If All the World Were Paper: A Kid’s Poem on Imagination

Written by Edward F. Rimbault, "Could we with ink," Notes and Queries 229 (March 18, 1854), the poem is quite interesting to read. It talks about the thought process of the kid who thinks if all the world were paper, he would fold it and carry it along wherever he goes.

He would rebind his grandfather and place his younger days in a zoetrope. He also thinks that if all the seas were ink and dreams were braille, he could read them while sleeping. He could also recycle the tough time, which cannot be folded. Read ahead to learn more about the poem.

If All the World Were Paper Short Rhyme

If All the World Were Paper

I would fold up my gran

and take her everywhere I go

I would laminate my baby sister in bubble wrap

and lay her to sleep in unbound fairy-tale book pages

And should she get scared

rip every fear

shred every scream

tear every tear.

If all the world were paper

I would re-bind my grandfather

smooth out the dog-ears to all his stories

place his younger days in a zoetrope

and flush the harrowing chapters

down an ink-gurgling well.

If all world were paper

Kind deeds would be post-it notes

that stick to the doer in every-growing trails

so we would always remember,

friends would come with perforated lines

so you could keep their best bits with you 

If all the world were paper

Christmas wrapping foil and birthday cards

would follow you to school

If all the world were paper

dreams would be braille

So we could read them whilst we slept,

nightmares would be shopping lists

because shopping lists are easy to forget

If all the world were paper

arguments would rustle before they started

and could be put right with a little tape

If all the world were paper

we could paperclip families together,

draw smiles on all the sad faces,

rub out the tears,

cover our homes in Tippex and start all over again

Imagination to Eliminate Bad Things  

The kid in this nursery rhyme imagines a world on paper that he can wrap and take along wherever he goes. In this “paper and ink lyrics,” he wants to eliminate bad things like nightmares and fear inside him. He wants to recycle the tough times and create a world of good things.

If I could keep you a little poem, this is inspiring, and many kids in the nursery are using this poem to positively see the world. This will also instil positivity among kids.

If all the World Were Paper

Did You Know Facts

• The River Nile measures 6,853 kilometres and is the longest river in the world. Eleven different nations also share their water resources.

• The only planet known to have an atmosphere with free oxygen, seas of surface-level liquid water, and life are Earth, which is located third from the sun.

• Extra earth and ocean masses are pulled by gravity into a bulge, or "spare tyre," that circles our globe.

• Camels can adjust to their environment in a variety of ways. They have a third, transparent eyelid that aids in shielding their eyes from sandstorms. Two rows of lengthy lashes cover their eyes in two directions.

Tips for Parents

When teaching their kids If All the World Were Paper, parents should add visuals in the form of images or videos. They make the process of teaching engaging for kids. This way, kids can learn and understand the poem quickly. You can read similar poems and ask them how they liked them and if they can write a line or two to create a similar poem.

I Would Re-Bing My Grandfather