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I write poems for kids that celebrate play and imagination.
Some are silly, some are thoughtful, all are made to spark wonder. Explore my work below!

Illustration of a smiling green dragon wearing red glasses. The dragon has a comic word bubble coming from its mouth that reads "Chatting Poems Zine Coming Soon!"

Coming Soon:
Children's Poetry Zine!

I'm teaming up with my poetry pal Carl Burkitt to bring you an illustrated zine of poems for kids.

You'll meet a handful of zany characters eager to chat your ear off. 

Stay tuned!

Illustration of a child in a yellow rain jacket splashing in a puddle. Text around the illustration reads: Poetry for Kids with Stefan Karlsson. YouTube: @StefanKidsPoetry

Watch & Listen: 

I create fun, illustrated poetry videos for kids of all ages! 

Watch poems come to life with rhythm, rhyme, and colorful marbled art.

Follow along here

Published Poems

Here are some of my children’s poems featured online and in print.

Logo for The Dirigible Balloon poetry webzine. The logo features cartoon characters in a hot air balloon decorated with celestial imagery.

The Dirigible Balloon

I have 17 of my poems for kids published on The Dirigible Balloon website! Read here.

Logo for the The Toy Press.

The Toy

I have a poem in issue 5 of

The Toy. Order a copy here.

Logo for Tyger Tyger Magazine. The logo features two tigers, one orange, one blue, circling around a moon.

Tyger Tyger Magazine

Read my poem "As Told by the Giant" here, and find teaching resources for the poem here.

Cover for Paddler Press issue with multicolor design labeled with text: Outside Inside: New Poems for Children.

Paddler Press

I have three poems in Volume 10 of Paddler Press. Download/read here.

Little Thoughts Press Go Wild issue cover featuring an illustration of a smiling sloth.

Little Thoughts Press

I have poems in issues 7 and 9 of Little Thoughts Press. Download/read the issues here.

Artwork from Ember Magazine featuring a procession of cartoon characters including a lion, a tiger, a one-eyed creature, a man and woman.

Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things

Read my poem "The Most Impossible Pasta Bowl" here.

scaryness.jpg

Ticket to Scary-ness

on the Poetry Express

Beware of my two poems in the new webzine for spooky poems here and here!

Behind the Poems

I was invited to write a guest poet feature for esteemed children's poet Brian Moses' blog. Read the post here and learn about my children's poetry journey. 

"Children’s poetry participates in
re-inventing the world—seeing things fresh, questioning why, imagining new possibilities."

You can also read my poem "Me, the Rube Goldberg Machine" along with the story behind the poem on Brian Moses' blog here

Connect with Me


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Stefan Karlsson Writes

 

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