Wolf Erlbruch (1948–2022)

Cute poetry collection about athletes and not-athletes. Colorful illustrations. Fun word play. Lots of humor. (Read "I Did Warn You" about a mouse's advice to a cat. I laughed out loud and kids will, too.) Some of the poems go deeper, though, and will make children (and adults) think, like "A Magic Place"—the first poem—about clearing your mind during competition (kind of a zen moment) so that "Your greatest dreams can all come true, / but only ever without you." Issues such as prejudice show more are addressed in "The Bottommest" about preconceived notions and misplaced judgment concerning the abilities of others. I LOVED "Tree Sports" about the need for noncompetitive trees and the idea that not everything is a contest. "Stretch a Rope Tight" is about stretching a metaphorical rope over everything negative anyone has ever said about you and walking straight across. Beautiful.

Not all of the poems settled in my mind as nicely as those. "Frogs Win!" contains the scientific names of frogs. I think words should be pronounceable in poems, especially those for children. "Harry, or How a Cyclist Fell" seems to be a direct reference to Lance Armstrong's fall from grace. (Do kids really want to read about a "breath-doping meter" and his wife leaving him?)

Overall, it is a collection that will make a nice addition to my school library, particularly because of poems like "Here's the Idea" (cheering for the losers instead of the winners), "Zis Little Piggy" (follow your dreams), and my favorite, the title poem, "I'll Root for You": "I'll root for you. / Because this is my place, and I'm here to stay, / behind every finish and on every day, / no matter what, no matter when. / Now get up, get out there, / and go win again." Unconditional love and support. That's what's at the heart of this book. show less

This is one of the most moving books I have ever read. The illustrations are beautiful and haunting. I loved the sentiment toward death (nothing to be afraid of, we live with death every day). I read it to my young niece, and she liked the book and was not disturbed. For a lot of Americans, though, who are not very comfortable with the idea of death or children reading heavy, thoughtful, possibly "upsetting" stories, this little book will not be read, which is a shame.

Piu' che il Libro Tibetano, più che Seneca, piu' che Kierkegaard: a volte basta molto, molto meno per dare l'immensa sensazione della finitezza, dell'eternità e del loro straziante connubio.

Basta un'anatra e un tulipano.

From August 2011—A toad, a spider, a bat, and a rat are commiserating over their repulsive appearance when they are visited by a hyena who as a musician, teaches them that people are defined by what they do rather than by their looks. The other critters each pick up a instrument and they all make music together, save for the toad who doesn't play any musical instruments. But he does know how to make crepes, so they decide to open a restaurant serving crepes with live music, and sure show more enough, everyone flocks over to their happenin' place. A great message to teach kids, and a good reminder for big kids too. show less