I Invited a Dragon to Dinner: And Other Poems to Make You Laugh Out Loud - Hardcover

Poems that rhyme chorus with tyrannosaurus, ask whether tarantulas shampoo the hair on their legs, and describe a girl who turns into a human pickle... What's not to love? In this boisterous collection of verses by 23 new poets who won a nationwide contest, silliness reigns supreme:

I'm feeling quite froggy
'Cause the ground is so soggy.
It has rained every day for a week!
My skin's turning green
Flies look yummy to me,
And I'm starting to croak when I speak!

Cartoony illustrations by Chris L. Demarest (Firefighters A to Z) are as much fun as the poems, featuring wild-haired children, greedy dragons, mooses and gooses (or is it meese and geese?), and a whole lot of verse-inspired bedlam. Readers of all ages will fall on the floor in giggle-fits--and then they might just pick up a pen and try a little creative versifying themselves. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

This collection showcases the work of 23 new poets who were chosen in a nationwide contest. Unfortunately, the rhythm in many of the poems sounds the same and the verses revisit well-trod themes such as wacky parents, improbable animals in inappropriate places and outlandish dietary requests. Demarest (Firefighters A to Z), too, uncharacteristically uninspired, usually opts for the most literal interpretation of each verse. However, youngsters new to the genre will appreciate the silliness and puns, and some of the poems stand out, such as Dave Crawley's "The Attic": "There's a rumble in the attic./ A grumble in the attic./ I fear I hear (it's very clear)/ A stumble in the attic." Robert Ora Thomas offers the tale of the multitasking "Billy Bupper" who likes to combine eating and playing. The boy dresses by putting various sandwich fixings in his clothing, "So when Billy does a somersault/ He also makes his lunch." In the accompanying illustration, one of Demarest's strongest, an arc of food rises above both the catapulted boy and the words of the poem. And in Andrea Perry's cheekily sacrilegious "Bedtime Prayer," the narrator beseeches God to "Deliver me, Lord, From car sickness, blisters, and cold sores, and then,/ Don't forget liver and onions. Amen." An entertaining diversion. Ages 3-7.

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