Eighteen slaphappy poems play nimbly with words, names, and crazy situations. Grossman goes for the yucks with these loopy rhymes, but there’s a hint of sophistication: “Timothy Tunny / Swallowed a bunny. / The bunny got lodged in his throat. / ‘That bunny looks funny,’ / His mom said, ‘but Honey, / Be thankful it isn’t a goat.’ ” And there are a number that have the mischief of a Shel Silverstein poem—“A witch mean and bad / Imprisoned poor Dad /In a bottle of pop in the closet. / We couldn’t free Dad / And were sad when we had / To return him for the nickel deposit.” For all the nonsense and whimsy, young readers will come away from the verse with a good sense of the suppleness of language and how it can be an agent of abiding humor. “Harold B. Bound / Turned his eyeballs around / To see all the thoughts in his head. / What do you see / In your head. Harold B.? / ‘Nothing but cobwebs,’ he said.” Hawkes is the perfect zany artist to interpret these silly poems with images that would draw laughs even without the words. His deep-dish colors mind the music and the footwork of Grossman's highly visual wordplay. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: March 31, 2001
ISBN: 0-06-028010-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasing introduction to plant biology with cross-curricular appeal.
Eighteen poems designed to be read aloud present the world of growing things in paired first-person voices.
Ideal for classroom use, this collection of short performance pieces introduces seed distribution, plant germination, the roles of roots and sunlight, pollinators and some familiar creatures. Working this plant world are two kinds of bees, worms, snails, ladybugs and, of course, monarch butterflies—as caterpillars munching milkweed, in chrysalises and emerging to fly. With short lines, judicious use of rhyme and some interesting language, the poetry works well. “Let’s get out of these coats. / I’m not ready. Please wait! / It’s easy. I’ll show you. / Watch me germinate.” The personification of each subject will appeal to young readers, and the voices are distinguished by spacing on the page as well as by color. For the most part, each double-page spread contains a single poem, illustrated with Yelchin's bright graphite-and-gouache paintings, which take full advantage of the author’s colorful subjects. There are indoor and outdoor scenes: One child blows a dandelion seed; two others observe seedlings. Other animals appear, too: birds, a dog, a hungry rabbit and a curious vole. Connections are everywhere. On a final page, Gerber summarizes the processes introduced in her poems.
A pleasing introduction to plant biology with cross-curricular appeal. (Informational poetry. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9211-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Dec. 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This classic poem, written in 1830, continues to be a favorite childhood rhyme for illustrators to illuminate. Huliska-Beith has chosen to illustrate her version with acrylic, gouache and fabric collages, digitally assembled. Her style aims for gently exaggerated humor, especially the schoolkids’ reactions when they "see a lamb at school." The characters have oversized heads, fabric-patterned clothing and teeny noses. Mary is blonde with puffy, rouged cheeks and wears red cowboy boots, while the lamb’s coat looks like swirls of meringue. Most modern readers will probably be surprised to discover several extra stanzas, and the sentimental, 19th-century language may leave them cold: The teacher advises the children, "And you each gentle animal / in confidence may bind, / and make them follow at your call, / if you are always kind." An author’s note provides a bit of history of the rhyme, citing a dubious (evidently unfounded) claim by Mary Sawyer Tyler that she was the “original” Mary. There is a flock of versions, from board books to big books, and spoofs (Jack Lechner and Bob Staake fracture the tale in Mary Had a Little Lamp, 2008) to sing-alongs, but many are out of print. Kids will respond to the embellished silliness of this one, but for charm, Salley Mavor’s stitchery images can’t be beat (2000). Music is not included. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5824-1
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011
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