We were first introduced to the creative team of Allan Alhberg and Bruce Ingman with the release of The Runaway Dinner in 2006. Not to derail my own review, but if you haven't read that one, I heartily recommend you do. It's a clever little tale of what happens when a sausage (named Melvin) hops right up off a little boy's dinner plate and leads him on a merry chase all over town. The Pencil, equally delightful, followed two years later. Both books have convinced me that Ahlberg and Ingham make a terrific team.
Now the winning team is back, returning with a really fun book of poetry. They might be writing in rhymes, but they remain every bit as funny and offbeat as in their picture books. I really like children's poetry books that are not flowery or sentimental. Some kids (and parents) are only going to relate to poetry if it's funny or clever or downright strange.
This is a happy collection of poems on all sorts of subjects; from monsters to mice, they cover a little bit of everything. The book opens with Monday is Washday and closes with Friday is Fishday. I guess all the stuff in between are typical weekly happenings in their town. Based on the subject matter, tt must be one heck of a crazy town. How in the world do authors manage to come up with their crazy ideas?
My very favorite poem in the whole book is Dirty Bill. It's short and sweet, comprised of just thirteen words in two lines, but funny as heck. I also very much enjoyed the Sausage Whistler. This one is a bit longer, but features a ring of dancing sausages (Melvin's relatives possibly?) that will win your heart. All right, I can't just go on listing the poems I liked, because there are far too many. You'll have to decide on your own favorites. Until then, enjoy the dancing sausage video below.
Review copy provided by Candlewick Press.
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