The Tighty Whitey Spider: And More Wacky Animal Poems I Totally Made Up [Paperback]

Kenn Nesbitt (Author), Ethan Long (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2010 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

It's Official:
Kids want more of Kenn Nesbitt's sidesplitting poetry. They can't get enough of his clever wordplay, wonderful imagery, and zany rhymes.

In this brand-new collection, Kenn has totally made up over fifty poems involving Acrobatic Cats, Kung Fu Pets, and Chickens on Computers.

(20110524)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1–4—This collection of 58 animal poems features imaginative flights of fancy and comic exaggeration. Some use wordplay (like "Abrocat the Acrobat"), others are story poems, and many are spoofs on well-known pieces. "If You Give a Mouse a Motorcycle" includes the lines: "He'll start working at the circus/Where he'll take away your breath/As he rides with other rodents/In the flaming cage of death." This contemporary, irreverent tone is sure to please children, especially boys. Not all of the verses are technically perfect, and some are lacking in originality and surprise (in "Frog Ball," the creature excels, of course, at catching flies). But adults may notice these faults more than the intended audience. The sketchy ink cartoons add a slapdash quality but not much more. This isn't on a par with Shel Silverstein's work, but it's similar in some ways and may appeal to the same audience. Collections looking for poetry with high appeal may want to add it.—Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
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Review

It's official: Kenn Nesbitt's poetry is kid- and parent-approved! His 'wacky animal poems' carry the common thread of silly critters in impossible situations – a recipe for laugh-out-loud page-turning fun. (She is too Fond of Books 20110524)

So many of the poems are funny, but they are also very smart and full of little twists. I know kids will love the surprise endings. I think this really is a book that kids will want to read over and over again -- even those reluctant readers. (Booking Mama 20110524)

Kenn Nesbitt combines animals and craziness into some wacky poems.
(The Brain Lair 20110524)

The Tighty Whitey Spider is exactly the kind of book my daughter would have loved when she was in elementary school. I can't think of a better way to help younger children develop an early appreciation for poetry than reading Nesbitt's poems. (The Mother Daughter Book Club 20110524)

Yes, they are funny and a little wacky - this book should have you chuckling with smiles. (Homeschool Buzz 20110524)

Nesbitt's poems are funny and have a well, wacky off-beat kind of humor that really connects with kids (and their teachers and parents, I might add). (Lit for Kids 20110524)

The poems aren't dull and boring, they are full of action and fun...If all poetry was this exciting, I'd definitely read more! (Jenns Bookshelves )

...his new book, The Tighty Whitey Spider (with illustrations by Ethan Long) would make me a fan even if I wasn't already one. (Gotta Book )

First of all, the main little critter is sporting nothing but his tighty whitey underwear. This alone had my kids giggling. (KC Books )

...they'll be creeping and crawling to get their hands on this collection of zany rhymes. (Children's Book Review )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; Pap/Psc edition (April 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402238339
• ISBN-13: 978-1402238338
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Poetry > Humorous
  • #75 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Poetry > General
  • #78 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Humorous

More About the Author

Kenn Nesbitt is the author of several collections of funny poetry for kids, including My Hippo Has the Hiccups, Revenge of the Lunch Ladies, and The Aliens Have Landed at Our School! His poetry has appeared in many bestselling anthologies, including every book in the popular Kids Pick the Funniest Poems series, and anthologies from Scholastic with nearly 2 million copies in print. His works have been in dozens of school textbooks around the world, as well as national television programs, and numerous children's magazines. Kenn travels the country, visiting over 60 schools each year, sharing his wacky brand of poetry with kids nationwide, and helping to create a new generation of poetry lovers. His website, poetry4kids.com, is the most visited children's poetry website on the Internet.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great poems! Great humor! Great fun!, June 11, 2010

By 

KidsReads (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tighty Whitey Spider: And More Wacky Animal Poems I Totally Made Up (Paperback)

With a title like THE TIGHTY WHITEY SPIDER: And More Wacky Animal Poems I Totally Made Up,you'd expect this book to be a bit zany and off the wall. And in this case, you'd be absolutely right. This crazy collection of poems and puns is a bit reminiscent of Shel Silverstein, with some J. Patrick Lewis and Dr. Seuss thrown in for good measure.

