Sometimes it’s my turn

to take him to our house

for the weekend. We celebrate.

I give him the nicest titbits

And he spins and spins on his wheel.

When I take him out of his cage,

he wanders about my room.

He’s extremely curious

and sniffs at everything in his path.

But I watch him constantly

in case he zooms away.

Katherine Gallagher

(Published in A First Poetry Book, Macmillan Children’s Books, 2012, ed Gaby Morgan and Pie Corbett)

Teacher Notes: – for Primary years 7 – 11 years

Most of us have pets – fellow creatures that we care for and love.

In cities, sometimes it’s more difficult to have enough room for preferred pets such as rabbits or dogs and we may  have to accept having smaller pets such as cats, hamsters and guinea-pigs.

Then again, a class may like to share caring for a pet as in this poem, ‘Our Class’s Hamster Horatio.’

Suggestion: Write about a pet you used to have at school.