F E G: Ridiculous (Stupid) Poems for Intelligent Children - Hardcover

Hirsch, Robin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316363448 ISBN 13: 9780316363440

Verlag: Little, Brown Young Readers, 2002

Inhaltsangabe

What is a Spoonerism? How many syllables are in a Haiku? What makes a palindrome a palindrome? The answers to these questions and many more are in this witty and wise collection, which invites readers to discover the joy of language and introduces them to literary and historical figures from Shakespeare and Gertrude Stein to Mel Brooks and Zbigniew Brzezinski. The twenty-three poems are accompanied by educational and entertaining explanatory notes, as well as a glossary, making this book perfect for classroom use. With bold, graphic illustrations by New Yorker cover artist Ha, this book is sure to entice people of all ages - even those suffering from poetryphobia (from the Greek; fear of poetry).

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Robin Hirsch is truly a Renaissance man. Writer, performer, producer, restaurateur, former Oxford and Fulbright scholar, he is the author of the acclaimed memoir, Last Dance at the Hotel Kempinski, and of Mosaic: Fragments of a Jewish Life, his award-winning solo performance cycle with which he has toured across the Unites States and Europe.
When he is not writing or performing, the author can usually be found at the Cornelia Street Café in Greenwich Village, of which he is a co-owner. On its tenth anniversary (in 1987), Mayor Koch proclaimed it "a cultural as well as a culinary landmark." (it also serves the best french fries his editor has ever tasted.)


Ha is the pen (or should we say "paintbrush?") name of an acclaimed artist whose illustrations have appeared in major magazines both in the United States and abroad, including a number of covers for the New Yorker. His work has won numerous awards and has been exhibited internationally. This is his first children's book. A native of Canada, Ha lives in Los Angeles.

Rezensionen

Grades 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
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Little, Brown Young Readers
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2002
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0316363448
• ISBN 13: 9780316363440
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Zeichner: Ha
• Anzahl der Seiten: 48
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Terminal Video; n.pederzini@terminaldistribuzione.com; ; Via Bruno Buozzi, 24/26,; Granarolo dell'Emilia BO,; Italien