I Thought I'd Take My Rat to School: Poems for September to June

Kennedy, Dorothy M.

ISBN 10: 0316488933 ISBN 13: 9780316488938

Publisher: Little Brown & Co, 1993

Synopsis

Poems by Russell Hoban, Nikki Giovanni, Gary Soto, and others capture the mischief, mayhem, and broken pencils that characterize the school year.

About this title

From Booklist:

Gr. 2-5. There's nothing sentimental about these 57 poems; they reflect children's experiences with school, from classroom to recess to homework and from frustration to bemusement to humor. The verse is drawn mainly from twentieth-century American poets and includes some little-known writers as well as more familiar poets such as Adoff, Farjeon, Giovanni, Grimes, Hubbell, Kennedy, Kuskin, Lee, Livingston, McCord, Merriam, Prelutsky, Sandburg, Soto, Viorst, and Yolen. The overall quality is quite good, with few "fillers" and some real gems, like William Cole's "Banananananananana": "I thought I'd win the spelling bee / And get right to the top, / But I started to spell `banana,' / And I didn't know when to stop." Carter's gray wash drawings illustrate the poetry with subtlety and wit. An attractive anthology that reflects the day-to-day experiences of school children. Carolyn Phelan

From Kirkus Reviews:

Teachers who know it all, mealtimes with Chicken Surprise, recess, ``propper'' English--all are trotted out, spoofed, or pummeled in this worthy anthology. Judith Viorst has a thing or two to say about awards; Russell Hoban is one of three rhyming scribblers to scrutinize homework. Also appearing are Farjeon, Prelutsky, McCord, Aileen Fisher, Colin McNaughton, Gary Soto, and more. X. J. Kennedy, who shares copyright with the selector, ties Myra Cohn Livingston with four pieces each, as subject after subject is treated with comic ferocity. Ebullient b&w drawings of cranky hot-lunch cooks and leaning schoolhouses reflect and celebrate the gleefully rebellious tone. Index. (Poetry. 7-10) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Little Brown & Co
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0316488933
• ISBN 13: 9780316488938
• Binding: Library Binding
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 63
• Illustrator: Carter Abby