Mike Johnson

Flippity Fluppity Flop Mike Johnson

I´ve got a little gift for you. I`ve kept it all this time. It´s a funny little something that I wish was mine. For young children it begins with the sounds of words, and the delight of those sounds. Sounds come before meaning. Delight comes before sense. Silly nonsense turns into fun.

These little poems sound good read aloud by an adult or older child, as their true audience is children who have not yet learned to read or are just learning. Simplicity reigns, and the rhythms are often based on familiar chants or nursery rhymes, making it easy for those reading aloud to pick it up.

Nonsense poems are a much-neglected genre, but survive in our nursery rhymes, and in the work of some rare poets like A A Milne, who is an inspiration for this work. They are trickier than they look, as they can be as silly as, but not stupid. They can be surreal and bizarre, but not scary, at least too scary. They can allude to situations, but must not attempt to teach. And above all, they have to work as little songs, almost, with fun rhymes to hold them together.