And the beat goes on...
The primary difficulty, in my opinion, that people have when writing poetry for children is the METER of the poems. Too often, they find themselves writing poetry that requires them to read the work aloud in a certain way -- one way, that is -- so that the poems "works."
A poem for children has to "read" well NO MATTER WHO is reading it -- ESPECIALLY a young reader who may be struggling with the words, reading slowly, stumbling over a word or two.
A good way to "test-drive" your poems: find the absolute worst reader you can get your hands on. Someone with the tinnest ear you know. Have him or her read your poems out loud to you.
You will be stunned to learn where you went wrong.
If you can't find someone like that, leave your poems in a drawer for a few days. Come back to them. You'll be amazed at the fresh eye you'll have -- when you haven't seen them in a few days, you'll see how you may want to read them differently -- and the new "beat" may show you how the poems don't really work as well anymore.
Never take it for granted that anyone knows how you mean the poems to be read.
You won't be there, over anyone's shoulder, coaching them. You HAVE to make them foolproof.
The only way you can ever "cheat" this meter thing is to turn it into a song.
-E
