Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 03/01/2015 For readers not familiar with the clerihew, a four-line rhyming poem that pokes fun at a famous person, they will quickly catch on, thanks to this jovial collection. And who better to poke fun at than those at the very top, the presidents of the United States? An introductory note on the clerihew form sets the tone for the amusement ahead. Some poems focus on historical facts, such as the Monroe Doctrine (“If you trespass, you’ll be shot. / That’s my doctrine, like it or not”), while others point out quirky facts and foibles, like those of Jimmy Carter (“To save on heat he wore cardigan sweaters. / Unfortunately, he was not a trendsetter”). Although clerihews may have irregular meter, Raczka keeps a regular meter, lending a steady rhythm throughout the collection. From George Washington’s wooden toothy grin to Ronald Reagan’s hill of jelly beans, black-and-white caricature line drawings accentuate the humor, and an appendix adds more details to each poem. Share these aloud with history buffs or to enliven the classroom. - Copyright 2015 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 03/01/2015 Gr 3–6—This petite treat cracks open history via a little light mockery in the form of 43 clerihews, one for each president of the United States. The book opens with an explanation of the form's origin and structure (the clerihew is a four-line poem with an AABB rhyming scheme that pokes fun at its famous subject, who is introduced in the first line). Readers will be engaged by the jokes and impelled to flip to the appendix to learn more. An irreverent tone runs through these selections. One poem describes Thomas Jefferson, who "went to town to buy bananas/and came home with Louisiana," while the accompanying illustration depicts him carrying a large outline of the state with a $15,000,000 price tag. The book includes other important bits of history such as the Monroe Doctrine and the purchase of Alaska. The research is sound, with reference sources cited, and cartoonist Burr's large-headed, pen-and-ink caricatures are humorous. Some of the textual and visual references will be lost on kids (such as the drawing of Richard Nixon being cued by the cameraman to read a script card that says, "I am not a crook."). However, the book will spark the inquisitive seeker in every reader and is a quick launch into research. VERDICT A fun and informative addition to poetry collections.—Teresa Pfeifer, The Springfield Renaissance School, Springfield, MA - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.