Quick! Give me a list of three children's poets. Got it? Let me guess...you listed Mother Goose, Dr. Seuss, and Shel Silverstein. How about Joe Sottile? Never heard of him? You will.
Over the past several decades, children's poetry has morphed from the sing-song Mother Goose rhyme of yesterday to more complex poetry that speaks to the issues important to children in ways so silly, irreverent, or even grotesque as to render elaborate color illustrations unnecessary. Joe Sottile's poetry in Picture Poetry On Parade! is a perfect example of how charming this change can be. Move over Mother Goose, stand back Dr. Seuss — Joe Sottile's parade is coming through! Joe Sottile met illustrator Lori DeLeonardis-Aman when they taught together in upstate New York. The two of them pooled their talents — Joe's poetic abilities and Lori's cartooning — to turn out a small book of children's poetry reminiscent of Shel Silverstein. The book (originally titled Bathroom Vacations and Other Poems) is Picture Poetry On Parade!
Picture Poetry On Parade! features poems about the things most important to kids: school, parents, teachers, homework, siblings, food, bugs, and sports heroes, just to name a few.
Proving a true educator at heart, the best poems offered in the book are the school poems, which are funny:
"`Sonny, you gotta go to school.'/
`I never want to go back there.'/
`Son, you gotta go to school./
You're the principal.'"("Sonny," p.2)
And absurd:
"I can't write today because my underpants are too tight/"
("Can't Write Today," p. 28)
And even poignant:
"Rain, snow, sleet, blistering heat,/
or bone-chilling thunderstorms,/
Mr. Shannon was waiting at the door,/
`Today is a super-great day/
and it's going to get even better.'("Today," p. 8)
Sottile is able to rhyme with the best of them, but is not limited to verse alone. He's adept at repetition and makes good use of Leonardis-Aman's illustrations in some poems to make them pleasing to the eye.
Likewise, DeLeonardis-Aman's illustrations are perfectly suited to the book, being simple yet able to convey vast emotions, mostly through facial expressions, that bring each poem to life.
Because the most well-written and entertaining poems are the school-themed poems and the book is arranged in two themed parts — "Part One: School" and "Part Two: Home" — the book is best read randomly rather than in cover-to-cover fashion, so as to get a healthy mix of both subjects in one sitting.
This book belongs in classrooms and on bookshelves of anyone who has elementary school-aged children at home. The repetition in some poems lend well to beginning readers, the subject matter lend well to young readers who get "bored" easily, and the humor lends well to...everyone else.
Picture Poetry on Parade! is a book written for children but one that adults will relate to and enjoy. Joe Sottile, a retired teacher, has put together a collection of over 50 of his poems that he wrote with children specifically in mind. Adults, however, will also derive enjoyment from this wonderful collection of poems.
As you read this book, Picture Poetry on Parade!, you can sense Joe's love of children, his wonderful sense of humor, and his love of poetry.
You will find poems that make you smile, poems that motivate you, and poems filled with good advice. It is a book that parents will enjoy reading to their children, and, most certainly, a book that will delight children.
Along with the wonderful poems the illustrations done by Lori DeLeonardis-Aman will capture children's attention because the illustrations closely reflect a child's imagination.
This book exceeded our expectations, because of the quality of the poems and the addition of the illustrations. We would highly recommend it!
I is a humorous collection of poems that every school aged kid can relate to. Covering topics such as how to not make friends, brothers, sisters, teachers, dads, having to go to school and so much more.
Along the lines of Shel Silverstein, Joe Sottile has a good grasp on the viewpoint of kids and he's not afraid to show it. There are also poems where he offers the same subject from the view point of adults and kids and these make for funny comparisons if not friendly reminders to parents that we sometimes need to chill out.
The artwork is simplistic and kid friendly, just right for the accompanying text. The collection is a cute addition to a child's library and will be a well-checked book at school libraries, everywhere.