Read-aloud

I’d planned to do a post on some of Chicago’s architecture that we saw on our river cruise last Friday, but I have a sore throat and runny nose, so I don’t feel like spending much time on my laptop.  Earlier, I was think about poetry and how much fun it was to read aloud to our girls (whether poetry or books.)

As I’ve mentioned before, we had a set of the orange Childcraft books and among the volumes I still have are several with poetry. Poetry is meant to be read aloud, so if you have young children, read it aloud to them.  If not, feel free to read this one of my favorites aloud if you’re somewhere where you can do so without causing people to think you insane.  Or, just let them!

Eletelephony
Laura Elizabeth Richards

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!)

“Laura Elizabeth Richards was born February 27, 1850, Boston, Massachusetts. Her father was a social reformer who later gained fame as an abolitionist and was the founder of the Perkins Institution and Massachusetts school for the blind. Her mother was the poet Julia Ward Howe who is best known as the author of “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

From All Poetry

For more of Laura’s poetry, click here.