Product Description

I lost myself inside a book last night. Then found myself in a galactic fight ...

A thrilling world awaits you inside The Paper Doorway! From "The Woggle Wrangler" to "The Wart," from "Boogeyman" to "The Bear with One Green Ear," from "The Monstrous Broccoli Excuse" to "An Angry Poem by a Dragon's Mother," Dean Koontz's poetry is wickedly entertaining fun.

With 225 million copies of his books sold, New York Times -- megaselling author Dean Koontz has been called "America's most popular suspense novelist" -- but that only begins to describe his endless talent and imagination. Following the success of his previous children's book, Santa's Twin, Koontz has created a richly inventive book of poems, illustrated in black-and-white by Phil Parks, that delivers a powerhouse combination of humor and spookiness.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #831568 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-01
• Released on: 2001-10-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

Amazon.com Review
Move over, Shel Silverstein and Edward Lear; company's coming. From sneezing trees to reliable bunnies to food psychos, bestselling author Dean Koontz bowls his readers over with his wacky, wild, wonderful poetry in The Paper Doorway. Following the success of their earlier children's books, Oddkins and Santa's Twin, Koontz and illustrator Phil Parks embarked on an adventurous new path: funny verse (and nothing worse). With poems titled "A Cure for Ugly," "The Pig with Pride," "Stars, Mars, and Chocolate Bars," The Woggle Wrangler," "The Young Musician--Or Maybe Thug," and "You Get the Pickle You Asked For," accompanied by elaborate and witty black-and-white illustrations, the creative pair lets loose with a riotous collection that will tickle the funny bone of readers of all ages (especially those of the middle-school-boy variety). Sometimes gross, sometimes spooky, usually tongue-in-cheek, the verses tackle all subjects with equal gusto. (Ages 8 to 13) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
Bestselling novelist Koontz rejoins his collaborator on Santa's Twin for this uneven roundup of poems whose humor sometimes misses the mark. All poems are narrated in the first-person; Parks portrays both boy and girl narrators. Among the most clever entries is the title poem, in which the narrator tells of losing himself literally in a book: "The book fell shut while I was inside/ And I escaped the things I can't abide:/ Doctors and dentists, lima beans and school,/ Homework, neckties, piano lessons, rules." In another winner, "The Monstrous Broccoli Excuse," the narrator insists that his or her dislike of this vegetable is mutual, explaining that the broccoli escapes from the fridge at night and slithers under the bed: "Oh, Mom, how can I eat, you see,/ A fearsome food that would eat me?" Some of Koontz's nonsense verse falls flat, as in the following brief ditty, "A Beverage with Antlers": "I like the taste of orange juice./ And I like the look of a moose./ However, I don't like moose juice,/ Nor do I want an orange moose." Often serving up surrealistic images, Parks's half-tone art echoes the hyperbole and whimsy of the verse, which Koontz's fans will likely pick up for their progeny. Ages 8-12.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Gr 4-8-The startling cover illustration pulls readers through the doorway into this lighthearted poetry collection filled with wordplay, humor, spookiness, and nonsense. The tone is reminiscent of Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, and Eve Merriam though Koontz does not quite reach their level, and not all of the selections succeed equally. At times it is difficult to hook into the rhyme or the beat of the selections and they require a second look. Best known for his adult suspense novels, the author uses a gentler voice here to deal with an annoying aunt, the boogeyman, rumors, broccoli, dragons, warts, and a sibling who must have two heads because he can switch from being mean to pleasant. Youngsters will find much to giggle over and wonder about in these imaginative poems. Parks's whimsical black-and-white illustrations have an animated quality that adds life to the book. On the last page, readers are challenged to find a mouse hidden in every picture. This is indeed a tall order because some of them are impossible to find, but the quest is fun. Koontz and Parks used this same puzzle idea in Santa's Twin (HarperPrism, 1998).

Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Customer Reviews

Don't be a ghoul...stay in school.
My daughter, Rachel, and I got a kick out of the adventurous Oddkins about animated toys on the loose one dark and dreary night. We laughed until milk came out of our noses when we read the frightfully funny tale, Santa's Twin about an imposter Santa who leaves obnoxious things like snot in kids' stockings. In Rachel's opinion the more obnoxious, the better. So we were excited about the release of The Paper Doorway. Her favorite poem is Peg-Leg Zeg about a pirate who loves picking at crocodiles and subsequently gets several appendages eaten. What can I say, the kid has a weird sense of humor which, I suspect, she inherited from me! My personal favorite is A Cure For Ugly about a man who was horribly disfigured on the outside, but beautiful on the inside. What a wonderful way for collaborators, Koontz and Parks to get across the fact that books are the doorway to a kid's imagination and so much more. Dean's rhymes were exceptionally witty at times and poignant at others. Phil's illustrations beautifully complemented Dean's words. They're a winning team as evidenced by their long association, and the quality of their latest project, The Paper Doorway. Wholly delightful!

The Paper Doorway
I was taken by surprise to see a book of children's poetry written by Dean Koontz sitting on the poetry shelf of my local book store. His reputation is not from writing children's literature. I fould this book to be a wonderful collection of poems that are entertaining, easy to read, and cleverly written. Illustrations also help to make the poems come alive for the reader. A few of my favorite poems are The Paper Doorway (title poem), Plurals, and Do Trees Sneeze?

Great book
Pros:
Great Poems
Great Illustrations
Great hiding of the mice.
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Cons
There aren't any

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They hid a mouse in every picture and out of the ninety-something pictures i found all but four.... but it took me a long time.

The Man With Four Eyes (my favourite poem)

I knew a man who had four eyes.
He claimed to be so very wise.
Two eyes in the back of his head
Closed only when he went to bed.
He saw ahead, he saw behind-
This, he said improved his mind.
His claim I don't mean to deride
But the bus that hit him came from the side.