When Kyle’s first baby was born (the original Duffling), the author and his wife were busy trying to stimulate her mind. To that end, they read lots of books, poems, and periodicals to her every day. Because Kyle’s wife had heard that nursery rhymes were especially important to babies’ developing communication skills, she insisted that the baby be read traditional Mother Goose nursery rhymes every day for at least 15 minutes.
After a few months of this, Kyle was tired of hearing some of the less delightful of these poems every day. One day while his wife was reading the old standards to the baby, he exclaimed, “Oh, come on! ‘One, Two, buckle my shoe,’ I get. But ‘Nineteen, twenty, my stomach’s empty’?? It doesn’t even rhyme!! I could write something better in 15 minutes!” His wife said, “Alright, do it then!” Twelve minutes later, Kyle was reading “Rumtum the Sailor,” aloud for the first time to the original Duffling and his wife (who was impressed).
Since then, Kyle has written poem after poem as topics occur to him. He enjoys the creativity and freedom he has when he writes poems for kids as the rules can be whatever he makes them in the moment (see: “A Rhyme About a Monkey”). He hopes you have as much fun reading the poems with your loved ones and he does with his.