This poem is for Project OpenBook, a community-built children’s book. Details below.

Pitter-pat, pitter-pat
Here comes a puddy cat.

Thump-a-thump. Thump-a-thump.
Here comes an elephant.

Meow and hiss. Crunch and SPLAT.
There went the puddy cat.

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Written by Phil Haussler.
Illustrated by Brad Sneed.

(8 votes, average: 4.00)

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Project OpenBook is a community-built children’s book. Your rating determines what goes into the book. All proceeds go to funding a young girl’s education.

If you liked this poem: Share it. Read it to a kid. Or join us.

We recently published a poem called The Linchpin, which was inspired by Seth Godin’s new book by the same name.  In tribute to Seth Godin’s belief in spreading ideas, I thought it would be fitting to give away my copy of Linchpin (notes and all).  We had a bunch of people throw their name into the virtual hat and I pulled out @indiehotelier.

As an experiment, I thought it would be fun to ask recipient(s) to pass it along when they’re done — to create a “Catch and Release” copy of the book.  So I added a note to the front of the book asking readers to pass the book along and “Check In” over on our review of Linchpin.  It will be fun to see where the book goes.

First stop: Little Rock, Arkansas

Comments closed on this post.  Instead, leave your comments over here.

This poem is for Project OpenBook, a community-built children’s book. Details below.

Cross your fingers
And close one eye.
Wiggle your nose
And yell BONZAI!

Turn in a circle
And make a wish.
Grab the button
And give it a SQUISH.

At first a BANG
And then a SNAP.
It jumps to life,
This rattle trap.

SPUTTER and COUGH,
JIGGLE and WHIRRR
FIZZ-POP, BE-BOP,
SHUTTER-HOP, PURRRR.

PFFFF goes some steam.
CLIK-CLAK the gears turn.
Somewhere deep inside
A small fire burns.

Out pops a hand…
RATTLE and SHAKE…
It gives you a pinch
And jars you awake.

Machines won’t make
Your wishes true.
For that you’ll need…
You, you, you.

Written by Phil Haussler.
Illustrated by Brad Sneed.

(12 votes, average: 4.58)

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Project OpenBook is a community-built children’s book. Your rating determines what goes into the book. All proceeds go to funding a young girl’s education.

If you liked this poem: Share it. Read it to a kid. Or join us.

This poem is for Project OpenBook, a community-built children’s book. Details below.

I had an itch that itched a lot,
But found this scratcher by the pot.

Written by Phil Haussler.
Illustrated by Brad Sneed.

(10 votes, average: 3.90)

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Project OpenBook is a community-built children’s book. Your rating determines what goes into the book. All proceeds go to funding a young girl’s education.

If you liked this poem: Share it. Read it to a kid. Or join us.

Meet Ben Curnett. Yesterday, we posted Ben’s awesome poem, Super Spy.  Dad. Naturalist. Outdoorsman. Lover of white-water. Poet. Copywriter. All-around terrific dude. To get a sneak-peek into Ben’s mind, read on…

The team working behind-the-scenes on Project OpenBook continues to grow.  Most of us have never met in-person.  But it doesn’t feel that way.  It’s a thrill and honor to work alongside talented folks like Ben.  Join us?

This poem is for Project OpenBook, a community-built children’s book. Details below.

If you could be a super spy
What gadgets would you choose?
I think I’d want some x-ray eyes
And leave-no-footprint shoes.

And how ‘bout an exploding pen
That leaves invisible notes?
Or a tiny-micro-mini sub
To dive b’low enemy boats.

I’d make myself a rocket pack
And blast through city sewers
With find-the-right-way goggles on
To pick out trick detours.

I’d have a smokescreen in my coat
Inside a little can
That I could use to make escapes
That weren’t in my plan.

Yep, if I were a super spy,
I’d be a great one, mister!
For now, I’d settle for some tips
‘Bout spying on my sister.

Written by Ben Curnett.

Illustrated by Brad Sneed.

(12 votes, average: 4.25)

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Project OpenBook is a community-built children’s book. Your rating determines what goes into the book. All proceeds go to funding a young girl’s education.

If you liked this poem: Share it. Read it to a kid. Or join us.

This poem is for Project OpenBook, a community-built children’s book. Details below.

The sign, it said “temporary”.
So I looked it up in the dictionary:

It means it lasts for a short time
So I picked one out and paid a dime.

I went right home and put it on,
A big red heart surrounding “MOM”.

But now I think that something’s wrong.
It wasn’t s’posed to stay this long…

If I had known it would last twelve weeks
I wouldn’t have put it on my cheek.
.

Written by Phil Haussler.
Illustrated by Brad Sneed.

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(12 votes, average: 4.42)

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Project OpenBook is a community-built children’s book. Your rating determines what goes into the book. All proceeds go to funding a young girl’s education.

If you liked this poem: Share it. Read it to a kid. Or join us.

Yesterday we published a poem from Jaime Kubik.  It’s kind of a big deal because…well, she’s kind of a big deal.  And because it’s the first poem contributed from somebody other than me (Phil here).  That’s really exciting for us because the idea behind Project OpenBook is that it’s community-generated.  We’ll keep writing poems until our ink runs dry.  But we think something we create together — yep, I’m talking to you — could be so much bigger and so much better.

In Jaime’s words, “I’m just a simple Nebraska housewife who likes to write silly poetry.”  Of course, that’s just Jaime being humble.  I’ve never met Jaime in person but I can tell she’s much more than that: she’s a teacher, a mom, a wife, a poet, a mover, a shaker, a joy-maker.  Jump over and read more about Jaime…

You might be reading this and thinking, “I’d love to contribute but I’m not a writer.  I can’t rhyme.”  Nonsense.  That’s the resistence talking.  If you think Project OpenBook is worthwhile, then we need you.  And you don’t have to write or draw to contribute.  So get over here and join us.

This poem is for Project OpenBook, a community-built children’s book. Details below.

Most folks look at me and think
“Ah, he’s just a little kid…”
But what they cannot see is that
I’m keeping something hid.

SHHH! I’m a super hero.
Not a single person knows:
Underneath my jeans and shirt
Are super hero clothes.

I cannot blow my cover
So when Mommy calls me in
I just try to act real natural
Without telling where I’ve been.

My super hero power
Is something I keep secret
But I’ll tell you what it is
If you promise you will keep it.

Can you believe I have night vision
And can see out in the dark?
So I can sneak out late at night
And fight monsters in the park?

But just like Superman
I have my kryptonite:
Inside my house, my powers fail
So I sleep with my flash light.

Written by Jaime Kubik.

Illustrated by Brad Sneed.

(55 votes, average: 3.96)

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Project OpenBook is a community-built children’s book. Your rating determines what goes into the book. All proceeds go to funding a young girl’s education.

If you liked this poem: Share it. Read it to a kid. Or join us.

This poem is for Project OpenBook, a community-built children’s book. Details below.

“In each of us
there live two wolves…”
Grandfather used to say.

“And these two wolves
One bad, one good,
They fight it out each day.

“The bad wolf’s bad,
spreads fear and lies,
pain, anger and dismay.

“The good wolf’s good,
spreads truth and joy,
peace and hope and play.”

And when I’d ask,
“But who will win?”
This is what he’d say:

“Each day we choose
to feed one wolf
and that wolf wins the day.”

Written by Phil Haussler.
Illustrated by Brad Sneed.
Inspired by a Cherokee legend.

(18 votes, average: 4.83)

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Project OpenBook is a community-built children’s book. Your rating determines what goes into the book. All proceeds go to funding a young girl’s education.

If you liked this poem: Share it. Read it to a kid. Or join us.