetry Speaks to Children (Book & CD) (Read & Hear)

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A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children

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Hand in Hand: An American History Through Poetry

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  • Reply
    ViolinStudent ViolinStudent Nov 2, 2009 @ 1:19 pm
    I can't even read James W. Hall's "Maybe Dat's Your Pwoblem Too" aloud without laughing. Funny and deep at the same time.

    I tink I twy sometin diffunt. I tink I twy
    sometin excitin like wacing cawrs. Sometin to make
    my heart beat at a difwent wate.
    But den you just can't quit being sometin like
    SPIDERMAN.
    You SPIDERMAN for life. Fowever. I can't even
    buin my suit. It won't buin. It's fwame wesistent.
    So maybe dat's youwr pwoblem too, who knows.
    Maybe dat's da whole pwoblem wif evwytin.
    Nobody can buin der suits, dey all fwame wesistent.

    Thanks for this lens.
    Art Haule
  • Reply
    RuntFarmSeries RuntFarmSeries Oct 19, 2009 @ 9:26 pm
    Nice lens! You've got a great collection of classic children's poems here. Please feel free to stop by my lens and say hi when you get the chance.
  • Reply
    Pukeko Pukeko Oct 16, 2009 @ 12:36 am
    You have some of our favorite poems here, and lots of new ones. This is such a fun lens! Squid Angel blessed.
  • Reply
    Stazjia Stazjia Oct 15, 2009 @ 12:38 pm | in reply to kritzia
    Well done, that's pretty good.
  • Reply
    kritzia kritzia Oct 14, 2009 @ 3:17 pm
    do you like my poem . Sixty kids and one adult,
    you gotta love those odds.
    The perfect place for pulling pranks
    and throwing paper wads.
    Hank is standing on his head.
    Billy's playing ball.
    Peter wet his pants again.
    Tasha pushes Paul.
    Steven steals. Kevin cries.
    Millicent is missing.
    Katie punched her cousin Keith.
    Ben and Jen are kissing.
    Me, I'm taking lots of notes
    on public transportation.
    I think the bus provides me with
    the finest education.
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About Me 

Lensmaster Stazjia has been a member since September 26 2006, has rated 1,350 lenses, favorited 800, and has created 130 lenses from scratch. Carol Fisher donates their royalties to Dolphin Communication Project. This member's top-ranked page is "Classic Funny Poems for Kids". See all my lenses

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