Florian, Douglas. 2014. Poem Depot, Aisles of Smiles. New York: NY. Penguin. ISBN 978-0803740426
OVERVIEW AND CRITICAL REVIEW
Douglas Florian has created yet another book of fun poetry for children. This collection is arranged in eleven chapters, each designated as an “aisle” in the Poem Depot. Catchy chapters use alliteration and rhyme for titles like “Jests and Jives”, “Miles of Smiles” and “Chortles and Chuckles.” Florian explores a variety of topics that will naturally appeal to children. He plays with wishful thinking, exaggerated experiences and silly solutions. He includes puns, idioms and word play. Many of the poems have unexpected twists and the kind of surprise endings that keep children engaged until the very last word. This collection is reminiscent of Shel Silverstein’s poetic and artistic style, but Florian has added his own personal technique.
This collection is filled with humor and playfulness. Readers will laugh when they read “Wild Willy,” as Willy bravely tackles tigers and wrestles bears, but is then terrified of a little mouse. They will enjoy hearing how “Slippery Sam” can slip through cracks and doors and even out of his skin.
The strong rhythm and beat found in most of the poems make them an excellent choice for reading aloud. There are several variations of alternating rhyme schemes. A strong example of an abab alternating rhyme can be found in “Crazy Cozy,” with lines ending with night/tight, sheet/feet, wool/full, tight/light. Florian plays with form in “Po m,” allowing the readers to supply the missing letters. The first line reads, “Th s po m is mi sing le ters.” The repetition used in “Ditty Dum” makes the poem both challenging to say and fun to read aloud. Shifts in pace and timing are reflected in the use of different rhyming patterns, varying lengths of poems and interesting word choice.
Florian is both the author and illustrator for this collection. He uses simple child-like line drawings in black and white to depict images for each poem. The images range from the realistic to the fanciful, the outrageous to the absurd. The artwork creates humor, surprise and comic relief. Each illustration extends the experience of the poem.
The organization of the book includes an index of titles as well as an index of first lines, making it easy to find just the poem you need. The poems range in length from four lines to more than twenty. The unique artwork and limited text on many pages make this book very accessible to many levels of readers. The poems in this collection are filled with humor and playfulness and they make an excellent introduction to a joyful poetry experience.
SPOTLIGHT ON A POEM
Children are often drawn to humor and this collection will provide many wonderful experiences with poetry. School is a universal experience for most children and poems that reflect school experiences are often on the list of favorites. Florian explores an oft joked school topic in “Homework Shirk.”
“My hound dog ate my homework.
My kitty chewed it, too.
A taxi ran it over,
And a school bus passing through.
A flood filled it with water.
A cyclone tore it up.
And then my father mixed it
Inside his coffee cup.
Some birds used it for nesting.
They turned it into fuzz.
And that is why my homework
Now looks the way it does."
I would bring this poem to life by preparing some “homework” in advance. I would collect several pieces of paper and run them over with a car to create dramatic tire marks and then bring them to class. I would have a bowl of water, a portable fan, a coffee cup and a bird’s nest all available to use as props to reenact this poem. After presenting the poem I would invite the children to read aloud from large copies of the poem. I would invite the children to add their own interpretations of the poem and provide time for sharing.
EXTENSIONS
Children will enjoy other titles by Douglas Florian. Checkout his website for a list of his books and access to other information. www.douglasflorian.com
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