"Salinger, a performance poet, offers short, funny and readable poems in this slim volume, which aims to help students with vocabulary words often found on standardized tests. ... Adding to the humor are Henderson’s—creator of the Magic Whistle comic book series—simple line illustrations. ... The poems are as well-intentioned as they are well-written."

"[Maddox's] carefully constructed word pictures offer dramatic snapshots of infield flies and collisions between fielders, sacrifice bunts, balks and pitch-outs, stolen bases, and grand slams. ... Compact yet full of meaning, these selections offer glimpses of the game's pleasures and poignant moments. Sandford's black-and-white pencil drawings add to the drama, focusing viewers' attention on the gangly pitcher's calculating gaze or the single-minded pursuit of the pony-tailed infielder. Maddox's whimsical wordplay will be savored by casual sports fans and hardcore baseball addicts alike."

“The pages and photographs are vibrant and lively, the poems best for reading aloud. [A] good volume—along with other titles by this mother-son team—for teachers wanting to connect science and poetry.”

“Weatherford’s language is straightforward and accessible–almost conversational. She captures the woman’s jazzy, candid voice so adroitly that at times the poems seem like they could have been lifted wholesale from Holiday’s autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues. ... This captivating title places readers solidly into Holiday’s world, and is suitable for independent reading as well as a variety of classroom uses."

“In an extraordinary slave narrative recorded in 1798, Venture Smith remembers his capture in Guinea as a child... Smith’s original, first-person account, published in 1798, appears opposite from Nelson’s stirring poems, which are written in Venture’s voice and both intensify and comment on Smith’s experiences. ... Dancy’s blurry sepia background art…includes ink lines that evoke chains and ropes and then broken bonds. It’s surprising that this essential part of American biography and history isn’t more widely known. Suggest this as a crossover title to adults."

"In the Japanese verse form called renga, a cousin to the haiku, two or more poets take turns, each playing off the previous verse so that the narrative is propelled in constantly new and surprising directions. ... This lovely picture book is an impeccable synthesis of text and image, each simultaneously playing off the other and themselves in a manner both insightful and visceral, that demands and rewards multiple readings, viewings, and contemplations."

"Lawson has compiled a collection of poetry that spans many topics about life and includes a variety of writing techniques. There is something for everyone from the young to the old in this brilliant work. ... The imagery and language used in many of the poems bring them to life. The illustrations complement Lawson's text beautifully."

"[V]isits to the Florida Everglades inspired the author to describe its unusual beauty in poetic form. ... The result is breathtaking... This book would serve well as a read-aloud for any unit of poetry. Learners of all ages will enjoy the factual notes accompanying several poems...this book can be easily integrated in the science, language, and art curriculums. Librarians should recommend this to teachers looking for a book that can inspire young imaginations and creativity in their course of study. Highly Recommended."

"If you love to hear words dance, or can envision language in motion, you must pick up this book and read it aloud to someone who adores listening to fun and imaginative poetry. ... The words come alive by the rhythm they keep as they are read. The poetry is animated with rich language and is full of life. Recommended."

"This quirky collection of 32 poems, all loosely connected by the theme of feet, shows a poet exercising her craft and unique perspectives on familiar experiences. Whether rhymed and metered or free verse, the language pleases the ear. ...[T]his is an appealing book with enough variety to speak to many readers. Recommended."

"In a spare, eloquent novel in verse illustrated with her own bold block prints, Cheng (Marika) captures the moods of five inner-city third-graders as they prepare themselves for their school's impending demolition. ... Mixing sad and uplifting images occurring between the fall and spring of a school year, these poems pay tribute to hard-working educators and children learning to overcome obstacles and accept unwelcome changes."

"Through exuberant poems and quilted illustrations, first-time author and illustrator Van Wassenhove offers an unusual tour of the delicate Everglades habitat. ... The best entries, however, need no commentary, as in this vivid verse: “The Florida Keys / grow canopies / of mangrove trees / for manatees." Van Wassenhove’s creative application of quilting techniques to depict the rippled surfaces and shifting hues of a wetland environment will draw fascinated gazes."

"Cleverly written with obvious attention to craft, the poetry varies in form from rhymed couplets to acrostic verse to haiku and explores topics such as the physical differences between the larval and adult stages, the way monarch wings look when magnified, and the usefulness of having taste sensors in one’s feet. Accompanying each poem is a color-pencil drawing, often featuring precise lines and intense hues. ... This attractive poetry collection could be useful in either the science or language-arts curriculum."

"The leap to metaphor imagines what feet feel like on an elephant, a butterfly, or a fly with a Velcro grip on the ceiling. Far from overwhelming the poetry, the watercolor illustrations extend the words and help explain them. Even some older grade-schoolers will enjoy this; it may get them to do some writing in the classroom and on their own."

"For an older audience than the usual nonsense-verse crowd, this uproarious collection blends slapstick, puns, parodies, and sheer absurdity with lots of wry ideas. At the core is the delicious sound of words and rhymes. ... Grade-schoolers will appreciate the images (“He leaps like spit off a frying pan"), and the irreverence can be thought-provoking (“the path to conformity is different for each person"). Tjia’s surreal art, in black-and-white silhouettes, is as rhythmic and absurd as the verse, which is perfect for reading aloud."