The publishers have made every effort to trace ownership of the copyrighted material contained in this anthology and to secure all necessary permission to reprint. In the event that any acknowledgment has been inadvertently omitted, we express our regrets and will make all necessary corrections in future printings.
Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission to reprint the copyrighted material listed below:
Joyce Armor for “Clatter,” “Daydream,” “Who, Me?” “I Love Him Anyway,” “Sweet Dreams,” “Gloria,” and “Icky” by Joyce Armor. Copyright © 1991 by Joyce Armor. Used by permission of the author, Joyce Armor.
Bantam Books for “Things I’m Not Good At,” “Oliver’s Parents in the Morning,” “Oliver’s Parents at Bedtime,” and “Turning Off the Faucet” from The Butterfly Jar by Jeff Moss. Copyright © 1989 by Jeff Moss. Used by permission of Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday, Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
Phil Bolsta for “I’m Glad I’m Me,” “The Toothless Wonder,” “Michael OToole,” “Freddie,” and “The Monsters in My Closet.” Copyright © 1991 by Phil Bolsta. Used by permission of the author, Phil Bolsta.
Clerkenwell House for “Look Out!” from Songs For My Dog and Other People by Max Fatchen. Originally published by Kestrel Books, 1980. Copyright © 1980 by Max Fatchen.
Larry Cohen and Steve Zweig for “The Backwards Bob Rap.” Copyright © 1991 by Larry Cohen and Steve Zweig. Used by permission of the authors, Larry Cohen and Steve Zweig.
Curtis Brown, Ltd. for “Mother’s Nerves” and “A Social Mixer” from One Winter Night in August and Other Nonsense Jingles by X.J. Kennedy. Copyright © 1975 by X.J. Kennedy. “In the Motel” from The Phantom Ice-Cream Man by X.J. Kennedy. Copyright © 1979 by X.J. Kennedy. All selections reprinted by permission of Curtis Brown, Ltd.
David Higham Associates Limited for “I Saw a Jolly Hunter” from Figgie Hobbin by Charles Causley. Copyright © by Charles Causley.
Bill Dodds for “If I Were Ruler of the World,” “The Naughty Word,” “Willie the Burper,” “Could Have Been Worse,” “Mrs. Stein,” and “My First Poem” by Bill Dodds. Copyright © 1991 by Bill Dodds. Used by permission of the author, Bill Dodds.
Four Winds Press for “A Teacher’s Lament” by Kalli Dakos from If You’re Mot Here, Please Raise Your Hand by Kalli Dakos. Copyright ©1990 by Kalli Dakos. Reprinted with permission of Four Winds Press, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Company.
Babs Bell Hajdusiewicz for “Doing Business” and “Baby Brother.” Copyright © 1994 and 1996 by Babs Bell Hajdusiewicz. Used by permission of the author, Babs Bell Hajdusiewicz.
HarperCollins Publishers for “Sick” and “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out” from Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. Copyright © 1974 by Evil Eye Music, Inc. Published in the U.K. by Jonathan Cape. All selections reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
Houghton Mifflin Company for “The Early Bird” from Mummy Took Cooking Lessons by John Ciardi. Copyright © 1990 by Judith C. Ciardi. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company.
James Hurley for “Greedy Dog” from The Way to the Zoo by James Hurley. Used by permission of the author, James Hurley.
Maxine Jeffris for “A Snake Named Rover” by Maxine Jeffris. Copyright © 1991 by Maxine Jeffris. Used by permission of the author, Maxine Jeffris.
Linda Knaus for “Rules to Live By.” Used by permission of the author, Linda Knaus.
Bruce Lansky for “My Pupppy Loves Flowers,” “Scrambled,” “Turn Off the TV,” “How I Quite Sucking My Thumb,” and “Stop Sniffing!” Copyright © 1995 by Bruce Lansky. Used by permission of the author, Bruce Lansky.
Little, Brown and Company for “Mr. Mixup Tells a Story” from All Day Long by David McCord. Copyright © 1965, 1966 by David McCord. “Eletelephony” from Tirra Lirra: Rhymes Old and New by Laura E. Richards. Copyright © 1930, 1932 by Laura E. Richards. Copyright © renewed 1960 by Hamilton Richards. “The Dog” from Custard and Company by Ogden Nash. Copyright © 1936, 1957 by Ogden Nash. All selections used by permission of Little, Brown and Company.
