UNIVERSE AT THE TIPS OF YOUR TOES

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.