Create An Animal Limerick

Apr 9, 2015 By Deepa Gopal

This is the National Poetry Month. So here's your challenge.. create a limerick about your favorite animal.

A limerick is a silly poem with five lines. They are often funny or nonsensical. Limericks were made famous by Edward Lear, a famous author who wrote the "Book of Nonsense" in the 1800's. This was an entire book of silly limericks.

How to write a limerick:

The first, second and fifth lines rhyme with each other and have the same number of syllables (typically 8 or 9). The third and fourth lines rhyme with each other and have the same number of syllables (typically 5 or 6). Limericks often start with the line "There once was a..." or "There was a..."

Example of an 8,8,5,5,8 syllable limerick:

STAR
by Kaitlyn Guenther

There once was a wonderful star
Who thought she would go very far
Until she fell down
And looked like a clown
She knew she would never go far.

(courtesy kidzone.ws)

41 comments

Comments

smalltiger February 18, 2020 - 5:17am

Who won?

FairytailMarvell May 3, 2016 - 6:19pm

There once lived a mouse in my shoe
Over the years he grew
He got so big
He started to dig
Now I have a hole for a shoe

Fairytail101 January 18, 2016 - 2:30pm

There once lived a speedy fish
His house was a shiny silver dish
His life changed when a crab payed
For the shiny silver dish
He never forgot that fateful day

Fairytail101 January 18, 2016 - 2:21pm

There once lived a naughty little kitten
Her most favorite toy was a mitten
She scratched anything in sight
And got into rough fights
What a naughty little kitten

supergirl November 11, 2015 - 2:29pm

There once lived a very swift lynx
He would gaze to the stars each night
Each day he would dash through blizzards
Though, He never trusted anyone right
He was named a legend

haras989 November 8, 2015 - 6:59am

Great Sarah! Mostly because you have my name

R2D2 June 29, 2015 - 8:02am

There once was a comical clam, who thought of many wacky jokes, but rather goofy, and whimsical puns, instead of absurd knee-slappers.

Sarah1234567 June 15, 2015 - 2:09pm

WHO WON EDITOR!!!

Sarah1234567 June 15, 2015 - 2:05pm

There once lived a buzzing bee and oh, his name was Wada wee Though he was really never busy, He still never went pee!

Lauren T May 20, 2015 - 9:54pm

Who won?

jeffrey2 May 20, 2015 - 10:59am

There once was a great cat.
It was not skinny or fat.
It was just right.
It never wanted to start a fight.
You know who this great cat is.
It is Elizabeth!

Tryn28 May 11, 2015 - 2:24pm

who won

ciaobella May 18, 2015 - 1:18pm

Yeah! Who won, Editor?

ciaobella May 10, 2015 - 1:17pm

Here's my sloppy entry that I came up with:

The once was a donkey named "Bear"
Who thought he was a young hare
But when he tried jumping,
He landed with a thumping
And now he'll forever lie there

( I think mine is a bit dark )

ciaobella May 7, 2015 - 7:40pm

Just to say, limericks are meant to be the kind of poem with a punch line at the end.
For an example,

1st verse:
There once was a man from Nantucket
Who kept all his cash in a bucket.
But his daughter, named Nan,
Ran away with a man
And as for the bucket, Nantucket.

2nd verse:
But he followed the pair to Pawtucket,
The man and the girl with the bucket;
And he said to the man,
He was welcome to Nan,
But as for the bucket, Pawtucket.

By So-and-so ( Not me, for real )

The point is: the first two lines of a limerick rhyme with each other, the next two lines rhyme only with each other, and the last line rhymes with the first two (and is often the punch line).

Mr.Combs June 14, 2015 - 9:49am

If you want to find really funny limericks, search for Mr.Lear on the internet.

dayal May 4, 2015 - 9:43am

there lived a monkey named moo moo
he lived in a giant zoo
one day he was set free
but he didn't want to leave
and the zookeepers didn't know what to do!

sammy138 May 3, 2015 - 2:24pm

lol

sophieh April 29, 2015 - 12:48pm

there was a skateborder
that could ride
he knew how to die
and he knew how to sy
but the one thing he didnt know how to fly

maddiee May 14, 2015 - 1:45pm

that doesn't really make sense

zoea April 28, 2015 - 1:11pm

There was a silly panda
Who loved to watch Miranda
He played with a cat
Who was quite fat
But everyone liked his fat mat

zero April 28, 2015 - 10:10am

A mouse in her room woke Miss Doud

Who was frightened and screamed very loud

Then a happy thought hit her

To scare off the critter

She sat up in bed and just meowed

ciaobella May 7, 2015 - 7:26pm

That's a good one!!

BookLover15 April 23, 2015 - 4:37pm

There once was a cat,
who sat on a mat,
and chased all the mice,
who were caught in a trice,
and that is that, said the cat.

Lauren T April 18, 2015 - 2:14am

There once was a girl named Amanda,
Who loved to cuddle big pandas,
Five little bears sat in her house,
Chewing on bamboo like a mouse,
Lovely little pandas for Amanda!

evenstar13 April 17, 2015 - 5:30pm

Eight little monkeys dancing on the bed
Two fell off, bumped their fragile head
Both went flying
First then started crying
The second was silent, his fall left him dead

Mhlearning April 15, 2015 - 8:32am

there once was a very cute mouse
she had a very big house
she knew how to dance
jump, leap, and prance
now that is a very strange mouse

maddiee May 14, 2015 - 1:46pm

I love it!

Mhlearning May 17, 2015 - 7:15am

thanks!

sydneym5 April 14, 2015 - 2:32pm

There once was a very fat cat
who slept all day on a mat
he loved to lie there and stare
at the chair
it was quite a site to see that fat cat on the mat.

My brother thought of this one: There once was a vampire bat
who sucked the blood from a cat
the cat meowed in pain
bristled its mane
and that was the end of the bat.

cassiew April 12, 2015 - 6:20pm

There once was a panda named Apple pie,
His mouth makes everything a lie,
No one believed him,
And so do I,
Until he turned into a big fat fly.

Smilebunny April 11, 2015 - 12:20am

There once was a darling bunny
She was really rather funny
It jumped really high
Reached out, touched the sky
That amusing little bunny

sruthi1 August 26, 2015 - 12:08am

nice

Tryn28 April 10, 2015 - 7:25pm

there once was a gorgeous panda
whose quite darling name was amanda
who worked for the office
of the panda propaganda
until she then missed a memoranda

wind in the willows April 10, 2015 - 1:22pm

uh i don't think i can do that... wait let me rephrase that...i know icant do that

Mhlearning April 10, 2015 - 12:15pm

there wus a boy named isiah.
he had a boy named jeriah.
he got a hat, and sat on his toy box,
Than he watch some more.

Mohmamba December 7, 2016 - 7:19am

lol

Tryn28 April 27, 2015 - 7:02am

ummm- aren't we supposed to be doing animals

Mhlearning April 30, 2015 - 6:08am

yea my brother wrote that :(

aidenh2 May 27, 2015 - 11:07am

Sorry, to hear that.

Mhlearning May 29, 2015 - 5:17pm

yea he is pretty annoying

Youngzine

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