This book is a great collection of poetry that appeals to children and readers of all ages. Silverstein is a wizard with language. Children and adults alike will be able to easily understand what he is trying to convey with his simple language and distinct illustrations. This collection has become controversial due to the language and themes that are within it. Silverstein gives us a simple rhythm, utilizing predominantly iambic tetrameter. This metrical structure consists of four iambs each holding an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. ( )

What a funny and profound collection of poems and drawings! Bravo!









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Very funny children's poem book. I read it many times as a child and I enjoyed reading it again.

This would be a great book for a poetry section. I used to check this book out of the library over and over again until my parents finally bought it for me. There are many different poetry styles in this book and you can choose several to read to the class and have them write their own poem. ( )

This book is a collection of very imaginative poems that typically deal with people or situations that are exaggerated and serve as a cautionary tales for the reader. For example, there is a poem called "Jimmy Jet and His TV Set" on page 28. This poem explains the Jimmy watched TV so much that he eventually turned into a TV himself! The poems in this book vary in length, rhyme, and many are supported by line drawing illustrations.

The central message of this collection of poems is that the dreams and creativity of children should be encouraged. This is supported by the first poem in the book: "Invitation" on page 9, which invites all dreamers and pretenders to "come in." ( )