Almost Late for School: And More School Poems - Hardcover

Carol Diggory-Shields is the author of many works for children including the poetry booksLunch Money, Almost Late to School, andAfter the Bell Rings. She currently works as a childrens librarian and previously worked with children as a recreational therapist. She lives in northern California.

Gr. 1-3. The creators of Lunch Money (1995) offer more hilarious poems and drawings about elementary-school life. With clever, boisterous rhymes and experimental forms, Shields presents common experiences that will speak to a range of ages: one poem deals with first-day-of-school jitters; another focuses on a boy preparing his science fair project ("hypothesis: The world would be a better place / If my brother vanished without a trace"). Many of the best selections explore, in sunny, spot-on language, the emotions a school day can bring: jealousy of other classmates; the joy of finding a friend; the desire to be alone ("In the middle of this riot / I'd like to find a place that's quiet. / A little space that's shaped like me. / A little place that I can be"). Meisel's bright, paint-and-pencil art extends the humor with expressive characters and swirling chaos. Laugh-out-loud fun with plenty of substance to lighten up poetry units, with some good selections for reading aloud to younger children. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved