4 Stars***
All Mixed Up!
Shane D. Williams
Brio Bound Books, 2012
978-0-9854038-0-5
64 pages, Ages 7+

......................I was walking down the street
 ....................When trouble started forming.
 ....................It frankly caught me off my guard,
 ....................It happened without warning.
..............................................
................. ...Somebody’s dog came up to me,
 ....................He didn’t sit or beg,
 ....................Just sniffed at me a little bit
 ....................Then lifted up his leg.
.......................................
.....................I guess it was a bad idea
 ....................(If you know what I mean)
 ....................To be a fire hydrant
.....................This year for Halloween.
.................................

All Mixed Up! by Shane D. Williams is a book of poetry for kids.  Most are silly, some are absurd; all are funny and will have kids busting a gut.

I thought most were funny, but my adult self wanted something with more substance.  If I was a 10-year-old, I would love every poem and would get caught at school repeating the poems I could remember.

Summertime is a great time for All Mixed Up!  Anyone tempted to repeat any of Shane’s poems will not be reciting one for the principal.

.....My horse’s name

 .. .Is Nocturnal Ned,

.....So I ride him at night

.....When I should be in bed.
........................................

If read closely, and with a little imagination, parents will find a lesson between the lines.

....................I’d rather be sleeping,

....................And Ned feels the same.

....................Perhaps I should think

....................About changing his name!
.......................................................

All Mixed Up! is the first book of poems for middle grade and younger that has passed my way.  The poems are enjoyable and the cleverness will tickle young funny bones.

There is a poem about the quirkiness of nature.  Another exploring the desire to be something you are not.  And a third poem plays on one subject that preoccupies most tween and teen boys more than any other.

The interesting thing about all those is this:  they are all in one poem.

Our hen is crazy as can be,

She built her nest up in a tree.
...............................................

I know it seems a bit absurd

(She wants to be a normal bird).
........................................

She lays her eggs and takes great care,

....................And then her chicks are born up there.
..........................................

....................And when they try to walk around,

....................Of course they fall and smack the ground.
...............................

....................It’s fun to watch, we get our kicks,

....................Come over, we’ll go pick up chicks.
...............................

That is a lot to pack into one poem and still be good enough to catch the adolescent attention span.  The author knows what makes kids laugh.  All Mixed Up!  will be read many times, mostly by boys.  If you have turned the pages to dust, Shane has a website HERE, filled with even more of his childproof poems.

All Mixed Up! is a delightful little book of poems written for kids. These are not poetry night  poems, but they are an introduction to a different way of expressing one’s self.

Teachers, this is a great book for starting a conversation about poetry and writing in general for younger children.  The will have a blast reading, or listening to, these poems.

After reading All Mixed Up! I began to remember all the silly poems—sometimes rhyming, often made-up—that I and others recited as kids.  They were just as silly and, at the time, hilarious, though the quality was not like that found in Mixed All Up!**  

Maybe reading the unique and zany poetry in All Mixed Up!** will inspire your child.  With 50 side-splitting poems, it will most definitely entertain them.

**SPECIAL FROM THE AUTHOR.  10% OFF the purchase of All Mixed Up!!  Use Coupon Code “SAVETEN” Today!  Go HERE for 10% OFF! All Mixed Up!

 

***For a kid’s perspective on All Mixed Up go HERE and read Erik’s review.

……………………………..

QUESTION?  What is the funniest poem you can remember?

(The comment link may be to left of the title, under the date.)

All Mixed Up! A Motley Horde of Funny Poems

Author: Shane D. Williams   website
Publisher: Brio Bound Books    website
Release Date: April 20, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9854038-0-5
Number of Pages: 64
Ages: 7+
..................................
 .......................
 ......................
 ........................
 ........................................
 ........................................