Product Description

Includes poems chosen by the author from previously published collections, including "Soap Soup," "Near the Window Tree," and "Something Sleeping in the Hall."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1970211 in Books
• Published on: 1998-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 48 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Set upon blocks of color, not unlike her Roar and More, these 36 poems are culled from Kuskin's previously published works. The poet's devotion to words, her intelligence and wit shine through all of the verses. The innocence and brevity of many of the poems will sit comfortably in the mouths of preschoolers (" 'Cow' sounds heavy./ Cow/ standing in the meadow/ chewing./ A big fur box on legs/ mooing") and are well met by artist Dervaux's (Melanie Jane) crayon-bright colors, and simple black line and figures, which belie her sophisticated sense of composition. Writer and artist are as adept at conveying more complex ideas as they are simpler ones. Much of Kuskin's selections here get at a kind of sophisticated joviality and impertinence that slightly older readers, seven- and eight-year-olds, will likely devour ("One jay/ two jay/ kitty got a blue jay./ Three jay/ four jay/ there isn't any more/ jay"), and Dervaux portrays Kuskin's multilayered ideas with equal ease; the French artist's work has a European sensibility, at times recalling Bemelmans or De Brunhoff. Adults reading to preschoolers may wish to skip a string of tongue-in-cheek poems about animal casualties, but will find plenty of others for which youngsters may well plead to repeat. A treat for the eyes as well as the ears. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2ABright colored papers resembling the rainbow pads of yesterday (but with sharper hues) back simple, stylized paintings and spotlight 36 of Kuskin's poems, chosen by the author from previous booksAexcept for one new poem, "Pigeons." The selections are drawn from titles such as Near the Window Tree (1975; o.p.), Soap Soup (1992), The Rose on My Cake (1964; o.p.), and Something Sleeping in the Hall (1985; o.p., all HarperCollins). They show evidence of Kuskin having her young audience securely in mind. The poems are generally short (most appear on just one page), rich with humor ("Rabbits/don't like rabbit stew./I don't blame them much,/do you?"), full of repetition and rhythm ("Buggity/buggity/bug/wandering aimlessly/buggishly smug"), and invite the imagination ("Write about a radish/too many people write about the moon"). All in all, an appealing collection that children are likely to pick up on their own.ABarbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 3^-8. There is a wonderful physical immediacy to this selection of poems, chosen by Kuskin from her many popular collections, and Dervaux's illustrations in folk-art style and brilliant color extend the simple, playful mischief of the words. Kuskin gets the child's voice, wallowing in the sound of words, with lots of repetition and rhyme ("butter / butter / butter / butter / is a word / I love to utter"), and relishing the wicked nonsense (the dragon smiles "because he knows that nothing tastes as good as toes"). You feel you are right there: in "Pigeons," the lines move with a hopping, pecking rhythm, and they end with cheerful irreverence ("The fact is that they're pretty dumb. Pigeons"). With all the silliness, there are also moments of mystery, counting the softly stealing stars and listening to the silence in a wood. A great collection for reading aloud at home, in the library, and in the classroom. Hazel Rochman