Hi everyone,

In 1996, I published this poem in a book called A Thousand Cousins, illustrated by BETSY LEWIN and published by Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press. If I were in the film business, I might have said that the poem was “based on a true story.” My dad did snore, but nothing else in the poem happened. That’s why I’m always skeptical when I see a movie “based on a true story.”

I chose to repeat the nasal sound of the word snore to end every line. If you read the poem aloud, leaning into that sound lends a bit more of a comic air to the overall sense of the imagery. Betsy, being the one and only Betsy, had great fun with the illustrations. I met Betsy at a children’s literature festival in Warrensburg, Missouri. I saw her work on display, loved her impish sense of humor, introduced myself, asked if she might be interested in illustrating a manuscript I had in the works with KENT BROWN at Boyds Mills Press, and Betsy asked to see it. The manuscript was my first book of poetry, Somebody Catch My Homework. In the end, Betsy illustrated three of my books, the two mentioned plus The Boy Who Counted Stars. She went on to win many awards during her career, including a Caldecott Honor for Click, Clack, Moo; Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin. These days Betsy and I stay in touch and dream of doing another book together. Here’s the poem, “Daddy’s Snore.”

Daddy’s Snore

I try to fall asleep before
My daddy starts his nightly snore,
For once he does you can’t ignore
The chain saw sound of Daddy’s snore.
The ocean pounding on the shore
Has nothing on my daddy’s snore.
The lion with his mighty roar
Is a pussycat to Daddy’s snore.
My sister says, “I just abhor
The way our father loves to snore!”
Our neighbors say, “It’s such a bore
Listening to your father snore.”
I’ve counted sheep and walked the floor
And stuffed my ears with cotton galore.
I cannot stand this anymore.
I love my daddy to the core,
But I’ve got to have some silence or
I’m never going to learn to snore.

(c) 1996 David L Harrison, all rights reserved