From School Library Journal
Grade 1-5-A companion book to Lunch Money: And Other Poems about School (Dutton, 1995). The 22 energetic selections reflect the typical day-to-day activities and problems including being late for school, the first day, having to go to the bathroom, fund-raising, and other events. Shields utilizes a variety of forms including a concrete poem, poems for two voices, and a jump-rope rhyme. Meisel's vibrant cartoon illustrations are lively and fun and capture the poems' humor and insight. Students will relate to the situations presented and the emotions that are expressed. A welcome addition, whether as a read-aloud or for children to enjoy independently.
Helen Foster James, University of California at San DiegoCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Gr. 1-3. The creators of
Lunch Money (1995) offer more hilarious poems and drawings about elementary-school life. With clever, boisterous rhymes and experimental forms, Shields presents common experiences that will speak to a range of ages: one poem deals with first-day-of-school jitters; another focuses on a boy preparing his science fair project ("hypothesis: The world would be a better place / If my brother vanished without a trace"). Many of the best selections explore, in sunny, spot-on language, the emotions a school day can bring: jealousy of other classmates; the joy of finding a friend; the desire to be alone ("In the middle of this riot / I'd like to find a place that's quiet. / A little space that's shaped like me. / A little place that I can be"). Meisel's bright, paint-and-pencil art extends the humor with expressive characters and swirling chaos. Laugh-out-loud fun with plenty of substance to lighten up poetry units, with some good selections for reading aloud to younger children.
Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.