Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  A companion to I’m Just No Good at Rhyming, this book of poems begins with “World, Watch Out!” where the narrator is ready to conquer the world…until he trips down the stairs after forgetting to tie his shoes.  The poems cover all kinds of topics like families (“Sometimes Dads Are No Help At All”), holidays (“Valentine Poem for Someone You Don’t Care About”), books (“Help! I’m Trapped in ‘Happily Ever After’!”), and so much more.  Many of the page numbers have fun facts next to them that also form rhymes: “78: one right through twelve added up all the way, 79: a really bad year to have been in Pompeii.”  Includes a glossary of terms (written as a 14-verse poem); somewhat unconventional indexes by title and subject; and a list of books by (and not by) the author and the illustrator.  192 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  The back cover cautions that, “extreme laughter while reading this book may give your belly a headache.”  It’s a fair warning, as the book is packed with funny and clever poems and illustrations.  Just the first few pages gave me ideas for sharing with various age groups.  I wouldn’t try to read the whole book at once but to savor it a few pages at a time.

Cons:  I prefer a bit more color variety in illustrations.