FEG: Ridiculous Stupid Poems for Intelligent Children [Hardcover]

Robin Hirsch (Author), Ha (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: 5 and up

What is a Spoonerism? How many syllables are in a Haiku? What makes a palindrome a palindrome? The answers to these questions and many more are in this witty and wise collection, which invites readers to discover the joy of language and introduces them to literary and historical figures from Shakespeare and Gertrude Stein to Mel Brooks and Zbigniew Brzezinski. The twenty-three poems are accompanied by educational and entertaining explanatory notes, as well as a glossary, making this book perfect for classroom use. With bold, graphic illustrations by New Yorker cover artist Ha, this book is sure to entice people of all ages - even those suffering from poetryphobia (from the Greek; fear of poetry).

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In an arch, sophisticated display of literary agility, Hirsch (Last Dance at the Hotel Kempinski) offers a silly array of poems for youthful (and not so youthful) philologists and word sleuths. From palindromes and spoonerisms ("Dr. Spooner Writes the Menu" serves up such treats as "a chilled grease sandwich" and "brightly leaded chalk pops") to alliteration, haiku, onomatopoeia and more, he commits flagrantly nimble wordplay, tongue firmly planted in cheek. Hirsch is in splendid form, whether penning a sonnet to his son ("Nay, thou art more precious than a Snickers Barre") that does double duty as an acrostic or yielding to the siren song of puns with a poem entitled "Eye Rhyme" ("Underneath a shady bough I'm startled by a sudden cough"), followed by one entitled "Ewe Rhyme" ("There once was a man whose name was Lou Whose favorite dish was lamb ragout He liked nothing better than a stew" even author Annie Proulx makes an appearance). Although the running commentary comes off as a tad solipsistic ("We made up `Ewe Rhyme' as a companion for `Eye Rhyme.' We managed to come up with 21 different ways of spelling the same sound"), and the pages grow crowded with these fussy footnotes packed with definitions and etymological roots, the asides are often witty ("All work and no plagiarism is no fun at all") and discerning readers will discover plenty to appreciate. Debut children's illustrator Ha's frolicsome computer-generated graphics keep pace with the verbal acrobatics, and the energy he brings to the pages with his shapes and squiggles displays a certain Chris Raschka-esque flair. Could the title be a play on "effigy" (the titular poem suggests it may be)? Ages 10-up.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grades 5-8--Hirsch, two of his children, and an imaginative illustrator have come up with an unusual book that is sure to inspire wordplay in language-loving readers. The first poem, "F*E*G," is a variant of the ABC rhyme every child learns: "Abie's seedy effigy-." Puns, palindromes, acrostics, and literary references of all sorts abound in the selections that follow, but the sense of fun and experimentation is never forgotten. "Eye Rhyme" goes like this: "Underneath a shady bough/I'm startled by a sudden cough/I fear that someone wants my dough/And figure that I've had enough." A footnote explains that in an eye rhyme, the poem rhymes to the eye but not the ear. Almost every selection has a lively and interesting note and some are lengthy. Generous white space breaks up the pages in a wonderful design in which the graceful and dynamic pictures are a perfect match for the sly humor of the text. Ha's computer art has a casual and sophisticated look that will appeal to older children. Certainly not every reader will take to this, but some will love it, and clever teachers may find this volume a great way to create enthusiasm for poetry.
Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers; 1 edition (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316363448
• ISBN-13: 978-0316363440
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #436,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Open their minds ...and your own, April 19, 2002

By 

mattgb1 "mattgb1" (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: FEG: Ridiculous Stupid Poems for Intelligent Children (Hardcover)

*****
Imagine a book that has a whole collection of fun games that ignite a child's love of language. Imagine a child getting excited about homonyms, and even vowels! (as in "Murder most vowel" - a game you'll want to play along with them). Imagine a compendium of playful ways to exercise your childs language skills (and your own, by the way) through the mental calisthenics and verbal acrobatics presented in this highly imaginative book.

This book will excite a child's mind, and thrill your own, as together you travel on an adventure of discovering the power that lies hidden beneath "ordinary" words. This book excites kids -- of ALL ages. If you don't have any kids whom you can read this with, then have no fear; just tell people it's for a "nephew" or "student" and buy the book for yourself.

I myself am all grown up so I have to read it on the sly when I'm not around actual children, but when I do I cant wait to find some more kids to share it with.

Because its pure fun, and you dont have any other book like it yet.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great on all levels, January 10, 2007

By 

Honey Bee - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: FEG: Ridiculous Stupid Poems for Intelligent Children (Hardcover)

The suggested age on this one is way off. I would say this could be:
entertaining to the young ones.(3-6)
great intro to styles of poetry (7-9)
helpful in writing your own poetry (7-100)

The bottom of each page has great insights, written as if the author was chatting with you;telling you where some of the ideas came from for the poem on that page.
This is a great classroom tool as well as a fun reading book at home.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The wonderful world of words, December 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: FEG: Ridiculous Stupid Poems for Intelligent Children (Hardcover)

Amusing and thought provoking. My 12 yo son and I read this together from the library, and he wouldn't take it back! Gramma bought it for him for his birthday. The authors use many different literary styles, and sneak in lots of education. We have memorized many of the selections. This also stimulated us to continue word play and to write some poetry of our own.