Animal poems for kids
These Cute Animal poems are perfect for kids to enhance their vocabulary and practice reading skills.
Read complete Animal Poems ↓↓↓
- Kindness To Animals by J. Ashby Sterry
Speak gently to the herring and kindly to the calf,
Be blithesome with the bunny, at barnacles don’t laugh…
- Mary’s Lamb by Sarah Josepha Hale
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow…
- At the Zoo by William Makepeace Thackeray
First I saw the white bear, then I saw the black,
Then I saw the camel with a hump upon his back…
- A Popular Personage at Home by Thomas Hardy
‘I live here: «Wessex» is my name:
I am a dog known rather well…
- My Farm Animals by Linda Harris
“On a sunny day, I sat on my porch swing
And watched a cool fresh summer rain…
- The Cow by Robert Louis Stevenson
The friendly cow, all red and white,
I love with all my heart…
- The Lamb by William Blake
Little Lamb who made thee
Dost thou know who made thee…
- The Fieldmouse by Cecil Frances Alexander
Where the acorn tumbles down,
Where the ash tree sheds its berry…
- The Tyger by William Blake
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright,
In the forests of the night…
- Yip-Yip-Woof! by Kristin Frederick
Tiny Chihuahua, Humongous Great Dane.
The difference between them is really quite plain…
- The Crocodile by Lewis Carroll
How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail…
- Three Foxes by the Edge of the Field at Twilight by Jane Hirshfield
One ran,
her nose to the ground…
- A Night With a Wolf by Bayard Taylor
Little one come to my knee!
Hark how the rain is pouring…
- The Cheetah by Gracie Robertson
The faster the cheetah flies,
The faster his poor prey dies…
- The Swan by Evaleen Stein
Stately swan, so proud and white
Glistening in the morning light…
- The Canary by Elizabeth Turner
Mary had a little bird,
With feathers bright and yellow…
- The Great Black Crow by Philip James Bailey
The crow – the crow! the great black crow!
He cares not to meet us wherever we go…
- The Parakeets by Alberto Blanco
They talk all day
and when it starts to get dark…
- How to Know the Wild Animals by Carolyn Wells
If ever you should go by chance
To jungles in the East…
- The Squirrel by Emily Dickinson
Whisky Frisky,
Hippity hop…
- The Owl and the Pussy-Cat by Edward Lear
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat…
- Dentist And The Crocodile by Roald Dahl
The crocodile, with a cunning smile, sat in the dentist’s chair.
He said, “Right here and everywhere my teeth require repair…
- Eletelephony by Laura Elizabeth Richards
Once there was an elephant,
Who tried to use the telephant…
- Purple Cow by Gelett Burgess
I never saw a Purple Cow,
I never hope to see one…
- The Big Baboon by Hilaire Belloc
The Big Baboon is found upon
The plains of Cariboo…
- The Little Turtle by Vachel Lindsay
There was a little turtle.
He lived in a box…
- The Frog by Hilaire Belloc
Be kind and tender to the Frog,
And do not call him names…
- The Caterpillar by Robert Graves
Under this loop of honeysuckle,
A creeping, coloured caterpillar…
- The Snail by William Cowper
To grass, or leaf, or fruit, or wall,
The snail sticks close, nor fears to fall…
- A Worm In My Pocket by Jodee Samano
One rainy day on my way home from school,
I found a big worm and thought it was cool…
Mother’s Day poems for kids >>
Father’s Day poems for kids >>
Animal poems for kids
Kindness To Animals by J. Ashby Sterry
“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.”
Mary’s Lamb by Sarah Josepha Hale
“Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow,
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go;
He followed her to school one day —
That was against the rule,
It made the children laugh and play,
To see a lamb at school.
And so the Teacher turned him out,
But still he lingered near,
And waited patiently about,
Till Mary did appear;
And then he ran to her,
and laid His head upon her arm,
As if he said — ”I’m not afraid —
You’ll keep me from all harm.”
“What makes the lamb love Mary so?”
The eager children cry —
“O, Mary loves the lamb, you know,”
The Teacher did reply; —
“And you each gentle animal
In confidence may bind,
— And make them follow at your call,
If you are always kind.””
