In the spirit of this team’s previous anthologies A Poke in the I (2001) and A Kick in the Head (2005), this collection rounds up 37 quirky poems “chosen because they are terrific candidates for reading aloud,” according to the introduction. Here, the Jabberwock rears its manxome head and “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat” pop up in their pea-green boat, but contemporary voices such as Douglas Florian and Sandra Cisneros join the chorus too. The poems are organized by type, including tongue twisters, poems for two and three voices, bilingual poems and limericks (one of which pluckily rhymes Boise, noisy and New Joisy!). David McCord’s “The Pickety Fence” will have youngsters grabbing sticks and heading out the door: “The pickety fence / The pickety fence / Give it a lick it’s / The pickety fence.” Rebecca Kai Dotlich’s “Where Lizzie Lived: A Haunted Tale” is ripe for reciting in the dead of night. Raschka’s vivacious ink, watercolor and torn-paper illustrations capture the giddy spirit, sound and movement of this playful, sometimes edgy, collection. (Poetry. 8-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7636-0663-3
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2009
A story of perseverance and love.
Onyx has a secret.
It’s 1970, and following the death of his grandmother, Onyx, a 12-year-old Black boy, is left living alone with his mother, who has early onset dementia. Fearing losing Mama, too, he keeps her condition a secret from everyone and instead vows to make sure that he keeps up the show of everything being OK at home. His days are filled with completing chores, leaving sticky notes for Mama to read when she wakes up, attending Catholic school, and catching up with his cousins and other relatives when he can. Onyx relies on the knowledge passed on to him by his grandmother to manage their Alexandria, Virginia, home—shopping for groceries and preparing simple meals for himself and his mother. As her condition begins to worsen, however, he desperately tries to find a way to help Mama get her memories back. Facing the looming threat of a home visit by social workers, Onyx takes bigger and bigger risks in his attempts to return his mother to her former self. Written in verse through the eyes of a child, the novel tackles complex topics honestly yet hopefully. As readers follow Onyx in his endeavors to help his mother, they’re also given a glimpse into being a young Black boy who, for all his troubles in life, has just as many joyful moments with his family and friends.
A story of perseverance and love. (author’s note) (Verse historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781250908780
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
A successful marriage of art and poetry.
Will Chambers wrestles with fat stigma, self-loathing, disordered eating, and the ultimate desire to be accepted.
Lerner’s illustrated verse novel opens on Will’s fourth grade year. It’s the first time the word fat is hurled at him as an insult, the first time he understands that the rest of the world sees something wrong with his body. Three years later, shame-filled Will is eating less and less. It’s Markus, his kind, cool skateboarder friend, who helps Will when he eventually breaks and who is there as he works on piecing himself back together. Lerner uses the format to great effect, as the staccato lines of broken verse are well matched to Will’s honest, disjointed inner thoughts. The setup makes for an effective portrayal of Will’s painful mental battles. The black-and-white illustrations mostly depict Markus; Will’s crush, Jules, a skinny girl; and a prickly, monsterlike version of how Will sees himself. Peppered throughout are balls of black scribbles representing Will’s anxiety, fears, and the anger he directs at himself. The diary feel adds to readers’ understanding of Will. Lerner writes very affecting scenes that will resonate with some readers and provide insight for others, shedding powerful light on boys’ body image struggles. All characters appear White.
A successful marriage of art and poetry. (Verse fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781665905152
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
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