Lullaby by Georgia Heard

"Lullaby" by Georgia Heard from This Place I Know: Poems of Comfort, poems selected by Georgia Heard, illustrations by Eighteen Renowned Picture Book Artists, Candlewick Press, Cambridge, MA, 2002.
Note: This collection of poems was selected to comfort school children after the attacks on the US on September 11, 2001.

Introduction: Ask students what they like to do when they need comforting, i.e. cuddle on a parent's or grandparent's lap, curl up with a favorite stuffed animal, etc. Some students may wish to share some times when they have needed comforting.
Explain to students that the featured poem comes from a book of poems collected to comfort school children after the events on September 11, 2001. If students are young, a brief explanation might be needed, or this does not need to be discussed at all.

Poem:
"Lullaby"

Will you hold me in your lap?
Will you cuddle me so tight?
Will you kiss my fearful brow,
And not turn off the light?

Will you soothe away my worry?
Will you sing the sweetest song?
Will you chase my fears away,
And rock me all night long?

Extension: On large butcher paper, write "Will you _______?" Give students colorful note cards and a marker for them to write a word or phrase to fill in the blank, showing how they would like to be comforted. Tape onto paper surrounding the blank. Expect repetitions as many students may be comforted in the same way, and that's OK.