Pros: Great for reading aloud; may inspire kids to see poetry as fun
Cons: If you get the "fuzzy" version, it may not wear well over time.
The Bottom Line: Another great collection of humorous poems from Sierra, filled with monsters and enough "ick" factor to delight young children. Great fun to read aloud.
gliondar's Full Review: Judy Sierra - Beastly Rhymes to Read After Dark
I love sharing books of poetry with my kids, and Judy Sierra has always been one of my favorite writers of poetry for children. This may have something to do with the fact that I love Halloween, monsters and ghouls, and Ms. Sierra has a tendency to write about these more bizarre subjects, but she's also quite good at producing humorous rhymes, often with just enough gross factor to appeal to kids of a variety of age ranges and of either gender. I wish that I had found her new book, Beastly Rhymes to Read After Dark, prior to Halloween, since I think it would have been a perfect book to share with my little ones in October. But, I brought it home anyway after finding it on the "new" shelf at the library recently, and my toddlers love it despite the "season" for such things having already passed.
This small book is only 32 pages long and contains 11 poems, each presented on a two-page spread, with the poem on the left-hand page and a colorful cartoon-like illustration by Brian Biggs filling the opposite page and part of the page the poem is printed on. The cover of the hardbound edition I found at my local library is striking with bands of fluorescent orange and lime green, the title printed in capital green letters, and various purple bugs and monsters here and there. The brash colors are just the sort I think would appeal to middle schoolers, and are frankly what drew my eye to the book as it sat on the shelf. Interestingly though, I've learned that my library's copy is the "tame" version of the book. Upon looking up the title on the Random House teachers web site (www.randomhouse.com/teachers), I discovered that the book is also available with a spotted lime-green, faux fur cover, the novelty of which would certainly appeal to a middle schooler with a taste for monsters. This is a gimmick that seems a little silly to me, and likely to make the "furry" copies of the book not wear well over time, but if it gets some kids to read poetry who might not otherwise pick up a book of poetry for fear of it being "boring," then maybe it's not such a bad idea.
At any rate, the 11 poems are great fun to read aloud, and in some cases, Biggs's illustrations are as much a part of the humor and story as the text itself. Here is a list of the poems and my impressions of each.
The Lavatory Crocodile is a cute version of the urban legend of baby alligators living in sewers and growing into man-eating adults that can attack when one is at one's most vulnerable. This may have kids thinking twice about the stalls in their school's bathroom, and also could have the benefit of teaching a bit of geography as kids look up some of the places mentioned in the rhyme, such as the "Gates of Hercules" and the "Sargasso Sea." Very funny.
Lonely Giant Squid reveals why it can be difficult for a large predator to form lasting friendships. "I'll tell you why that squid's so blue:/You can't have friends and eat them, too." This one really made my three-year-old giggle. Annie's Babies are more endearing than those of Rosemary, but like many infants they like to "howl all night." Be sure to look at the edge of the page for the hand and very hairy leg of their mother, which ends in a stylish yet sensible square-heeled shoe that makes one reconsider the phrase "raised by wolves." The illustration is definitely key to the humor for this one.
Pet Show is another good example of how Biggs's illustrations are sometimes key to understanding the gruesome joke. A little girl has lost her kitty just before going off to the pet show. She laments that all the other "nice" pets will be there, though none of the ones she lists sound at all cute or cuddly. Art's anaconda, coiled behind her in the illustration, certainly seems to have a friendly smile--although that distinctive lump in his stomach does give one pause.
Who is Haunting the Zoo? includes a lot of interesting word play used to name animal monsters, such as "windigo dingo," "phantam flamingo," and "Franken-chinchilla." I thought the ending of this one seemed a bit awkward though.
Leopard Chefs is a cautionary tale of why it might not be a great idea to keep wild beasts for pets, and why you should never eat a meal left waiting for you by sources unknown for no apparent reason. Oh, and open oven doors are never a good sign either.
Twisted Tongue Restaurant is a list of items found on the menu in a gruesome gourmet eatery. This was one of my least favorite offerings, but the gross dishes listed made my toddlers laugh and wrinkle their noses in delight. As with other selections in the book, be prepared to explain some words to younger kids, such as "gizzard," "scat" and "falafel."
Parasite Lost was one of my favorite in the collection, and not just for the clever reference to John Milton, which is likely to go over the heads of most kids. (With older kids, use this as a springboard to explore a classic poem!) The account of "nasty Norman Noodlebutt" (the name alone is sure to make most kids giggle) and his misguided efforts to rid himself of his tapeworm is a cautionary tale of unintended consequences. The most effective solution is not always the best solution; consider that the surest way to kill a parasite is to eliminate its food source. Then consider the source. I had to explain tapeworms to my toddlers, but middle schoolers will definitely get this one and think it's a blast.
Never Bully a Bug is a satisfying tale of how one nasty little kid who liked to torture bugs (we've all known one) gets a healthy dose of karma. Again, the illustration here is great--I love the shadow that envelopes Young William's bug-eyed (pardon the pun), sweating form.
Leap Halloween is a cute excursion into Lewis Carroll Land, as Sierra creates whimsical names for creatures that appear on this rare day every 400 years. I particularly liked the "long-eared brilloon" and the "fancified gloon."
Monster Reservoir sounds to me like Sierra describing the place in her brain where all the ideas for her ghoulish verses come from. I particularly liked this one because it is meant to inspire kids to write their own poetry. My husband and I tried to get my three-year-old daughter to take the bait, but she stubbornly refused despite her constant production of imagined playmates and made-up songs. I suppose all kids can be a bit intimidated by being asked to write poetry. Hopefully the humor in this book will show older kids (who are a bit more comfortable with their language skills than my preschooler) that poetry can be fun, and not the dry boring stuff I think many kids believe it to be.
Be advised, if you read the front matter of the book and visit the Random House web site I mentioned above, there is no teacher's guide for this book (at least not one I could find), which I found disappointing, though the site itself is rich with information.
Overall, this is another great offering of short poems from Judy Sierra, sure to delight middle schoolers and more sophisticated elementary readers with its cast of monstrous characters and a healthy "ick" factor. Well worth a read aloud.
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