At the Zoo by William Makepeace Thackeray
First I saw the white bear, then I saw the black,
Then I saw the camel with a hump upon his back;
Then I saw the grey wolf, with mutton in his maw;
Then I saw the wombat waddle in the straw;
Then I saw the elephant with his waving trunk,
Then I saw the monkeys—mercy, how unpleasantly they-smelt!
A Popular Personage at Home by Thomas Hardy
‘I live here: «Wessex» is my name:
I am a dog known rather well:
I guard the house but how that came
To be my whim I cannot tell.
‘With a leap and a heart elate I go
At the end of an hour’s expectancy
To take a walk of a mile or so
With the folk, I let live here with me.
‘Along the path, amid the grass
I sniff and find out the rarest smells
For rolling over as I pass
The open fields toward the dells.
‘No doubt I shall always cross this sill,
And turn the corner, and stand steady,
Gazing back for my Mistress till
She reaches where I have run already,
‘And that this meadow with its brook,
And bulrush, even as it appears
As I plunge by with hasty look,
Will stay the same a thousand years.’
Thus ‘Wessex.’ But a dubious ray
At times informs his steadfast eye,
Just for a trice, as though to say,
‘Yet, will this pass, and pass shall I?’
My Farm Animals by Linda Harris
“On a sunny day, I sat on my porch swing
And watched a cool fresh summer rain
Everything then seem to come so alive
Birds flew to birdbaths to take a dive
My horse started galloping with glee
Putting on a show to entertain me
The donkey, he was hee-hawing so loud
Trying to get the attention of a crowd
The cows and goats stepped up to see
What all the commotion seemed to be
Chicken were making clucking sounds
Even little bunnies were looking around
Simon, the cat, awoke, puzzled over this
Fell back to sleep for his daily rest
My farm animals so joyful and free
Well, no one to see, but only me!”
The Cow by Robert Louis Stevenson
The friendly cow, all red and white,
I love with all my heart:
She gives me cream with all her might,
To eat with apple tart
She wanders lowing here and there,
And yet she cannot stray,
All in the pleasant open-air,
The pleasant light of day
And blown by all the winds that pass
And wet with all the showers,
She walks among the meadow grass
And eats the meadow flowers
The Lamb by William Blake
Little Lamb who made thee
Dost thou know who made thee
Gave thee life and bid thee feed.
By the stream and o’er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing wooly bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice!
Little Lamb who made thee
Dost thou know who made thee
Little Lamb I’ll tell thee,
Little Lamb I’ll tell thee!
He is called by thy name,
For he calls himself a Lamb:
He is meek and he is mild,
He became a little child:
I a child and thou a lamb,
We are called by his name.
Little Lamb God bless thee.
Little Lamb God bless thee.
The Fieldmouse by Cecil Frances Alexander
Where the acorn tumbles down,
Where the ash tree sheds its berry,
With your fur so soft and brown,
With your eye so round and merry,
Scarcely moving the long grass,
Fieldmouse, I can see you pass.
Little thing, in what dark den,
Lie you all the winter sleeping?
Till warm weather comes again,
Then once more I see you peeping
Roundabout the tall tree roots,
Nibbling at their fallen fruits.
Fieldmouse, fieldmouse, do not go,
Where the farmer stacks his treasure,
Find the nut that falls below,
Eat the acorn at your pleasure,
But you must not steal the grain
He has stacked with so much pain.
Make your hole where mosses spring,
Underneath the tall oak’s shadow,
Pretty, quiet harmless thing,
Play about the sunny meadow.
Keep away from corn and house,
None will harm you, little mouse.
The Tyger by William Blake
“Tyger! Tyger! burning bright,
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!
When the stars threw down their spears,
And water’d heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?”
Yip-Yip-Woof! by Kristin Frederick
Tiny Chihuahua, Humongous Great Dane.
The difference between them is really quite plain.
Feisty Chihuahua Will yap-yap and yip.
If he doesn’t like you, You may get a nip!
Gentle Great Dane Has a powerful bite,
But never would nip you. She’s much too polite.
