38. Frankenstein Takes the Cake

Frankenstein Takes the Cake
By Adam Rex
Harcourt Children's Books, 2008

Genre
Poetry

Awards

• Publisher's Weekly Starred Review (2008)

Review
Set up almost like a magazine with adds for Tofillager (villager shaped tofu for the vegetarian werewolf) and special buckets to help witches melt and look scarier, in addition to various sections about Edgar Allan Poe and the Headless Horseman, this hilarious poetry book will keep readers entertained for multiple readings.  Frankenstein also makes an appearance a few times to meet his fiance's parents, to help plan their wedding, and to actually attend his wedding (which turns into a disaster when a vampire is served garlic bread.  The various types of illustrations, some black and white, some colorful, some simulating photographs, and more, add variety and bring extra humor to the already humorous poems.

Opinions
This book was very funny and I can see tweens loving these poems about historically scary creatures now cast in a comical light.

Ideas
This book is great for a humorous book display, a Halloween arrangement, or just a book to read to a class to make them laugh.

37. A Wreath for Emmett Till

A Wreath for Emmett Till
By Marilyn Nelson
Illustrated by Philippe Lardy
HMH Books for Young Readers, 2009

Genre
Poetry

Awards

• Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book (2005)

Review
This is a well-written heroic crown of sonnets, beautifully illustrated to represent the feelings elicited by the horrible murder of fourteen-year old Emmett Till in 1955.  Though packaged like a children's picture book, this book is much more intense and dark and more appropriate for older middle grade students or high school students.  Many of the poems are from the perspective of the poet reviewing the lynching and Emmett himself, but a few are from other perspectives like that of the tree where he was hung or that of his mother.  Nelson skillfully weaves this wreath in memory of an event that haunts her from her childhood.

Opinion
This book unfortunately looks like a picture book, which means many older children may have qualms about picking it up, but it is certainly not meant for children.  The artwork is beautiful and I loved how she incorporated the language of flowers, making a wreath of poems and a symbolic wreath of flowers.  The back of the book contains a description of the events that spurred this book, and as someone unaware of this event, I wish this description was at the front.  There is also an explanation of the imagery and literary references in each sonnet that I found very useful.  I think this book deserves many readings to get the true meanings, as some of the poems may be too "intellectual" to draw out their intended emotions in the first read.

Ideas
A great book for Black History Month it shows an event that "helped spark the civil rights movement of the late 1950s and 1960s".  This is a good example of a heroic crown of sonnets, what I can only imagine to be a very difficult form of poetry to compose, and could be a challenging project for students to examine.

31. Technically, It's Not My Fault

Technically, It's Not My Fault
By John Grandits
Clarion Books, 2004

Genre
Humor, Poetry

Awards

• ALA Notable Book for Children (2005)
• ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers (2005)
• Book Sense Top Ten Poetry List (2005)
• CCBC Choice (2005)
• NCTE Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts (2005)
• Young Hoosier (IN) Book Award Nominee (2006-2007)

Review
This is a fun book of concrete poetry, poetry written to form a picture or to otherwise convey some meaning of the poem.  All the poems follow Robert through events like skateboarding and playing baseball, tormenting his sister by flushing the toilet while she is in the shower, or thinking about the perfect roller coaster or the life of a fart.  These poems are told well with their words and the pictures  they make in red and black ink with crazy font types really add to the entertainment they provide!  Middle grade children and even early high school students will love this book because of its quirky nature.

Opinion
With a funny story on the cover to start everything off, Grandits has written a truly entertaining book of poetry that even those who "hate" poems will find themselves enjoying.

Ideas
A great book for reluctant poetry readers.  A good challenge would be for readers to create their own concrete poem.

16. When You Are Happy

When You Are Happy
By Eileen Spinelli
Illustrated by Geraldo Valério
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2006

Genre
Poetry, Picture Book

Awards
None Known

Review
This book follow a child through all the feelings she might have, with presumably a parent or loved one speaking to her about how they will always cheer her up when she is sad, care for her when she is sick, finder her when she is lost, and laugh with her when she is happy.  The wonderful illustrations show the girl and her family members, as well as a doll (who also has a doll of its own!).  They beautifully depict the words of the poem and are spread over one or two pages for each section of the poem.  Spinelli's warm poem mixed with Valério unique illustrations provide a comforting feeling to the reader throughout the book that lasts long after closing the cover.

Opinion
I loved this book! I wanted to purchase a copy for myself because of how cute it was and the warm, fuzzy feeling you had when you were done reading it.  The copy I had checked out from the library showed it was "much loved" and heavily read.  I think this could be one of those books that is a "comfort" book that younger children keep as they grow up to just read and reread.

Ideas
A great poetry book, definitely geared toward the younger end of tweens or younger, but with more words per page than some picture books I've seen.  The repetition makes it easy to read with a "When you are... I will..." pattern for much of the poem.  Much of the imagery in Spinelli's poem can be enjoyed by older readers as well (like "When you are cold, I will weave you a blanket from leftover sun."), but they may feel the book is childish with the type of illustrations done by Valério.

15. Mirror Mirror

Mirror Mirror
By Marilyn Singer
Illustrated by Josée Masse
Dutton Children's Books, 2010

Genre
Poetry, Picture Book

Awards

• Goodreads Choice Nominee for Picture Book (2010)
• Cybils Award in Poetry (2010)
• Horn Book Fanfare Best Poetry Book list (2010)
• Betsy Bird's 100 Magnificent Children's Books of 2010
• Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Books of 2010
• Booklist Editor's Choice list (2010)
• Washington Post's Top 15 Books of 2010
• NCBLA - Notable Children's Books in the English Language Arts (2011)
• ALA Notable (2011)
• Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee (2011-2012)
• Flicker Tale Children's Book Award Nominee for Picture Book (2012)
• Land of Enchantment Picture Book Award (2012)

Review
A beautifully illustrated picture book of poems that can be read up to down, or down to up! Author Marilyn Singer writes poems about fairy tales that can be reversed, showing a completely different poem.  While made in the form of a picture book, older audiences will enjoy her poetic style as well as younger children.  Singer even challenges her readers at the end of the book to make up their own reversible poem.  The illustrations are colorful and eye-catching, also showing both sides of the story that is told by the two poems opposite the picture.

Opinion
This book is skillfully written, though the poems aren't as amusing as I thought they would be.  I feel like this poem style is limiting with the choice of vocabulary as the sentences have to work both backwards and forwards, even though the punctuation can be moved around, but the poems are still vague and sometimes difficult to understand, like they were just words and ideas from a specific fairy tale put into a poem, hoping to flow well, but not succeeding (like the poem entitled Mirror Mirror).  However, some of them were very enjoyable with The Doubtful Duckling, Bears in the News, and Have Another Chocolate being my favorites because of their clever way of telling both sides in a way that didn't necessitate having a picture to know what was going on.

Ideas
The author challenges her readers to try their hand at making their own poems like this.  This would be a fun activity for most of the ages in the tween group, letting them use this book as an example.