朝の小学３年生の読み聞かせで私が取り上げたのは「詩」。実は絵本にするか詩にするか最後の最後まで迷っていました。というのは中低学年の児童には視覚的にも楽しめる絵本が良いと一般に言われているので、詩に子供達がどう反応するか予測できなかったのです。「しゃべる詩あそぶ詩きこえる詩」と「みえる詩あそぶ詩きこえる詩」は、かつてお世話になり交流させていただいたことばのパフォーマー、故波瀬満子さんが選ばれた詩が合わせて１２０篇ほど入っています。はせさんの魔術師のような朗読には足元にも及ばないことを知っているだけに子供達の前で読むことに躊躇もありましたが、川崎洋、谷川俊太郎、中江俊夫など多くの詩人の伸び伸びとおかしくて力溢れる詩が子供達に楽しくないわけがないと大胆にも挑戦してみることにしたのです。結果は……バンザ〜イ！みんな大喜び！読んでる最中にクスクス笑ってる子、ニコニコ顔の子、手応えあり。終わって「どれが面白かった？」と聞くと１０篇ほどの詩の中の記憶に残る言葉を次々に教えてくれました。声に出して詩を読むことがどれほど生き生きと子供達の心に入るものか実感できました。はせさんがおっしゃった通りです。
I chose poems for the morning storytelling for third graders at the elementary school. As a matter of fact, I was not able to decide whether I should choose a picture book or short poems for children. The reason I was indecisive was that in general picture books are good for the lower grades so they can enjoy both story and pictures and I couldn't predict their reaction if I read poems instead. At the very last minute, however, I chose books of poems. About a hundred twenty poems are in these two books which were selected by Mitsuko Hase who was a poem reader and performer and I had a good relationship with while she was alive. Although I had hesitation about reading those poems because Ms. Hase was a great reader and my level of reading is much lower than her level, I wanted to challenge myself because there are many wonderful poems by great Japanese poets and I believed kids must enjoy them very much. As a result, the kids reacted very well! While I was reading, some kids were laughing and some kids were smiling. When I finished reading, I asked them which one was interesting. They said their memorable words one after another among the poems which I read. It was a great feeling to know that reading poems aloud stimulates children. It is just as Ms Hase was saying.