Great Dane finds the carpet A fine place to nap.
Chihuahua loves curling Right up in your lap.
Their owners would have Some cause for dismay
If each dog behaved In the opposite way!”
The Crocodile by Lewis Carroll
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!
Three Foxes by the Edge of the Field at Twilight by Jane Hirshfield
“One ran,
her nose to the ground,
a rusty shadow
neither hunting nor playing.
One stood;
sat; lay down; stood again.
One never moved,
except to turn her head a little as we walked.
Finally we drew too close,
and they vanished.
The woods took them back as if they had never been.
I wish I had thought to put my face to the grass.
But we kept walking,
speaking as strangers do when becoming friends.
There is more and more I tell no one,
strangers nor loves.
This slips into the heart
without hurry, as if it had never been.
And yet, among the trees,
something has changed.
Something looks back from the trees,
and knows me for who I am.”
A Night With a Wolf by Bayard Taylor
“Little one come to my knee!
Hark how the rain is pouring
Over the roof in the pitch dark night,
And the winds in the woods a-roaring
Hush, my darling, and listen,
Then pay for the story with kisses;
Father was lost in the pitch-black night
In just such a storm as this is.
High on the lonely mountain
Where the wild men watched and waited;
Wolves in the forest, and bears in the bush,
And I on my path belated.
The rain and the night together
Came down, and the wind came after,
Bending the props of the pine tree roof
And snapping many a rafter.
I crept along in the darkness,
Stunned and bruised and blinded…
Crept to a fir with thick-set boughs,
And a sheltering rock behind it.
There, from the blowing and raining,
Crouching I sought to hide me;
Something rustled, two green eyes shone,
And a wolf lay down beside me.
Little one, be not frightened;
I and the wolf together,
Side be side through the long, long night,
Hid from the awful weather.
His wet fur pressed against me;
Each of us warmed the other;
Each of us felt in the stormy dark
That beast and man was brother.
And when the falling forest
No longer crashed in warning,
Each of us went from our hiding place
Forth in the wild wet morning.
Darling, kiss me in payment…
Hark! how the wind is roaring!
Father’s house is a better place
When the stormy rain is pouring.”
The Cheetah by Gracie Robertson
“The faster the cheetah flies,
The faster his poor prey dies.
The hungrier the cheetah gets,
The longer his prey frets.
He happens to be real smart,
He always plays a part,
In keeping the population down,
He sometimes eats something brown.
He sometimes does not catch his food,
’cause his prey is really rude.
The lions and leopards growl,
Show that they’re on the prowl,
They hunt for anything that moves,
Including the cheetahs brood.
The cheetah now has no young,
to carry life to old and young.”
The Swan by Evaleen Stein
Stately swan, so proud and white
Glistening in the morning light,
Come and tell me is it true
That a snow-white swan-like you,
Guided by bright golden chains
In his beak for bridle reins,
Once upon a time from far
Fabled lands where fairies are
Brought a magic boat wherein
Rode the brave knight Lohengrin?
Stately swan, so proud and white
Glistening in the morning light,
If you only wore a gold
Harness, like that swan of old,
And if trailing in your wake
Sailing on the silver lake
Was a boat of magic and
You could float to fairy-land,
Then I’d jump in and begin
Traveling like Lohengrin!
The Canary by Elizabeth Turner
Mary had a little bird,
With feathers bright and yellow,
Slender legs-upon my word,
He was a pretty fellow!
Sweetest notes he always sung,
Which much delighted Mary;
Often where his cage was hung,
She sat to hear Canary
Crumbs of bread and dainty seeds
She carried to him daily,
Seeking for the early weeds,
She decked his palace gaily
This, my little readers, learn,
And ever practice duly;
Songs and smiles of love return
To friends who love you truly
The Great Black Crow by Philip James Bailey
“The crow – the crow! the great black crow!
He cares not to meet us wherever we go;
He cares not for man, beast, friend, nor foe,
For nothing will eat him he well doth know.
Know – know! you great black crow!
It’s a comfort to feel like a great black crow!
The crow – the crow! the great black crow!
