The Gooch Machine : A Collection of Humorous Poems to Perform

Grade 1-4. The subject matter of Bagert's 19 poems (grouchy teachers, homework, procrastination, etc.) has child appeal, but the quality of the writing varies a great deal. "Alien Eyes?" perfectly captures a youngster's questioning about the possible existence of other inhabitants in our universe: on the opposite page, however, is "Countdown Jitters," a juvenile description of space rocket takeoffs that falls flat. The author states in a brief introductory note that his poems are meant to be acted out, but even the most expressive voice and actions won't lift some of these poems above the mediocre. Detailed, highly colored watercolor-and-marker illustrations leave little to readers' imaginations and lack depth and subtlety. Some border on the grotesque. Compare these often-garish illustrations to the wonderful pen-and-ink drawings by James Stevenson in Jack Prelutsky's New Kid on the Block (1984) and Something Big Has Been Here (1990, both Greenwillow). These collections are for the same audience but consistently amuse while the illustrations allow readers to create their own mind images.?Barbara McGinn, Oak Hill Elementary School, Severna Park, MD
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In these ``Poems for Children to Perform,'' young readers may first elect to scratch their heads: ``Alien Eyes?'' is about looking into another planet's sky; ``The Homework Guarantee'' covers procrastination; and ``Butterfly Fire'' trumpets something about ``the flame of poet-fire/When it burns in children's eyes.'' Budding dramatists can take hints from the chubby-face children who cavort through Ellis's sprawling cartoon scenes; these are usually light in mood, although the image of a man sweating over his taxes is a dismal take on ``Dad's Greatest Fear''--``that someday/I'll grow up just like him.'' Bagert's occasional proficiency, as in ``The Food Cheer''--``Carnivores! Carnivores!/We eat meat!/Herbivores! Herbivores!/Plants taste sweet!''--doesn't alter lesser, more pedestrian fare; next to books such as Jean Marzollo's Pretend You're A Cat (1990), the acting-out potential seems indirect at best. (Poetry. 7-9) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.