Poems With Lois Letchford: The Pet

30 Sept 2020 · 2 min

Watch on YouTube

1:50

In this YouTube video, Lois Letchford—author of Reversed: A Memoir and a literacy problem‑solver—introduces herself and explains that she will read a children's poem titled "The Pet" from the Book of Dragon Poems, originally written by Tony Bradman. She narrates the poem, which tells the story of a child who, after being given money by her mother with the condition that it not be spent on sweets, visits a shop, discovers a dragon‑like pet in the pet shop window, purchases it, and imagines flying to lands of clouds and dreams. After the reading, Lois asks viewers to like, subscribe, and comment, emphasizing the value of poetry on YouTube.

Chapters

Hello, I'm Lois Letchford, author of the book Reversed: A Memoir and literacy problem solver, and I'm reading this week to you from the Book of Dragon Poems by John Foster and Corky Paul. And today's poem is called The Pet. My mum gave me some money to buy myself a treat. She said I could buy anything as long as It wasn't sweets. So off I went to spend it. I wandered round the shop. I couldn't find a thing to buy. Then something made me stop. There in the pet shop window, I saw a flash of fire. I saw some scales and burning eyes, and I knew my heart's desire. I gave the man my money. He handed me a lead. Then I walked out of the pet shop with the only pet I need. A pet with wings and gleaming fangs, with skin that's shiny green, with claws and a tail that's longer than any you've seen. A pet whose breath is orange flame, whose ears both hiss with steam, who'll fly me to a land of clouds, And to a land of dreams. But first I'd better go home. I hope that it's okay. I hope my mum will like my pet. I wonder what she'll say. That's a poem by Tony Bradman. Please hit like, hit subscribe, and leave a comment so that YouTube knows that poetry is worthwhile. Thank you.