Dirty Dog Boogie

July 1, 1999
Gr 2-5-Although there are a few shaky instances of meter and rhyme in these poems, Lesynski fills them with a humor that will appeal to her audience and a rhythm that becomes musical when read aloud. Some of the selections are arranged in a quirky fashion that fits what they are trying to say. "Laaaaaaaziness" drifts diagonally down the page, while the untitled first poem dances up and down in angled lines across a double-page spread as it sings, "A boogie is a dance/and a boogie is a jive/and a boogie's just another way of saying I'M aLive." Lesynski also plays with fonts, spelling, and typefaces, with some words in bold while others are in light gray. She even has one poem entitled "I Hate Poetry!" for all of those students with assignments they loathe. Although her creative spelling-especially her excessive use of repeated letters to draw out words-can get tiresome, on the whole it works fairly well. The simple cartoon illustrations, done in blue ink, reflect the flavor of the poems. A collection that will appeal to fans of Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein and could be used to introduce the music and fun of poetry to some reluctant patrons.-Amy Lilien, Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT

Copyright 1999 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 1999
A collection of sophomoric poems begins by enthusiastically advising readers to "Boogie in a poem. . .Always keep a bit of boogie going in your head / POE POE Poem RAH RAH Rhyme / You can do one ANY time!" The playful doggerel may appeal to kids turned off by more serious poetry--and may inspire them to try penning their own poems. Cartoonlike pen and watercolor wash drawings add to the aggressive silliness.

(Copyright 1999 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)