On National Poetry Day I was delighted to receive an invitation to judge a poetry competition at my daughter’s nursery, Westerhope Village Nursery School. Megan is only two-and-a-half, so it was the ‘big’ children who entered the My First Poem competition run by Forward Press. With over a dozen budding poets completing a ‘fill-in-the-gap’ sheet, it was desperately hard to pick three winners. These were the ones that caught my eye …
First Prize
Spencer Perkins, Age 3
My name is Spencer and I go to preschool
My best friend is Abbie who is really cool
I watch Robots on TV
Playing with water is lots of fun for me
Pudding I just love to eat
And sometimes a lolly pop for a treat
Blue is a colour I like a lot
A beautiful bike is the best present I ever got
My favourite person is Mummy who is a gem
So this, my first poem, is just for them!
Spencer’s poem received top honours because of its use of alliteration. He may not realise that’s what he’s done, but it suggests a writer with an instinctive feel for words. His picture of the ‘Beautiful Bike’ suggests that Spencer is currently in his Blue Period.
Second Prize
Alicia Simpson, Age 3
My name is Alicia and I go to preschool
My best friend is Emily who is really cool
I watch Sky Plus on TV
Playing dressy up is lots of fun for me
Mince and dumplings I just love to eat
And sometimes sweeties for a treat
Yellow is a colour I like a lot
Purple dog is the best present I ever got
My favourite person is Reece who is a gem
So this, my first poem, is just for them!
Alicia was a close second because of her choice of visually striking images and quirky phrases. You can see more of Alicia’s colourful self-expression in her picture of ‘Sweeties’.
Third Prize
Sophie Trattles, Age 4
My name is Sophie and I go to preschool
My best friend is Sarah who is really cool
I watch CBeebies on TV
Playing with dolls is lots of fun for me
Bananas I just love to eat
And sometimes yoghurts for a treat
Purple is a colour I like a lot
An expensive telephone is the best present I ever got
My favourite person is Jane who is a gem
So this, my first poem, is just for them!
Sophie received third prize because of her wide vocabulary (and healthy eating choices!). If this had been an art competition her fabulous picture of ‘Jane’ would have won first place.
Congratulations to Forward Press, Westerhope Village Nursery and the parents of all the children who entered for developing a love of words at such an early age. For more on my recommendations for good children’s books go to my article on Picture Books, How to Choose a Good Children’s Book and the picture book section of my Bookshop. You may also want to help HIV / Aids orphans in Africa by buying my book for 7 – 9 year-olds, Donovon’s Rainbow.
