From School Library Journal
Grade 2-5–This collection of more than 100 poems features comical wordplay (Oh, Brother opens: If
r were taken out of
brother/Your brother would just be a bother…) as well as lots of fun riffs on Mother Goose rhymes and fairy tales. Many are about family, friends, and school. Anyone familiar with Wilson's picture books knows that she's a good writer with a fresh eye and a knack for child appeal. Those qualities are very much in evidence here. The humorous, light tone is similar to Jack Prelutsky's work, although Wilson has a serious side, too. For example, Golden Eggs shows a goose wearing a necklace labeled BLING; she's looking at an empty cradle, and the poem reads, She'd rather have/One fluffy chick/than a
million golden eggs, you see. Blitt's line drawings are a great match for the verses. They are funny, dynamic, and full of personality. Plenty of white space adds to the accessible, inviting look. All in all, a great choice for read-alouds or individual enjoyment.
–Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Karma Wilson's previous picture books include
Bear Snores On,
Bear Wants More, Bear Stays Up for Christmas, and
Mortimer's Christmas Manger, all illustrated by Jane Chapman,
One Day in the Middle of the Bog, illustrated by Joan Rankin, and
Hilda Must Be Dancing and
Bear Hugs illustrated by Suzanne Watts. She lives with her family in Fortine, Montana. Karma Wilson's website is at karmawilson.com.
Barry Blitt's illustrations have appeared on the cover of the
New Yorker and have also graced the pages of the
Chicago Tribune, the
New York Times, and
Entertainment Weekly. He is the illustrator of
Once Upon a Time, the End (Asleep in 60 Seconds) by Geoffrey Kloske and
The Adventures of Mark Twain by Huckleberry Finn by Robert Burleigh, as well as other picture books. He lives in Riverside, Connecticut.
