Something Sure Smells Around Here

February 1, 2015

Gr 3-5-This delightful collection of limericks starts with a useful definition and a few rules for composition, as well as some information on how these humorous poems function rhetorically. Cleary offers some basic advice for readers looking to pen their own poems. Limericks are meant to be funny and concise, and there are plenty of witty verses here and several that end with puns. One example involves a boy named Sonny who has spent all of his money on joke books and after eating one for lunch declares, "That tasted a little bit funny." Other fun lines include "a boy named Carmelo/[who] dreamed he ate an enormous marshmallow" and a "young spider named Deb, /who's become quite a singing celeb." An amusing, whimsical flavor runs through all of the selections here, and cute, colorful cartoon drawings accompany each offering, making this a wonderfully ridiculous collection. VERDICT Educators looking for options for a unit on poetry or limericks will appreciate this one, as will fans of the format and those who enjoy silly humor.-Teresa Pfeifer, The Springfield Renaissance School, Springfield, MA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2015
Grades 2-4 Steering artfully away from content either raunchy or banal, Cleary offers a sampler of 26 original limericks animated by puns and wordplay. In prefatory remarks, he attempts to lay out rules for the form, but would-be rhymesters are likely to get clearer ideas about the structural and metrical ins and outs from his ensuing exampleswhich range from the titular remark, made by an eye to an ear, / with a hint of disdain and a sneer, to a frog motorist who got a flat but didn't panic / she called her mechanic, / and the next thing you know, she was toad. In cartoon images, Rowland illustrates the punch lines with a diverse cast of pop-eyed people or animal stand-ins. This entry in the Poetry Adventures series closes with annotated print and web leads, preceded by an inviting starter couplet: A limerick poet, Ms. Sheets, / starts poems she never completes . . . (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

February 1, 2015
Cleary presents 26 limericks (and, tantalizingly, half of a 27th) for kids.The fun-loving poet continues his light romp through poetic forms in the third installment of the Poetry Adventures series (Ode to a Commode: Concrete Poems, 2014, etc.), this time focusing on a cornerstone of the nonsense verse world that seems made for him: the limerick. First popularized by nonsense master Edward Lear in the mid-19th century and traditionally illustrated with a silly picture, the limerick irresistibly combines the predictability and momentum of consistent meter and rhyme with the jarring surprise of an unexpected, usually humorous twist of meaning. Case in point, a particularly hilarious example from Cleary: "I once met an artist named Hank. / To put it quite bluntly, he stank. / Couldn't paint, couldn't sketch, / and it wasn't a stretch / to say he could not draw a blank." Rowland gleefully presents an artiste clad in polka-dot boxers intently painting a stick figure while his pet dog, paw over one eye, hesitantly watches. Other poems here rely more heavily on punning, as in the title piece or a ditty involving a wonderfully rendered spider named Deb, "who's become quite a singing celeb. / When I asked how she'd grown / to be so well known, / she replied, 'I'm all over the web!' " Inviting illustrations and offbeat topics showcase limericks aplenty for amusement or poetic inspiration. (further reading) (Picture book/poetry. 6-11)

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