Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 5-7. In his General Noncritical Tragical-Comical-Historical-Pastoral Introduction, Hirsch (an author, performer, and producer, who also runs a restaurant) writes, «these poems are all the result of fooling around.» The foolers are Hirsch and his two young sons, and, clearly, they've had a field day playing with words. The results are a gallimaufry of verses packed with puns (both visual and auditory), onomatopoeia, alliteration, palindromes, spoonerisms, and various and sundry other amusing devices. Most are accompanied by occasionally self-conscious footnotes that explain references, comment on the devices, and define the terms. Further definitions are offered in an appended glossary. Illustrator Ha's computer-assisted graphics are eye-catching companions, clever, colorful, and always appropriate. Sophisticated fun for older kids and word-loving adults. Michael Cart.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In an arch, sophisticated display of literary agility, Hirsch (Last Dance at the Hotel Kempinski) offers a silly array of poems for youthful (and not so youthful) philologists and word sleuths. From palindromes and spoonerisms ("Dr. Spooner Writes the Menu" serves up such treats as "a chilled grease sandwich" and "brightly leaded chalk pops") to alliteration, haiku, onomatopoeia and more, he commits flagrantly nimble wordplay, tongue firmly planted in cheek. Hirsch is in splendid form, whether penning a sonnet to his son ("Nay, thou art more precious than a Snickers Barre") that does double duty as an acrostic or yielding to the siren song of puns with a poem entitled "Eye Rhyme" ("Underneath a shady bough I'm startled by a sudden cough"), followed by one entitled "Ewe Rhyme" ("There once was a man whose name was Lou Whose favorite dish was lamb ragout He liked nothing better than a stew" even author Annie Proulx makes an appearance). Although the running commentary comes off as a tad solipsistic ("We made up `Ewe Rhyme' as a companion for `Eye Rhyme.' We managed to come up with 21 different ways of spelling the same sound"), and the pages grow crowded with these fussy footnotes packed with definitions and etymological roots, the asides are often witty ("All work and no plagiarism is no fun at all") and discerning readers will discover plenty to appreciate. Debut children's illustrator Ha's frolicsome computer-generated graphics keep pace with the verbal acrobatics, and the energy he brings to the pages with his shapes and squiggles displays a certain Chris Raschka-esque flair. Could the title be a play on "effigy" (the titular poem suggests it may be)? Ages 10-up. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Hirsch, two of his children, and an imaginative illustrator have come up with an unusual book that is sure to inspire wordplay in language-loving readers. The first poem, "F*E*G," is a variant of the ABC rhyme every child learns: "Abie's seedy effigy-." Puns, palindromes, acrostics, and literary references of all sorts abound in the selections that follow, but the sense of fun and experimentation is never forgotten. "Eye Rhyme" goes like this: "Underneath a shady bough/I'm startled by a sudden cough/I fear that someone wants my dough/And figure that I've had enough." A footnote explains that in an eye rhyme, the poem rhymes to the eye but not the ear. Almost every selection has a lively and interesting note and some are lengthy. Generous white space breaks up the pages in a wonderful design in which the graceful and dynamic pictures are a perfect match for the sly humor of the text. Ha's computer art has a casual and sophisticated look that will appeal to older children. Certainly not every reader will take to this, but some will love it, and clever teachers may find this volume a great way to create enthusiasm for poetry.-Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This unusual collection celebrates wordplay, including acrostics, palindromes, and spoonerisms, within the confines of various poetic forms. Lengthy footnotes--usually meandering, sometimes goofy--help elucidate the clever poetry. Although the individual poems are fairly esoteric and the color art is quite sophisticated, the authorÆs obvious enthusiasm for language keeps the book grounded. Glos. From HORN BOOK Fall 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
With his two children as semi-silent partners, and the evident intent of appealing both to poetry lovers and budding philologists, restaurateur/performance artist Hirsch pairs two dozen easy-to-read poems with harder-to-read (and far longer) explanatory footnotes-all rescued from pedantry by dazzling wordplay and infectious enthusiasm. A graduate degree is helpful but not required. After opening with a "Tragical-Comical-Historical-Pastoral" introduction in which he takes issue with Archibald MacLeish's "A poem should not mean / But be," he offers a disguised alphabet-"Abie's seedy effigy / Eight chide Jake: a lemon / O peek. . . . " More samples include ear rhymes and eye rhymes (followed by a "Ewe Rhyme"), palindromes, spoonerisms, acrostics, concrete poems, and puns. Beneath, in smaller type, he expands on literary and historical references, explores word derivations, defines homographs, homophones, and homonyms, or goes off on daffy tangents. Ha, yet another New Yorker artist to break into children's books, debuts with scatterings of small, brightly colored, Adobe-generated geometric or semi-abstract shapes that float within, or dash across, the pagescapes with postmodern zest. The meaty-though-seldom-serious commentary enhances the experience of reading the poems, but is likely to lose less-well-read children. Still, Hirsch delivers the idea that words are for playing with in any number of refreshingly clever ways. (Poetry. 11+)
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