In spite of establishing himself as a great American poet, Carl Sandburg's children's book "Rootabaga Stories" has largely been ignored by critics. This collection of stories, nevertheless, is arguably the best display of both his inventiveness and his poetic skill. Through Sandburg's theory of speech as a common manifestation of poetry, this work considers how Sandburg's poetry-as-speech is explored in the extraordinary language that he uses in "Rootabaga Stories." This paper furthermore considers the theories of Russian Formalist Victor Shklovsky, specifically his "Art as Technique" and "The Resurrection of the Word." Also cited is the oral discourse critic, Walter Ong, his work, "Orality and Literacy." Developing a critique of "Rootabaga Stories" under a canopy of questions raised as to the distinction between poetic and prosaic word, this essay comes to the conclusion that Sandburg's work ultimately raises the larger question of why a division exists between the practical and the fine arts. The analysis should attract those who are concerned about the survival of oral traditions and those interested in revitalizing language through new and unconventional forms.