Customer Reviews

Laugh-eteria: Poems and Drawings

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My son (who's 5 and adores books) and I found Laugh-Eteria and Bing Bang Boing (another big collection by Douglas Florian) and spent countless hours smiling, laughing, examinging the drawings, and then even engaging in our own wordplay. Hours? Nah... days and weeks, really, as it's a book we keep coming back to. There's something in these collections for everyone: broadly funny stuff that appealed to my inner kid and my son's still-kidness, poems that worked for me as an adult, characters that take on a life in a handful of lines, observations of the world told from a point of view that's unique (in an appealing way!). The drawings, too, worked well for both of us. Many are amusing in their own right, and lots add to the poem they go with. It's a great combo. Personally, I'd recommend either collection for anyone who likes to laugh.

I purchased this book for a seven year old who was not too fond of reading. The short, silly, easy to read poems have welcomed her into a world of reading that she is now eager to explore. The point being....this is a book of poems meant for children, the author has a fun way of writing that appeals to even the least likely reader.

Whether you want to groom your kid (or grandkid)to be a literary star or not, this is a good place for you both to start having real fun with words. Think of this book as the literary equivalent of an open fire hydrant on the hottest day of August. These poem-songs tickle and tease like jets of cool water. Best for kids between the ages of 5 and 10, 'tho not too old for a 4 year old or too silly for a 12-year old.

In this entertaining poetry book, Douglas Florian pairs rhymes with simple black-and-white illustrations on subjects ranging from siblings, fishermen, April Fool's Day, homework, camels, the dangers of drinking ink, and much, much more.

With poems that are simple enough for beginning readers, and large drawings that would be great for coloring, LAUGH-ETERIA would be a fun gift for any creative child.

As an added bonus, some poems are a little gross and creepy, such as "Brain Drain" and "Monster Meatballs," which is sure to make reluctant readers want to pick it up!

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

This is the best poetry book I have ever read in my life. The poems in this book are just so great.
For a report in school i had to read some poems from a poetry book. I picked to use Laugh-Eteria. When I read Laugh-Eteria to my class my class just loved it! I can not beleive how good an author Douglass Florian is!
I would recomend this to anyone in 2nd grade and up till they are 99999 years old!

I really enjoy Douglas Florian's poetry and I thought most of his poems, in this book, were funny but his drawings kill this book! I love his books that have his paintings, they have a "primative folk art" quality that has a warm and fuzzy feeling to it. These drawings are so bad it distracts from the poetry. My advice to the publisher is get someone else to do the drawings! Don't pay for the "new" copy try a used one, see what you think and then cut it up, use a glue stick in a spiral notebook and you can still enjoy the poetry!

I'm afraid I don't understand what has happened to the art of writing rhyme. I don't mean to offend this author, but I have taught poetry to 5th graders who were capable of writing rhymed (and unrhymed) poems that surpassed those in this book! And this author wins awards (?). Children's poetry in general has hit a low - it is rare to find poems that contain the kind of imagery that makes you shiver, and the new rhymes are unimaginative, not very clever at all. I certainly beleive in having a good laugh with good rhyme, but I'm afraid these don't do it for me (and the kids in my library never check it out)...

This book is big and the cover's appealing, but there's nothing inside it. It's ridiculous that reviewers are comparing Florian to Silverstein. It's ridiculous that customers are buying Florian. It's ridiculous that Florian's drawings are winning awards. I'm completely baffled. Children's poetry is not a huge market. You'd think that the few who *do* get published would be talented, if not exceptional. Nyet.