Oh, Grow Up!: Poems to Help You Survive Parents, Chores, School, and Other Afflictions [Library Binding]

Florence Parry Heide (Author), Roxanne Heide Pierce (Author), Nadine Bernard Westcott (Illustrator)

Book Description

A zany collection of poetry about the trials and tribulations of a youngster's life explains how to cope with parents, chores, the class bully, older sisters and younger brothers, the school cafeteria, braces, and more.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dealing with annoying circumstances can try the patience of even a saintly child, but this droll collection from Heide (Tales for the Perfect Child) and her daughter is bound to fortify young readers suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous childhood. "I only have one life to live," laments the narrator of a poem titled "Advice," but "my parents want to live it." Another says, "I used to hate sharing./ Now it seems good./ I share my chores?/ I think everyone should." Westcott's (Never Take a Pig to Lunch and Other Poems About the Fun of Eating) waggish, detailed watercolors provide more than half the book's amusement. As fit punishment for a sister who hogs the bathroom plucking her eyebrows, Westcott depicts the younger brother camping out in the bathtub in full snorkeling regalia. Although the poems' rhythms and rhymes are sometimes uneven, both text and art focus on children of good humor and high energy who cleverly cope with familiar ordeals. Whether these narrators are being grounded or outnumbered, their complaints are earnest rather than churlish, heartfelt rather than whiny, and always full of fun. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5?A lighthearted look at everyday family life from a child's point of view. Calamities such as sibling rivalry, class bullies, hand-me-downs, school cafeteria food, and a host of other trials and tribulations are captured in the jaunty rhyming verses. First-person narrations bring immediacy to the poems and lets readers identify with the typical situations. Zany, candy-bright pen-and-ink and watercolor cartoons amplify the absurdities. Right on target for school-aged youngsters.?Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Library Binding
• Publisher: Orchard Books (NY) (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531087719
• ISBN-13: 978-0531087718
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,342,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.