The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

The Day It Didn't Snow

We trudged into school feeling terribly glum,
We’d been hoping for snow, but that snow did not come.
Instead, it was raining and grey, grey, grey, grey,
And then it got worse when Miss Gibbs said: “Wet play.”
While the other kids sledged up and down, having fun,
We sat, with our heads in our hands, having none.

Miss Gibbs gave us paper and glitter and glue,
She told us: ‘Stop moping! Find something to do.”
Then up piped the voice of a new kid, called Trevor:
“I’m making the world’s longest paper-chain ever!”

And we watched him make rings out of strips of bright paper,
And he looped them, and linked them,
And glued them together.

And the whole class joined in - it was something to do,
And we all added loops, til’ that paper-chain…GREW!
Silver and crimson and glittering green,
Our chain was fantastic - the best ever seen!

It stretched round the room and then out through the door,
But it still wasn’t finished,
We all wanted more!

Then the kids in year Two
Saw our paper-chain fun,
And the kids in Year Three
Told the kids in year One.
Then before very long, the whole school seemed to know,
And everyone helped make our paper-chain grow!
And even the teachers,
Miss Gibbs and Miss Baker,
Began cutting strips out of colourful paper.

And our lessons got cancelled,
We were ‘learning through play,’
We were trying new things,
It was paper-chain day!

And when it was finished, we all oohed and aahed,
At our fabulous chain made of paper and card.
It was draped down the corridor,
All through the school,
Once round the classrooms,
And twice round the hall.
Even the staffroom was brightly festooned,
“Ooh, it looks lovely,” Miss Hunniford swooned.

And the newspapers came with their camera crews,
And suddenly in strolled a bloke from the news!

And we didn’t get snow, but we got on TV,
Miss Gibbs, and some other kids, Trevor and me,
And our marvelous paper-chain, shiny and bright,
Got a five-minute feature, on London Tonight!

We’d done it - we’d made the best paper chain ever,
Our brilliant school and the new kid called Trevor.

About the Writer


Angela Jelf

Angela writes poems and stories for kids of all ages. She lives in London with her family, four kids, a kind dog and three cats! She works as an Early Years Educator, which reminds her to stop and look at our weird and wonderful world through the eyes of a child.