Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 12/15/2016 Kids bored by the usual collections of classic poems will appreciate this chuckle-worthy take, which pairs familiar verses with sometimes silly, sometimes thoughtful, always clever parodies. Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” for instance, is paired by Lewis’ version, “Stopping by Fridge on a Hungry Evening”: “The eggs are black, the meat is blue! / There’s only one thing left to do: / Get the hose and hire a crew, / Get the hose and hire a crew.” The varied selection of poems is well matched by Wright’s multimedia illustrations, full of soft shapes, bold colors, and stylized figures, which depict a diverse array of children performing the actions described in the poems. In addition to being a great way to introduce classic poetry to young students, this would also be an entertaining, playful prompt for a writing assignment. From short to long and covering a broad scope of topics, these poems poking gentle fun at the form should find easy appeal, maybe even among kids reluctant to read poetry. - Copyright 2016 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 01/01/2017 Gr 3–6—Poetry is personal to both writer and reader, and here a former children's poet laureate selects a baker's dozen of classical poems and proffers the parodies that flew into his mind as he "tinkered" with their tempos. So while Robert Frost's little horse "shakes his bells" stopping by a wood, Lewis finds a "Fridge on a Hungry Evening" and does more. And while Rose Fyleman thinks "mice are really nice," Lewis is sure that "rats are really brats." Poem and parody face each other, nestled in colorful illustrations that often spill across both pages. Carl Sandburg's fog ("on little cat feet") leaves paw prints, while Lewis's hail stomps "furious hooves." A chatty introduction explains Lewis's intent and encourages young writers to try their hand at some spoofing of their own. This is simpler than his previous collection Edgar Allan Poe's Pie: Math Puzzles in Classic Poems and perhaps takes on a more popular subject. VERDICT A charming introduction to the carefully selected original poems and the delightful turns of phrase they have conjured up. A fun title for classroom use.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.