Do you like eggs? Bugs? Funny and punny kids poems? Then Hard-Boiled Bugs for Breakfast: And Other Tasty Poems by Jack Prelutsky is for you. Now, not all are about food, but several are. There is something for all tastes, but they do lean towards the silly, goofy and sometimes down right well…. less than a Rhodes Scholar. But for the most part, everything is funny and has a message behind them. The rhyming text makes it easy to read.
Good for a classroom, by yourself reading or even reading out loud one or two poems at a time, this book is aimed at the ages five (strong listener, might spot a few words) to a young 10 (due to the easier nature of the text, but the themes can tickle the funny bone of an older child).
Ruth Chan adds to the fun with their sketched illustrations. While they are not necessarily OMG FANTSTIC they lend a certain charm to the poetry itself. They perfectly illustrate the feeling, ideas and theme of the book. These black and white images might inspire a few artistic adventures.
It is also possible that a few budding poets might come to light. I was tempted myself to play around with a few of the themes, or to use “The Golden Shovel” method of taking another’s work and while giving credit to the original, work9ing it to make a new original work. The book lends itself to being fun but also educational. And Prelutsky shows that anything can be a poem, even if it is only made up.
