Hot Cha-Cha!

Josephine Nobisso
Illustrated by Joan Holub

Who … what … why … when … where … and how? The kids wanted to know. That is the basis for this book of poetry. WHO … found somethin’ in the cookie jar? It was not Hector, Shanequa, or Ali Kumar, but it was Maria. The WHAT … when Maria put her hand in the cookie jar, the kids wanted to know, what did she find! Maria found the key to the playground lock. She was so excited of her find she went up and down her block telling all the kids she had found the key. The WHY … the kids had a hard time with remembering how the key had been lost. Could it have been lost when they were swinging so high? The key had not been seen since the Fourth of July … but what part of the day? WHERE could the key have flown? Just how far away … Tunisia, maybe even Korea. They went real high on the swings. Finally, the HOW. How, did Maria manage to come across the key? Laughing and singing, the children were glad to have the cookie jar to keep the key safe.

This book was listed twice with two other publishers before Gingerbread House picked it up in 2009. The publisher is excited to be offering this rhyming book and is looking for comments from readers. Unusual for most books, the entire jacket is a tutorial for understanding the rhyming and writing poetry. The illustrations are amazing. Bright colors and children’s faces full of joy. The pages are a medley of color, swirls, action, and children. I would suggest reading the book to children when they can view the pages.

BIBLIO: 2010, ABDO Publishing, Ages Gr 3 - 6, $25.65
REVIEWER: Debby Willett
FORMAT: Junior Novels / Reader Series
ISBN: 978-1-60453-629-4

REVIEWED FOR: Children’s Literature, Online Version, 1/2510

Count Down to Summer

One-hundred and eighty poems, riddles, and rhymes for every day of school. Just a few of the titles I came across, A Billion Years A.D., Gold Teeth, Dead Weight, I was Your Teacher Once, Dolly and Dilly, The Loneliest Creature, Food Fight, Rabbit Math, Riddle, Who Can Tell?, Alphabet Game, Beneath a Shady Tree, The Most Common Vowel … and, the most interesting title I found, Punxsutawney Phil.

Some of the poems rhyme and some do not. Some of the poems are relevant to school topics, and others are just relevant to miscellaneous subjects as #38 Ocean Motion, or #114 Girl and Boy. Number 42 talks about Animals at Odds … snails and whales, pachyderms and worms, newts and bandicoots.

Civil War Couplets, #64, is actually educational, in a couplet sort of way. There are a few of the poems most kids will want to pass over, a few of the riddles they will not give any time to, but within the pages of this book are a few fun rhymes the younger set would enjoy and might want to repeat.

At best, it’s a one-time read and the kids will want to pass it along to another pal, or to another class. At worst it will languish on a bookshelf somewhere before the cover is torn off and returned to the publisher and the book is tossed in a trash can. The illustrations are black ink and very elementary and do not add to the text of the book. Perhaps if the illustrations were more engaging, the poetry and riddles would be more attractive.

BIBLIO: 2009, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Ages 8 to 12, $15.99
REVIEWER: Debby Willett
FORMAT: Poetry Book
ISBN: 978-0-316-04318-2
REVIEWED FOR: Children’s Literature, Online Version, 5/09

My Teacher Dances on the Desk

Eugene Gagliano
Illustrations by Tatjana Mai-Wyss

This entertaining book of poetry is targeted at elementary children, as it should be. The prose is quick, sometimes repetitive, and humorous. Most of the poetry is written from a non-gender point of view, allowing any student to easily identify with the humor. Topics included are the first day of school, wanting to see the nurse, stinky sneakers, a boa constrictor, bubble-gum, and more fun subjects. Each poem should appeal to the kindergarten through second grade ages, and would be a great bedtime read. The title poem, My Teacher Dances on the Desk, is the final poem and reinforces the fun and affection an elementary student hopes for. The illustrations are black ink and cartoonish, that should appeal to small children. This poetry book would be a good inclusion in kindergarten classes.

BIBLIO: 2009, Sleeping Bear Press, Ages 5 to 9, $6.95
REVIEWER: Debby Willett
FORMAT: Poetry Book
ISBN: 978-1-58536-446-6
REVIEWED FOR: Children’s Literature, Online Version, 4/09