I Don't Want To by Jack Prelutsky
I don't want to play on the sidewalk. (Line 1)
I don't want to sit on the stoop. (Line 2)
I don't
want to lick any ice cream. (LIne 3)
I don't want to slurp any soup. (Line 4)
I don't want to
listen to music. (Line 5)
I don't want to look at cartoons. (Line 6)
I don't want to read any
stories. (Line 7)
I don't want to blow up balloons. (Line 8)
I don't want to dig in the
garden. (Line 9)
I don't want to roll on the rug. (Line 10)
I don't want to wrestle the puppy.
(Line 11)
I don't want to give you a hug. (LIne 12)
I don't want to shoot any baskets. (Line
13)
I don't want to bang on my drum. (Line 14)
I don't want to line up my soldiers. (Line 15)
I
don't want to whistle or hum. (Line 16)
I don't want to program my robot. (Line 17)
I don't
want to strum my guitar. (Line 18)
I don't want to use my computer. (Line 19)
I don't want to
wind up my car. (Line 20)
I don't want to color with crayons. (Line 21)
I don't want to model
with clay. (Line 22)
I don't want to stop my not wanting... (Line 23)
I'm having that kind of
day. (Line 24) OR (This could be read as a class.)
Taken from:
Prelutsky, Jack. 2000. IT'S RAINING PIGS AND NOODLES. Illustrated by: James
Stevenson. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN: 0-06-029195-8.
Extension: This poem lends itself beautifully to line-around reading as a class. Put the
words to the poem on chart paper for the class to read. Read the poem together several times. The poem has twenty-four
lines. Each line could be given to a student for the entire class to read in line-around format (make adjustments as
needed for the size of your class.) For an extra kick at the end, assign the last line to all members of the class
and everyone could respond when it is time for the last line to be read.
So often, children just don't have anything to write about, and they need an idea. This poem could be used
as a topic for their daily journal writing. They could write about one of those days they just did not
want to do anything or a day they were just feeling lousy and blue!