About the Poem

Prepare yourself for a big word. The central theme of the poem is anthropomorphism, which means giving animals human characteristics and capabilities. Why should so much children's literature depend on animals behaving like humans?

Style

Short rhyming poem

Length

4 lines

Key Stage

Pre-school, KS1

Author

Patrick Winstanley

A Knotty Problem

A scarf for a giraffe
Would be forty feet long
But how would a giraffe
Know how to put one on?