Way up in the mountains Bamboo forests grow Swaying to the seasons Of rain, mist and snow Only found in China Elusive and so rare Fur of black and white Coats the Panda Bear
Majestic yet reclusive He minds his own affairs Pandas do not hibernate Unlike other bears Blending into shadow He cannot be seen Marking trees with scent Tell others where he’s been
Large head and jaws to match Makes easy work to chew Food of the forest His diet is bamboo A type of little thumb Coming from the wrist Holds down tasty shoots Which he can’t resist
With pupils of a cat He sees well by night Black fur ‘round each eye Shades from bright daylight Strong legs made for weight Keen ears and sense of smell Nature’s gifts such as these Have served him very well
Sadly it came to pass They became too rare Action must be taken To save the Panda Bear The task awaits but where to start? Many never knew Much at all about this bear Except they eat bamboo!
China’s first to take the lead And saw what must be done Now ‘Endangered’, chances slim The challenge must be won Other nations joined the quest Sharing knowledge gained No effort would be spared Since very few remained
How to save these precious bears And care for tiny cubs? Many zoos around the world Are conservation hubs Bamboo forests were restored Progress showed its face Numbers slowly rising up But Pandas set the pace!
Our world adores the Panda A symbol of good will Their future now assured By hard work and skill They fill each heart with pride And joy beyond measure May Pandas always be China’s national treasure.
October 4th is Sawfish Day. Sawfish numbers are sadly declining. Nowadays, sawfish are only reliably found near Florida USA and around northern Australia. Sawfish, like their shark relatives have a skeleton made of cartilage rather than bone. Question: how can you tell the difference between a sawfish and a sawshark? Answer: by looking at its gills. Sawfish gills are underneath their body, next to its mouth, while a sawshark’s gills are found on the side of its head.
Way up North Where forest gums grow Lidia waits and thinks Grasping a branch Seen only by chance Perhaps if she blinks
Amongst the trees Is where she lives For most of the day and night She comes down to feed Or when there’s a need And basks in morning light
She hunts on the ground Where insects are found Watching from way up a tree A beetle crawls by Which catches her eye It scuttles along to flee
Lidia scamps down To snatch some lunch A meal well in view But wouldn’t you know She encounters a foe To pass or pursue
No time to hide She opens up wide And spits a nasty hiss Standing her ground With a frightful sound Such courage as this!
Locked in a stare Neither could bare To scrap or to slip Lidia knows what to do There’s plan number two Her tail is nature’s whip!
But that’s not enough She’ll need more bluff To make herself look bigger Knowing the drill She fluffs up her frill A very timely trigger
A second to spare Neither will dare To lunge or to bite Lidia’s made to deceive Then take her leave Departing in full flight
A fiery display She then runs away With a rapid retreat Look at her go! Outpacing her foe Sprinting on two feet
She runs up a tree All safe and sound But didn’t catch her dinner With tricks up her sleeve So hard to believe Lidia’s come through a winner
Blending right in Against the bark She can wait and see Watching the ground Where insects are found The place for her to be
High on a branch She hopes for a chance To catch a meal today Below there’s a rustle She’s ready to tussle Luck has come her way
Down she flies in pursuit Lidia now gives chase But she’s far too swift and strong So easily wins the race A centipede! What a feed! It’s really been her day Up the tree to wait and see And that’s where she’ll stay
This year is literally flying by and I’ve already missed some important dates to celebrate in October! We still have United Nations Day, Children’s Week, Diwali (festival of light and hope), Chuseok (South Korean harvest festival) and of course Halloween to come but it’s really interesting when you start looking up what actually gets celebrated in October. I mean who knew there is a National Bathtub Day or a National Train Your Brain Day?
Whatever you celebrate in October we’d love to hear about it. Send your poems into ozchildrenspoetry@gmail.com. Remember if you send in a photo with your poem please include the correct attribution link and make sure it is free to use.
Australian Children’s Poetry 