He loves the fat meadow – his taste is low;
He loves the fat worms,
and he dines in a row With fifty fine cousins all black as a sloe.
Sloe – sloe! you great black crow!
But it’s jolly to fare like a great black crow!
The crow – the crow! the great black crow!
He lives for a hundred year and mo’;
He lives till he dies, and he dies as slow
As the morning mists down the hill that go.
Go – go! you great black crow!
But it’s fine to live and die like a great black crow!.”
The Parakeets by Alberto Blanco
They talk all day
and when it starts to get dark
they lower their voices
to converse with their own shadows
and with the silence.
They are like everybody —
the parakeets — all day chatter,
and at night bad dreams.
With their gold rings
on their clever faces,
brilliant feathers
and the heart restless with speech…
They are like everybody,
— the parakeets —
the ones that talk best
have separate cages.”
How to Know the Wild Animals by Carolyn Wells
If ever you should go by chance
To jungles in the East,
And if there should to you advance
A large and tawny beast—
If he roar at you as you’re dyin’,
You’ll know it is the Asian Lion.
If, when in India loafing round,
A noble wild beast meets you,
With dark stripes on a yellow ground,
Just notice if he eats you.
This simple rule may help you learn
The Bengal Tiger to discern.
When strolling forth, a beast you view
Whose hide with spots is peppered;
As soon as it has leapt on you,
You’ll know it is the Leopard.
‘T will do no good to roar with pain,
He’ll only lep and lep again.
If you are sauntering round your yard,
And meet a creature there
Who hugs you very, very hard,
You’ll know it is the Bear.
If you have any doubt, I guess
He’ll give you just one more caress.
Whene’er a quadruped you view
Attached to any tree,
It may be ’tis the Wanderoo,
Or yet the Chimpanzee.
If right side up it may be both,
If upside down it is the Sloth.
Though to distinguish beasts of prey
A novice might nonplus;
Yet from the Crocodile you may
Tell the Hyena, thus:
‘Tis the Hyena if it smile;
If weeping, ’tis the Crocodile.
The true Chameleon is small —
A lizard sort of thing;
He hasn’t any ears at all
And not a single wing.
If there is nothing on the tree
‘Tis the Chameleon you see.
The Squirrel by Emily Dickinson
Whisky Frisky,
Hippity hop,
Up he goes
To the tree top!
Whirly, twirly,
Round and round
Down he scampers
To the ground.
Furly, curly,
What a tail!
Tall as a feather
Broad as a sail
Experiment to me
Is every one I meet.
If it contain a kernel?
The figure of a nut
Presents upon a tree,
Equally plausibly;
But meat within is requisite,
To squirrels and to me.
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat by Edward Lear
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat:
They took some honey and plenty of money
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
«O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are, You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!»
Pussy said to the Owl, «You elegant fowl,
How charmingly sweet you sing!
Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried,
But what shall we do for a ring?»
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows;
And there in a wood, a Piggy-wig stood,
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose, His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
«Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?» Said the Piggy, «I will.»
So they took it away and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon, The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
Dentist And The Crocodile by Roald Dahl
“The crocodile, with a cunning smile, sat in the dentist’s chair.
He said, “Right here and everywhere my teeth require repair.”
The dentist’s face was turning white.
He quivered, quaked and shook.
He muttered, “I suppose I’m going to have to take a look.”
“I want you,” Crocodile declared, “to do the back ones first.
The molars at the very back are easily the worst.”
He opened wide his massive jaws.
It was a fearsome sight ––
At least three hundred pointed teeth, all sharp and shining white.
The dentist kept himself well clear.
He stood two yards away.
He chose the longest probe he had to search out the decay.
“I said to do the back ones first!” the Crocodile called out.
“You’re much too far away, dear sir, to see what you’re about.
To do the back ones properly you’ve got to put your head Deep down inside my great big mouth,” the grinning Crocky said.
The poor old dentist wrung his hands and, weeping in despair,
He cried, “No no! I see them all extremely well from here!”
Just then, in burst a lady, in her hands a golden chain.
She cried, “Oh Croc, you naughty boy, you’re playing tricks again!”
