Friday, September 19, 2008

Poetry Friday -- Review

Beastly Rhymes to Read After Dark
by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Brian Biggs
Alfred A. Knopf, 2008
review copy provided by the publisher

(the cover of my copy looks nothing like this)



This is a fun-sized volume (about 5" x 7") of poems perfect for the Halloween season. The illustrations are bold and colorful, and the rhymes just beg to be read aloud.

Here are some quick excerpts from a few of the poems:

The Lavatory Crocodile
"...She settled in the loathsome pool
Beneath the bathroom of your school.
When next you find you have to go,
Look first, and wave, and say 'Hello!'... "

Lovely Giant Squid
"...You can't have friends and eat them, too."

Who is Haunting the Zoo
"Boo! Boo! Boo! Boo!
Who is haunting the zoo?
There's a phantom flamingo,
A windigo dingo,
An elephant skeleton, too..."

Leopard Chefs
"My next-door neighbor, Hilda Hitchen,
Kept two leopards in her kitchen
Who, when Hilda wasn't looking,
Taught themselves the art of cooking..."
(you might guess, it doesn't bode well for Hilda!)

Parasite Lost
(the title's enough on this one -- it's the best/grossest poem in the book so you'll have to read it yourself!)

Never Bully a Bug
"...Young William never realized
The tiny mites he victimized
Had cousins that were giant-sized..."


This week's roundup is at author amok.

9 comments:

  1. Looks like a fun collection, Mary Lee. I especially like Leopard Chefs! And Parasite Lost is a great title :) -- why didn't I think of that?

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  2. Anonymous9:17 AM

    This looks like such fun!

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  3. Anonymous10:51 AM

    Oh, what fun. I was gonna say "what a gas!" but then it seemed too gross :)

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  4. Anonymous12:23 PM

    Oh, wow... "Parasite Lost." It doesn't get much better than that! And I love "Lavatory Croc" too.

    I'll be looking for this one for some fun with my kids...

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  5. Ooh ooh! Must see! Thanks for the tip.

    Jules
    7-Imp

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  6. Anonymous1:43 PM

    Fun! Off to put this on reserve!

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  7. Anonymous9:26 AM

    The first pome reminds me of the basthroom ghost in Harry Potter. What a fun collection.

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  8. This looks like fun! My girls would enjoy it. Off to see if our library has it ....

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  9. My favorite of the bits you include is the wonderful "you can't have friends and eat them too" of the Giant Squid....truly a life lesson :)

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