Melinda Mae by Shel SilversteinHave you heard of tiny Melinda Mae,
Who ate a monstrous whale?
She thought she could,
She said she would,
So she started in right at the tail.
And everyone said, "You're much too small,"
But that didn't bother Melinda at all,
She took little bites and she chewed very slow,
Just like a little girl should...
...and eighty-nine years later she ate that whale
Because she said she would!
Shel Silverstein was a family favorite when the kids were little. I think Jimmy Jet might have been the first poem Webb memorized (which he presented in Miss Nelson's 5th grade class dressed up like Jimmy Jet). Jimmy watches so much TV that he turns into a TV set!
I like the Melinda Mae poem because the little girl has confidence in herself and isn't deterred by the opinion of others! And she perseveres! My mom (aka Grammy) loves the poem to teach the concept of tackling things one bite/one step at a time! Actually, Grammy has another poem about eating an elephant one bite at a time, but I'll save that for an elephant blog post.