The pages are filled with an assortment of laugh-aloud, punny, sometimes tongue-twisting fun. Some of the poems are short and simple, others are much longer, but all tell some type of story. There are poems about a dog that goes roller skating ("My Dog Is Running Faster"), a litter of kittens that like to box ("Kitten Fight"), a buffalobster ("Today I Touched the Buffalobster" --- bet you've never heard of one of those before), and a parrot that doesn't like to fly ("My Parrot Doesn't Care to Fly"). Other unusual titles include "My Chicken's on the Internet," "Ferret Soccer" and "My Dog Plays Invisible Frisbee."

Some of the pages are marked with a "headphone" symbol. If you go to the website listed at the beginning of the book, you can download free audio tracks of author Kenn Nesbitt either reading or singing those poems.

Nesbitt is no stranger to poetry. He has written six other books of poetry and has quite a devoted following of fans. These poems were obviously written for kids, but I must confess I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion. Read them for yourself, and you'll see what I mean. Great poems! Great humor! Great fun!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from www.firrkids.com, May 14, 2010

By 

www.firrkids.com - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tighty Whitey Spider: And More Wacky Animal Poems I Totally Made Up (Paperback)

We are big fans of Kenn Nesbitt and his side-splitting poetry. He's funny, ingenious, original and best of all, makes up his own darn rules. Do you find poetry boring, maybe a little stuffy? Do you hesitate to introduce poetry to your children because you aren't sure if they will embrace it? You really should give this poetry a try.

Kenn's poetry doesn't focus on flowers or rainbows or running breathlessly through the rain. He doesn't wax on about his feelings, nor do you have to study his poems to figure out the deeper meaning. This book is full of poems about animals like ferrets, weasels and purple porpoises doing wacky things. Sometimes you can just tell by reading the title that it's going to be good. For instance, you can't go wrong with Toby the Snowboarding Doberman. It's inconceivable.

There's a paragraph on the rear cover (that's what we're calling it, right?) that explains how Kenn came up with his material. I can offer it to you to give you a real sense of what his humor is like, and not feel guilty about posting some poems that you should really buy the book to read. We are rule-followers here, after all.

"As a child, Kenn Nesbitt got lost during a field trip to the zoo and was raised by animals who taught him their secret ways. He used that knowledge to create this book, every word of which is true. Really. Okay, not really. He just wanted to see if you would read the back cover." If that doesn't convince you of Kenn's hilarity, then take a peek at Kenn's site to read three poems, reprinted with his permission: My Kitten Won't Stop Talking, My Kiwi is the Captain, and I Have to Write a Poem.

There are really only so many ways I can say that I think this guy is the key to get your kids interested in poetry. It worked at our house and it can work at yours. Oh! I totally forgot to mention that the book is peppered with illustrations from Ethan Long. Yeah, Ethan Long from Tickle the Duck - that Ethan Long. This book has it all: good writing, good pictures, talking kittens and flying pigs.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Mother Daughter Book Club.com, April 20, 2010

By 

Cynthia Hudson (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tighty Whitey Spider: And More Wacky Animal Poems I Totally Made Up (Paperback)

Just in time for National Poetry Month, beloved children's poet Kenn Nesbitt has a new collection of poems called The Tighty Whitey Spider and More Wacky Animal Poems I Totally Made Up. Perfect to read out loud with your son or daughter, these poems will have you both giggling about the silly antics Nesbitt's animals get up to.

I couldn't resist such playful titles as "My Kitten Won't Stop Talking," "My Chicken's on the Internet" and "Beavers in the Bathroom." Nesbitt often ends each poem with a play on words that's sure to appeal to younger readers. Ethan Long's illustrations are fun to look at, too. The expressions on his animal faces match the action in each poem perfectly. I particularly liked his smug-looking flying pigs and grim-faced goldfish in a military-style tank.

Readers can also download companion audio tracks of Nesbitt reading quite a few of the poems himself. It's quite a treat to listen to Nesbitt read while you follow along with the words and illustrations in the book. Instructions for downloading the tracks, which can be played in iTunes, Windows Media Player, Quick Time, and any other player that supports mp3 files, are included at the beginning of The Tighty Whitey Spider.

You can also check out Nesbitt's great poetry website, [...]. And Nesbitt's collection called My Hippo Has the Hiccups is available for a free download or viewing online with audio tracks.

The Tighty Whitey Spider is exactly the kind of book my daughter would have loved when she was in elementary school. I can't think of a better way to help younger children develop an early appreciation for poetry than reading Nesbitt's poems.