Insect Soup (Rainbow Morning Music Picture Books) - Hardcover

Polisar, Barry Louis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0938663224 ISBN 13: 9780938663225

Publisher: Rainbow Morning Music, 1999

Synopsis

A Parents’ Guide Award-Winning Book! The winner of the Parents’ Guide Award for Outstanding Children’s Books, this long awaited sequel to Barry’s animal bestiary is a brand new collection of wonderfully witty poems about the funniest bugs on the planet. From the praying mantis to chiggers, kids will discover that the weird and wacky bugs are the most fun. Even the dung beetle, brilliantly illustrated in a tuxedo with formal serving tray, finally gets the recognition he deserves. An index of the featured creatures rounds out the fun with descriptions of each bug and noted entomological characteristics.  As First Coast Parent Magazine writes, “If you’re not familiar with Barry Polisar’s enchanting yet loony brand of children’s poetry, try his books. There’s nothing sugary about Polisar’s writing. Zany and sophisticated, Polisar’s poetry is a great way to show the child interested in poetry how much fun you can have writing verse. But it’s also an education about the topic of his rhymes.He concludes the book with dictionary definitions of each insect. The illustrations from chiggers to cockroaches to ticks are excellent.”

About this title

About the Author

Barry Louis Polisar is an author, songwriter, poet, and story-teller for children who also writes songs and books for adults. He performs his songs on two different Grammy Award-winning albums and sings his song "All I Want is You" in the opening credits of the Academy Award winning movie Juno. Barry’s songs are featured in television shows, feature films, and dozens of TV ads throughout the world. His books and poems have been translated into other languages and his songs have been recorded and performed by singers and musicians internationally. He has written songs for Sesame Street and The Weekly Reader and starred in a television show for children that won two Emmy awards. A five time Parents’ Choice Award winner, Barry is a pioneer in the world of music for children. He has recorded and shared his songs, poems, stories, and books with audiences throughout the world and has performed at The White House, The Smithsonian, and The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He gives concerts and author visits in schools and performing art centers from Washington DC to Fairbanks, Alaska and was given a Special Library Recognition Award for his “ability to communicate with and excite children to read.” His work has been featured on National Public Radio and written about in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Newsweek, and People Magazine.

Reviews

K-Gr 4-A collection of 15 poems that range from the truly disgusting to the humorous to the mildly amazing. The author and illustrator give these creatures bizarre personalities that are sure to tickle young entomologists' funny bones. A millipede is described as a pet for which the narrator "...made five hundred pair/Of tiny silken slippers," while a roach is depicted as a clever bon vivant wearing a gas mask to ward off bug sprays and ignoring the roach motel set out nearby. Meanwhile, an army of ants, "Regimented, single file," stream into a kitchen, bearing on a pallet their "queen," who is decked out in appropriately regal attire. The watercolor illustrations portray many insects in human clothing, with plenty of sharp teeth and huge, buggy eyes. Set in an extra-large bold font, the poems range from four lines to several stanzas and each one of them goes for the laugh. Deep colors, especially in the backgrounds, and sweeping lines pump up the volume and help deliver the humor. The final page supplies some information about the species featured in the verses. For a creepy, crawly good time, pair this with Douglas Florian's Insectlopedia (Harcourt, 1998), which gives quite a different view of the insect kingdom.-Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Rainbow Morning Music
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0938663224
• ISBN 13: 9780938663225
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Clark David
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32