A unique body of delightful poems offering a safe space for kids to explore their ever-shifting emotions.
An eclectic collection of poems based on subjects and specific prompts suggested by kids.
The Typewriter Rodeo is a group of professional poets (Petrie, Bendheim, Benedict, Egerton, Gerlach, and Kirkpatrick) who take their vintage typewriters to public places (festivals, museums, and the like) to write free poems for anyone who comes up and suggests a prompt. Poems requested by children and teenagers have been cleaned up and collected in this volume, with each poem identifying the topic requested and by whom (at the top) and the poet who wrote it (at the bottom). The poems are divided into different sections, such as “poems of identity,” “scary poems,” and “poems of hope.” Text boxes appear every few pages, offering poetry-writing tips (“Play with where your words land on the page, to capture the energy of your poem”) or providing a bit more insight into a particular poem’s background (“My next-door neighbor, a girl named Nora, loved to climb the tree between our yards”). The subjects of the poems vary wildly, from Tartarus to trampolines, as do the poems’ tones—there’s both the sentimental “Dirt Streaks & Marshmallow Cheeks” and the Dr. Seuss–like “Oh the Places You’ll Never Go (Capybara Dreams).” The writing advice is occasionally repetitive (two different boxes suggest ending a poem with a variation of the beginning), but it may prove useful to beginners. Because the book is divided into separate sections, readers can easily flip to whatever passage fits their particular mood. Positive, inspiring messages abound—particularly in those poems tackling the difficulties that can come from being oneself. Roots “are ancient messages / creating shade offering plentiful fruit / they don’t listen or respond / they do not tell you what to do.” Full of fun rhymes and deep musings, this bountiful collection expertly balances whimsy and empathy.
A unique body of delightful poems offering a safe space for kids to explore their ever-shifting emotions.Pub Date: June 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781961853126
Page Count: 283
Publisher: Burlwood Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nothing new here but a nonetheless congenial matriculant in publishing’s autumnal rite of back-to-school offerings.
The Crayons head back to class in this latest series entry.
Daywalt’s expository text lays out the basics as various Crayons wave goodbye to the beach, choose a first-day outfit, greet old friends, and make new ones. As in previous outings, the perennially droll illustrations and hand-lettered Crayon-speak drive the humor. The ever wrapperless Peach, opining, “What am I going to wear?” surveys three options: top hat and tails, a chef’s toque and apron, and a Santa suit. New friends Chunky Toddler Crayon (who’s missing a bite-sized bit of their blue point) and Husky Toddler Crayon speculate excitedly on their common last name: “I wonder if we’re related!” White Crayon, all but disappearing against the page’s copious white space, sits cross-legged reading a copy of H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man. And Yellow and Orange, notable for their previous existential argument about the color of the sun, find agreement in science class: Jupiter, clearly, is yellow AND orange. Everybody’s excited about art class—“Even if they make a mess. Actually…ESPECIALLY if they make a mess!” Here, a spread of crayoned doodles of butterflies, hearts, and stars is followed by one with fulsome scribbles. Fans of previous outings will spot cameos from Glow in the Dark and yellow-caped Esteban (the Crayon formerly known as Pea Green). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nothing new here but a nonetheless congenial matriculant in publishing’s autumnal rite of back-to-school offerings. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: May 16, 2023
ISBN: 9780593621110
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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