“Watch out!” the dentist shrieked and started climbing up the wall.
“He’s after me! He’s after you! He’s going to eat us all!”
“Don’t be a twit,” the lady said, and flashed a gorgeous smile.
“He’s harmless. He’s my little pet, my lovely crocodile.””
Eletelephony by 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!)
Purple Cow by Gelett Burgess
I never saw a Purple Cow,
I never hope to see one;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I’d rather see than be one.
The Big Baboon by Hilaire Belloc
The Big Baboon is found upon
The plains of Cariboo:
He goes about with nothing on
(A shocking thing to do).
But if he dressed up respectably
And let his whiskers grow,
How like this Big Baboon would be
To Mister So-and-so!
The Little Turtle by Vachel Lindsay
There was a little turtle.
He lived in a box.
He swam in a puddle.
He climbed on the rocks.
He snapped at a mosquito.
He snapped at a flea.
He snapped at a minnow.
And he snapped at me.
He caught the mosquito.
He caught the flea.
He caught the minnow.
But he didn’t catch me.
The Frog by Hilaire Belloc
“Be kind and tender to the Frog,
And do not call him names,
As “Slimy-Skin,” or “Polly-wog,”
Or likewise, “Uncle James,”
Or “Gape-a-grin,” or “Toad-gone-wrong,”
Or, “Billy-Bandy-knees;”
The Frog is justly sensitive
To epithets like these.
No animal will more repay
A treatment kind and fair,
At least, so lonely people say
Who keep a frog
and, by the way, They are extremely rare.”
The Caterpillar by Robert Graves
Under this loop of honeysuckle,
A creeping, coloured caterpillar,
I gnaw the fresh green hawthorn spray,
I nibble it leaf by leaf away.
Down beneath grow dandelions,
Daisies, old-man’s-looking-glasses;
Rooks flap croaking across the lane.
I eat and swallow and eat again.
Here come raindrops helter-skelter;
I munch and nibble unregarding:
Hawthorn leaves are juicy and firm.
I’ll mind my business: I’m a good worm.
When I’m old, tired, melancholy,
I’ll build a leaf-green mausoleum
Close by, here on this lovely spray,
And die and dream the ages away.
Some say worms win resurrection,
With white wings beating flitter-flutter,
But wings or a sound sleep, why should I care?
Either way I’ll miss my share.
Under this loop of honeysuckle,
A hungry, hairy caterpillar,
I crawl on my high and swinging seat,
And eat, eat, eat — as one ought to eat.
The Snail by William Cowper
To grass, or leaf, or fruit, or wall,
The snail sticks close, nor fears to fall,
As if he grew there, house and all
Together.
Within that house secure he hides,
When danger imminent betides
Of storm, or other harm besides
Of weather.
Give but his horns the slightest touch,
His self-collecting power is such,
He shrinks into his house, with much
Displeasure.
Where’er he dwells, he dwells alone,
Except himself has chattels none,
Well satisfied to be his own
Whole treasure.
Thus, hermit-like, his life he leads,
Nor partner of his banquet needs,
And if he meets one, only feeds
The faster.
Who seeks him must be worse than blind,
(He and his house are so combined)
If finding it, he fails to find
It’s master.
A Worm In My Pocket by Jodee Samano
“One rainy day on my way home from school,
I found a big worm and thought it was cool.
I picked up the worm with my bare hand,
held it up high, thinking how grand!
The worm was so cute and wiggled a lot.
I put him in my pocket to show Mom what I’d caught.
What will she say when I show her my find?
Will she let me keep it? I hope she won’t mind.
Mom was in the kitchen when I showed her what I’d found.
She screamed, “No, way! Put it back in the ground!”
Now I’m so angry; she always says, “No.”
If she won’t let me keep it, then I will just go!
So me and my worm packed a sandwich or two,
ran out the door, and down the street we both flew.
We walked to the park and sat on a bench.
I pulled out my worm and noticed a stench.
He looked kind of floppy but wiggled a bit.
I thought, “Oh my Gosh, my worm is not fit!”
I laid him in the dirt and let him go free.
I guess that my pocket was not the best place to be.”