Christine Lynn Mahoney for “Katie Kissed Me.” © 2000 by Christine Lynn Mahoney. Used by permission of the author, Christine Lynn Mahoney.
Macmillan Publishing Company for “Weird!” “Learning,” and “Fifteen, Maybe Sixteen, Things to Worry About” from If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Worries. . . by Judith Viorst. Copyright © 1981 by Judith Viorst. Reprinted with permission from Atheneum Publishers, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Company.
Kenn Nesbitt for “Talented Family.” © 1999 by Kenn Nesbitt. Used by permission of the author, Kenn Nesbitt.
Geraldine Nicholas for “Stomach Ache Supreme” by Geraldine Nicholas from Do Whales Jump at Might? Originally published by Douglas & Mclntyre. Copyright © 1988 by Geraldine Nicholas. Reprinted by permission of the author, Geraldine Nicholas.
Paul Hamlyn Publishing for “Believing” from Spooky Rhymes by Willis Hall. Copyright © by Willis Hall. Used by permission of Paul Hamlyn Publishing.
Louis Phillips for “A Poem on the Wrong Track.” Used by permission of the author, Louis Phillips.
Random Century Group for “Norman Norton’s Nostrils” from Mot To Be Taken Seriously Copyright © by Colin West.
Random House Inc. for “Too Many Daves” from The Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss. Copyright © 1961 by Theodor S. Geisel and Audrey S. Geisel. Reprinted by permission of Random House, Inc.
Marian Reiner for “Teevee” by Eve Merriam from Jamboree: Rhymes For All Times by Eve Merriam. Copyright © 1962, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1984 by Eve Merriam. Reprinted by permission of Marian Reiner for the author, Eve Merriam.
Marci Ridlon for “My Brother” from That Was Summer by Marci Ridlon. Copyright © 1969 by Marci Ridlon. Originally published by Follett Publishing Company, a division of Follett Corporation. Used by permission of the author, Marci Ridlon.
Don Stewart for “Recipe For Making Mud Pies.” Copyright © 1991 by Don Stewart. Clsed by permission of the author, Don Stewart.
Stoddart Publishing Company Limited for “A Sliver of Liver” from Who Greased the Shoelaces by Lois Simmie. Copyright © 1989 by Lois Simmie. Reprinted with the permission of Stoddart Publishing Company Limited.
Timothy Tocher for “Help Wanted.” Used by permission of the author, Timothy Tocher.
Viking Penguin for “How to Talk on the Telephone” from How to Eat Like a Child by Delia Ephron. Copyright © 1977, 1978 by Delia Ephron. Used by permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Books CISA Inc.
Western Producer Prairie Books for “Bug” and “Sock Monster” from An Armadillo Is Not a Pillow by Lois Simmie. Copyright © 1986 by Lois Simmie. Reprinted by permission of Western Producer Prairie Books.
Charles Wilkins for “*” from Jumbo Gumbo by Charles Wilkins. Originally published by Cote more titles written to delian Books. Reprinted by permission of the author, Charles Wilkins.
William Cole Books for “Foolish Questions” from Oh, Such Foolishness by William Cole. Reprinted by permission of the author, William Cole.
William Morrow & Company for “My Mother Says I’m Sickening,” “Suzanna Socked Me Sunday,” “I Found a Four-Leaf Clover,” and “Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face” from The Mew Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky. Copyright © 1984 by Jack Prelutsky. “The Creature in the Classroom” from Baby CJggs Are Hatching by Jack Prelutsky. Copyright © 1982 by Jack Prelutsky. All selections reprinted by permission of Greenwillow Books, a division of William Morrow Sr Company.
William Wise for “My Little Sister” from All on a Summer’s Day by William Wise. Copyright © 1971 by William Wise. Originally published by Pantheon Books. Reprinted by permission of the author, William Wise.
Harry Wozniak for “A Sorcerer Has Cursed Me.” Used by permission of the author, Harry Wozniak.