Animal Poems Competition Entries - Age 8 and Under

The youngest age group always produce the the most intriguing and enchanting entries for our poetry competition. Having thus far escaped being taught poetry at school (except in rare cases), these young poets combine a vivid imagination with a willingness to break the rules (or at least plead ignorance of them). The result is glorious poems which are unfettered by the constraints of poetic convention.

The Lion
by Nayan

The lion is very old
And he is very cold
He needs a cane
When he gets pain.
His name is Billy
And he eats a lot of chilly.
He’s always in a hurry
That’s why he looks blurry.
He has a long beard
That looks very weird.
He chews on a stick
With his friend Mick.
He eats an apple core
And then he makes a big roar.

Nayan is 6 and lives Los Angeles, California, USA. He says he wrote about a Lion because the Lion is one of his favourite animals. He enjoyed writing the poem. He wrote the poem to submit for the competition.

Billy, who is the subject of Nayan's poem, is a lion with some interesting and unusual habits, including cane carrying and chilly eating. Billy really comes to life in Nayan's poem, which is very accomplished for one so young. Well done.

Once there lived a cat
by Neha

Once there lived a cat
And his name was Matt.
Matt liked to bat
But he was very fat.
The cat rolls yarn
In the barn.
Matt throws the ball
In the mall.
He wants a juicy rat
Well maybe even a gnat.
He eats a goose
Like a moose.
Well that is it
Don't throw a fit.

Written by Neha, 8 years old, who lives in Los Angeles, California, USA. Neha wrote about cats because she likes them and they are interesting. She enjoyed writing the poem.

A really fun poem written by Neha, who is Nayan's sister. Matt, the cat hero of Neha's poem, gets up to all sort of madcap antics, but is still recognisably a cat at heart. An excellent poem.

Farmer Bill
by Shiloh

There was a farmer,
His name was Bill.
He and his house,
Lived on a hill.
Bill had some sheep,
And an ute that went beep,beep!
Bill had a cow,
He was teaching to bow.
Henry the horse,
Was learning a course.
As for for the chook,
He was reading a book.

The animals were smart,
And loved apple tart.
And the end result was,
Bill teaching a circus!

Shiloh is aged 4 and lives in Mareeba, Australia. Shiloh's poem was sent in by her sister Jaime, author of the Rock Wallaby haiku, who wrote 'Here is my sister Shiloh's poem for the comp. She said she wrote it because it came into her mind and her brother wants to be a farmer.'

A very assured poem from Shiloh, who is the youngest person to enter any of our competitions so far. It really is a poem of great charm, with the oustanding lines, for me, being 'He and his house, Lived on a hill.' Well done, Shiloh, for writing such an enjoyable poem.

When I was an Animal!
by Gregory

When I was an animal, my life all changed.
I hanged like a bat.
I slept like a bear.

Even though I’m only 8, I rode motorbikes.
Raced in the animal Olympics
And I was a policeman.

When I turned 13. 
I was a musician.
I was a world famous hunter
And was the best at card tricks.
Because I cheated. Shhhhhh

When I was a human again,
I felt a little bit weird.

Written by Gregory, aged 8, who lives in Orpington, Kent.

I can only say that Gregory's poem When I was an Animal! is one of the most imaginative poems I've read in a long time. It's funny, it's touching and it has a most unexpected twist at the end. An excellent poem!!! (Yes, I like exclamation marks as well).

My Cat Fluffy
by Millie-Mae

My cat Fluffy is a very fluffy cat,
I like to cuddle her a lot.

My cat Fluffy has big brown eyes,
She purrs when i stroke her.

My cat Fluffy has a very flat face,
She likes to rub her nose on me.

My cat Fluffy likes to cuddle in bed,
This makes me smile and laugh.

My cat Fluffy is a cute little Persian,
She never stops eating!

My cat Fluffy was an unwanted stray,
Now she has a loving home.

'I wrote my poem because mummy brought a poorly cat home from work and i love her. She is interesting and special so that's why i choose her. I enjoyed writing my poem about Fluffy'. Millie-Mae is aged 6 years and lives in Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire.

A beautiful poem by Millie-Mae about her much loved cat Fluffy. The poem was sent as a word document, beautifully laid out and decorated at each corner with a picture of Fluffy. If you'd like to see the poem in its original form and meet Fluffy, please click here.

Take...
by Amelia

Take,
A squawking eagle,
the snore of a grissly bear,
for her voice.

Take,
the skin of a Dolly Lizard,
army green
for her coat.

Take,
the smoothness of cotton wool,
the shape of a chimney,
for her wings.

Take,
a stray cats beedy eyes,
a star in the sky
for her eyes.

Take,
a snow white head band,
three or each,
for her claws.

A pterodactyl.

Amelia is 8 years old and comes from Bromley.

A sort of upside down poem from Amelia, in that the reader is introduced to the elements that make up the animal before, in the grand finale, the creature is revealed. It is a most imaginative and cleverly constructed poem with a very assured use of metaphor... ...I'll stop there before I sound too much like a teacher.

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Individual poems are copyright of the stated authors and used with permission