83. Zoobilations!

Zoobilations! Animal Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian. 2022. 48 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The Weasels
We weasels wear brown summer coats.
We weasels are at times called "stoats."
In winter we wear coats of white
with which we weasel out of sight.

Premise/plot: Douglas Florian's newest poetry book is a themed collection--animal poems. The poems are short--delightfully so. Many feature word play, a pun, a joke. (For example, his poem "Sea Gull" plays with the concept of being gullible.) Each poem features a [painted] illustration.

My thoughts: I really LOVED this one. I am partial to Douglas Florian's work to be completely honest. I've never been disappointed by his work. I would recommend this one.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers

52. In Every Life

In Every Life. Marla Frazee. 2023. [February] 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: In every birth, blessed is the wonder.
In every smile, blessed is the light.
In every hope, blessed is the doing.

I would personally classify this as a picture book poem. It is based on a Jewish baby-name blessing. (I'm not sure how true it is to the traditional or if it is more loosely based.) The text is sparse. Some spreads of this one are a blend of text and illustrations. There are other spreads that are solely illustrated--no text. 

While this one could certainly be read aloud--gifted to be read aloud--to anyone of any age...I can't help thinking that this has more of an audience with adults, new adults, and those in the transition-y bits of life. Then again, I think if read aloud by a loving, caring, nurturing parent (caregiver, aunt, grandparent), it could maybe become beloved with a younger crowd. Perhaps more of a lullaby.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers

39. Ready for Spaghetti

Ready for Spaghetti: Funny Poems for Funny Kids. Michael Rosen. Illustrated by Polly Dunbar. 2022. [November] 64 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Up!
Up, up, uppity-up!
The light shines through the window
Up, up, uppity-up!
Here is my nose and here's my elbow
Up, up, uppity-up!
My feet are standing on the floor
Up, up, uppity-up!
My feet are taking me out the door

Premise/plot: A collection of fun/funny poems written for young children by Michael Rosen. The poems take you through the course of a day--though not necessarily the same day. The first poem is a morning poem. The last poem is a bedtime poem. The poems follow four friends. 

My thoughts: I enjoyed this poetry book. It was super fun. I love Polly Dunbar's illustrations. I have for years. Her art always has had a special place in my heart. I adore her work. The poems work for me. I think they are relatable and enjoyable.

On the Swings

Swing me on the swing,
Higher and higher and higher.
I'm a swingy flyer!
Higher and higher and higher.
Swing me on the swing,
Push me, push me, push.
I go swooshy-swoosh!
Push me, push me, push.
Swing me on the swing,
Swinging and swinging and swinging.
Swing me on the swing.
I'm singing and singing and singing.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers

191. Autumnblings

Autumnblings. Douglas Florian. 2003. 48 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Autumn falls in late September.

Premise/plot: Autumnblings is a picture book poetry collection by poet/artist Douglas Florian. There are forty-eight autumn/fall themed poems celebrating this season of the year. It blends two art forms--poetry and art [painting]. Many--though not all--involve word play. Almost all are a celebration of nature. 

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I did. I think my favorite poem from this collection--or one of them at least--is the poem "Awe-tumn."

When summer's seams
Have come undone,
Then greens to reds
And purples run.
A palette falls
To forest floor,
And autumn leaves
Leave me in awe.

I also liked the pumpkin poems! I think they would be such a great read aloud in school classrooms. 

The poem about hibernation [aka Hi-bear-nation] was so much fun!!! I loved the word play.

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers

81. Hard-Boiled Bugs for Breakfast

Hard-Boiled Bugs for Breakfast and Other Tasty Poems. Jack Prelutsky. Illustrated by Ruth Chan. 2021. [January] 144 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Hard-boiled bugs for breakfast, hard-boiled bugs for lunch, hard-boiled bugs at suppertime, Crunchy! Crunchy! Crunch!

Hard-Boiled Bugs for Breakfast is a new poetry book by Jack Prelutsky. Each poem--and there are over a hundred--is accompanied by an illustration. Most of the poems fall into the category of silly, nonsensical, fantastical, imaginative, ridiculous. A few are more heart-felt. Though this is a collection of 'tasty' poems, not all poems center around food and eating. There are plenty of just your ordinary old living life poems: you know, family life and relationships, school and homework, holidays. I especially liked the poems for some of the holidays.

I made a list of my favorite poems in this collection:

• My Lizard
• My Family's Last Picnic
• The Stir-Frying Pandas
• If I Had No Homework
• On the Last Day of December
• Ow!
• I Love To Sleep All Morning
• I'm Thankful for the Sunshine
• It's Mother's Day
• A Chicken on a Mountaintop

If you are a teacher looking to share select poems with your classroom, then this would be a good, solid resource. I liked the variety of poems--the topics and subjects, the narrative style, the length. I think this collection offers something for everyone.

A Chicken on a Mountaintop:

A chicken on a mountaintop
Was at a total loss.
She felt a need to cross a street--
There was no street to cross.
That chicken didn't fret too long
But simply used her head,
And sat and sat and sat and sat,
And laid an egg instead. (106)

Perhaps that one isn't my all time favorite from this collection, but it's fun and short. 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

A Child's Garden of Verses

A Child's Garden of Verses. Robert Louis Stevenson. 1885. 67 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence:

"Bed In Summer"
In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candlelight.

Premise/plot: A Child's Garden of Verses is a collection of children's poems by Robert Louis Stevenson. Some of his best poems are often featured in other collections that have been published through the decades. Even if you've never "read" this one in its entirety, chances are you'll be familiar with a handful of these poems. For example, "My Shadow," and "The Swing."

My thoughts: This is one of my mom's favorites. I recently handed her a copy of Kidnapped to read. She told me that her FAVORITE Stevenson book was A Child's Garden of Verses. She then proceeded to start quoting lines from five or six different poems.

I liked this one. I definitely found myself loving one or two of these poems. Not all of the poems hold up well. (I speak of the poem entitled "Foreign Children.") But plenty of his poems are still worth reading.

Picture Books in Winter
Summer fading, winter comes--
Frosty mornings, tingling thumbs
Window robins, winter rooks,
And the picture story-books.

Water now is turned to stone
Nurse and I can walk upon;
Still we find the flowing brooks
In the picture story-books.

All the pretty things put by,
Wait upon the children's eye,
Sheep and shepherds, trees and crooks,
In the picture story-books.

We may see how all things are,
Seas and cities, near and far,
And the flying fairies' looks,
In the picture story-books.

How am I to sing your praise,
Happy chimney-corner days,
Sitting safe in nursery nooks,
Reading picture-story books?

Block City

What are you able to build with your blocks?
Castles and palaces, temples and docks.
Rain may keep raining, and others go roam,
But I can be happy and building at home.
Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea,
There I'll establish a city for me:
A kirk and a mill and a palace beside,
And a harbor as well where my vessels may ride.
Great is the palace with pillar and wall,
A sort of a tower on top of it all,
And steps coming down in an orderly way
To where my toy vessels lie safe in the bay.
This one is sailing and that one is moored:
Hark to the song of the sailors on board!
And see on the steps of my palace, the kings
Coming and going with presents and things!

© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers