Excerpts from ‘For Reading Aloud to Children’ by Marijke Alida

“To introduce a child to all the Arts – to foster a love of Art, ensure the study of artistic skills and nurture the desire to create artistically, is not just to add yet another activity onto a child’s already bourgeoning repertoire, and not even just to give it an additional source of pleasure, from which it can draw always in its future life - but to give it an extraordinary tool toward self-healing, physically and psychologically, whose potential is amazing and, perhaps, unlimited.”

“You will see that some poems are written mainly to elicit the sensory response of touch, some of hearing, some of sight and some to bring out a reflective, emotional or musical response. Even others are written just to relax with or to laugh over. Still others have a particular verse pattern that encourages and helps a child to remember that poem by heart.”

So I give you now, in safe-keeping for your children, with my love and best wishes, these poems – may they enjoy them – may they remember them into adulthood – that is my wish