BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lewis, J. Patrick. 2008. THE WORLD’S GREATEST: POEMS. Ill. by Keith Graves. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 9780811851305.
The World’s Greatest: Poems is a witty collection of zany real-life world records in poetry form. Readers, both young and old, of The Guinness Book of World Records are sure to appreciate this volume of poetry based primarily on their records. Children will delight in both the clever use of words and amusing illustrations. The poems are short, in various forms, and include a variety of topics. Poem shape and illustrations are used to support and enhance the poem content. The poem The Longest Traffic Jam is constructed of single word rhyming couplets, with an illustration crawling across the bottom of both pages of a road with vehicles bumper to bumper.
The book begins with The Kookiest Hat. A brief note accompanies each poem explaining the world record that is the premise of the poem. This poem’s note states, “Invented by Raymond D. Kiefer, Spring City, Pennsylvania, 1995.”
the Kookiest Hat
As I was walking down the street,
I met a man who wore
A fried egg on his head. I said,
“Dear me, what is it for?”
“A fried-egg hat repels the rain,”
Was what the man replied,
“Because, my dear, I always wear
It on the sunny side.”
Lewis, J. Patrick. 2008. THE WORLD’S GREATEST: POEMS. Ill. by Keith Graves. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 9780811851305.
The World’s Greatest: Poems is a witty collection of zany real-life world records in poetry form. Readers, both young and old, of The Guinness Book of World Records are sure to appreciate this volume of poetry based primarily on their records. Children will delight in both the clever use of words and amusing illustrations. The poems are short, in various forms, and include a variety of topics. Poem shape and illustrations are used to support and enhance the poem content. The poem The Longest Traffic Jam is constructed of single word rhyming couplets, with an illustration crawling across the bottom of both pages of a road with vehicles bumper to bumper.
The book begins with The Kookiest Hat. A brief note accompanies each poem explaining the world record that is the premise of the poem. This poem’s note states, “Invented by Raymond D. Kiefer, Spring City, Pennsylvania, 1995.”
the Kookiest Hat
As I was walking down the street,
I met a man who wore
A fried egg on his head. I said,
“Dear me, what is it for?”
“A fried-egg hat repels the rain,”
Was what the man replied,
“Because, my dear, I always wear
It on the sunny side.”
This poem is a sample of how the world records and poems combined will capture young readers’ interest and draw them through the book looking for the next weird, funny, or unusual world record.
This attractive book has a table of contents listing each of the poems and their page numbers. A combination of color and white pages, text in a variety of colors, fonts, and sizes along with exaggerated artwork results in a visually appealing book. Skillful artwork and poem placement guide the readers’ eye to the delights on each page.
Keith Grave illustrated the book using acrylic paint and colored pencils. The illustrations have a youthful vibrancy adding a visual element to the poems. The Most Cobras Kissed Consecutively is illustrated with a basket filled with cobras sporting red human lips and long eyelashes. The Stone Skipping Record and The Smallest American Newspaper share an illustration that depicts a woman standing in water showing a skipping stone while reading a miniature paper. The illustrations add an extra element of fun to these unusual and outrageous records.
The World’s Greatest: Poems is a celebration of poetry; entertaining both young and old readers.
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