From School Library Journal
Grade 1-5-This collection of light verse looks at subjects ranging from crickets to clocks, dogs to dust. Thirty-one poems employ various rhyme schemes as they describe everyday things and situations that many children will relate to: company coming, a favorite chair, secretly feeding the dog under the table, toilet paper that has run out. Oftentimes concretely descriptive ("Diapers in the bathtub/Stroller in the hall/Highchair in the kitchen/Spinach on the wall-"), but occasionally employing metaphor (a baby spider that's a "Bungee-jumping astronaut"), most verses are grounded in the commonplace and sometimes surprise ("Need protection?/I'm your man!/I bark at bad guys/Loud as I can!/I've barked all day/Since I was a pup,/But how do they thank me?/`Hey! Shut up!'"). However, some themes seem more adult-sleeplessness, the joyous revenge of passing on ugly family heirlooms, the thermostat wars between mom and dad-or take a nostalgic turn that will be enjoyed more by older children. The layout, cover, and relatively large-font size, however, suggest a younger set. The pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations scattered about the white pages are for the most part skillfully drawn, with a delicate line and lots of color, adding humor and helping to set the scene. They portray a middle-class milieu, which is in keeping with much of the poems' content, but the all-white cast limits the ability to imagine other people who might inhabit these lines. The verses can stand alone, however, and would make for fun reading aloud-especially the four poems for two voices.
Nancy Palmer, The Little School, Bellevue, WACopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. Harrison offers a collection of short poems that reflect children's experiences of their homes, such as hearing sounds in the house at night, snuggling in bed in the morning, and feeding the dog surreptitiously under the kitchen table. The familiar, homely topics and straightforward approach make the writing quite accessible, while some of the images rise above the ordinary. A baby spider descending a slender thread becomes a "Bungee-jumping astronaut . . . . Disappearing, reappearing, / Lost in shadow, bathed in light." Appearing with the verse on the clean white pages, Kendall's ink-and-watercolor illustrations complement the poems without overwhelming them. The inclusion of several good poems for two voices will particularly please teachers who encourage their students to read poetry aloud in the classroom.
Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
