185. Away with Words!

Away with Words! Wise and Witty Poems for Language Lovers. Mary Ann Hoberman. 2022. 64 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Today the thought occurred to me
That every book's an ABC
And every word you've ever met
Is made out of the alphabet.

But alphabets must stay in line.
A BCA would not be fine.
A letter cannot change its place
And sneak into another space.

In words the letters try new blends,
They meet new neighbors, make new friends.
They move around. They go on trips.
They rearrange relationships.

Every time you change a letter
Alphabet gets alphabetter!

Butter is better
    If you change a letter
Butter is button
    If you change two
Butter is utter
    If you remove one
Utter means "speak"
    And that's what we do!

Change a word or
Change a letter,
Alphabet gets
Alphabetter!

Turn the page and we'll get going
Starting with the letter A
Poems and pictures mixed together
Turn the page
We're on our way!

Premise/plot: These 'wise and witty' poems are arranged alphabetically in this collection. Many--if not most--involve word play. Some poems teach. Like one of the first poems in the collection Assonance/Alliteration. This poem teaches the difference between these two. [Sample alliteration: Pa put peppers on Pat's plate. Sample assonance: Pa wants almonds for Ma's aunt.] Or Lay/Lie. This poem teaches the difference between these two words! [Something I hope I can remember from this day forward.]  Some poems are long. Some are very, very short. Quite a few poems leave an impression--at least on me.

Vast

A tiny word
that encompasses
the universe.

I thought that poem was tiny but fierce.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. Like in ALL poetry collections. I have a handful of favorites that I do like. Poems like Just Think:

Just Think

Locked inside the alphabet
Is every word
That ever was
And every book
that never was

But will be.

I absolutely loved some of these poems. Other poems were so-so. They didn't leave a big impression on me. More of a meh response. But the poems I loved I really loved. So I do recommend this one for sure. Just don't expect MAGIC with every single poem.

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers