There was a naughty boy

The text is inspired by John Keats the poet. Comic illustrations by Jose Sepi. The famous nineteenth-century poet John Keats wrote this poem (There was a naughty boy) to his sister while he was on holiday in Scotland - probably laughing at himself and his (normally very serious) way of writing.

The famous nineteenth-century poet John Keats wrote this poem. He wrote the poem when he was on holiday in Scotland. He sent it home to his sister Fanny in a letter to entertain her while he was away. He referred to this playful, self-mocking poem as a 'song of myself'. What aspects of his life does he make fun of? Try out different ways of speaking the poem to make it as entertaining as possible for his sister. Think of a school trip or holiday you have been on and write a poem in the same style with lots of short lines and lively rhymes that describe some of the things you saw and experienced on your trip. Make your poem entertaining for someone who wasn't there.

The verses accompanied by cartoon illustrations in this book are of the most famous part of the full poem and the full version is also included.