If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Worries: Poems for Children and Their Parents [Hardcover]

Judith Viorst (Author), Lynne Cherry (Illustrator)

Book Description

If I were in charge of the worldI'd cancel oatmeal, Monday mornings,Allergy shots, and alsoSara Steinberg.All of us have times when we wish that we were in charge of the world...when we envy girls with ten best friends and gold watches...when we take an eight-block detour to avoid bumping into bullies like Stanley the Fierce...when we question whether princes and princesses really do live happily ever after...when we wonder how grownups ever get to be grown up enough to stop being scared of the dark. This book of poems is for everyone who has ever had trouble apologizing, or loved a cat, or talked too much, or burped. This book of poems is for everyone who could use a little help in turning some of their worries into laughter.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

If I were in charge of the world I'd cancel oatmeal, Monday mornings, Allergy shots, and also Sara Steinberg. All of us have times when we wish that we were in charge of the world...when we envy girls with ten best friends and gold watches...when we take an eight-block detour to avoid bumping into bullies like Stanley the Fierce...when we question whether princes and princesses really do live happily ever after...when we wonder how grownups ever get to be grown up enough to stop being scared of the dark. This book of poems is for everyone who has ever had trouble apologizing, or loved a cat, or talked too much, or burped. This book of poems is for everyone who could use a little help in turning some of their worries into laughter.END

About the Author

Judith Viorst was born and brought up in New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers University, moved to Greenwich Village, and has lived in Washington, D.C., since 1960, when she married Milton Viorst, a political writer. They have three sons--Anthony and Nick (who are lawyers) and Alexander (who does community-development lending for a bank) and seven grandchildren--Miranda, Brandeis, Olivia, Nathaniel, Benjamin, Isaac, and Toby. Viorst writes in many different areas: science books, children's picture books, adult fiction and non-fiction, poetry for children and adults, and three musicals, which are still performed on stages around the country.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (August 1, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689308639
• ISBN-13: 978-0689308635
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #541,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Judith Viorst has written many books for children, including the classics Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and its sequels, and If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Stories. She is also the author of Just in Case, illustrated by Diana Cain Bluthenthal. She lives with her husband, Milton, in Washington D.C.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful for all ages, November 27, 2000

By 

Emily Cobb Henry (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Worries: Poems for Children and their Parents (Paperback)

I, too, got this book in approximately the third grade -- 17 years ago. I am now teaching middle school literature and share this collection with all of my students; I also have given it as a gift to every person under the sun, no matter what their age! It remains, unquestionably, my favorite collection of poetry, if not for its content, then for its sheer simplicity and "perfection." (If you read it, you'll understand what I mean...) Judith Viorst magically captures the sadness, scariness, uncertainty, and immense joys of childhood and adolescence -- her rhymes are clever, too! As I return to these poems as an adult, I find them as applicable today as they were more than ten years ago. Thank you, Ms. Viorst, for such an wonderful book!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can even top that, March 10, 2004

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Jessica Silas (jacksonville, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Worries: Poems for Children and their Parents (Paperback)

I was in the second grade when I first found this book, and subsequently read and memorized each poem. Viorst has an astounding ability to incorporate the hightened emotions of childhood with the reality of aging. She can be whimsical and rhythmic as well as dramatic and mornful. I would recommend buying this for any relative, friend, or yourself no matter what age. I still have my very first copy given to me by my grandmother and have yet to go a year without picking it up. Believe me, it is more than it seems.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my long-time favorites, March 1, 2000

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Worries: Poems for Children and their Parents (Paperback)

I originally got this book from my grandparents when I was in third grade--16 or 17 years ago. I didn't like it immediately, but a few years later I fell in love with the quick rhymes and the amusing, realistic subject matter. I still have some of them memorized today: "They tell me that I talk too much. I'm trying not to talk too much..." I'm replacing the book now because I've realized that I lost it sometime in the last year, and I still enjoy re-reading it now. Highly recommended!