I'm Just No Good at Rhyming: And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups

by Chris Harris, Lane Smith (Illustrator)

Overview

"An illustrated collection of comically irreverent rhyming poems for readers of all ages, ranging in topic from avocados and anacondas to zombies and zebras (dressed like ghosts)"--]cProvided by publisher

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316427104
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/29/2020
Series:	Mischievous Nonsense , #1
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	6 - 18 Years

About the Author

Chris Harris is the New York Times bestselling author of I'm Just No Good at Rhyming: And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups, illustrated by Lane Smith; The Alphabet's Alphabet, illustrated by Dan Santat; and If You Laugh, I'm Starting This Book Over, illustrated by Serge Bloch. He currently serves as showrunner and executive producer for the new Frasier. Previous TV writing credits include How I Met Your Mother, Acapulco, and The Late Show with David Letterman. His pieces have appeared in the New Yorker, Esquire, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and on NPR. He lives in Los Angeles.

Lane Smith wrote and illustrated Grandpa Green, which was a 2012 Caldecott Honor book, and It's a Book, which has been translated into more than twenty-five languages. His other works include the national bestsellers Madam President and John, Paul, George & Ben, the Caldecott Honor winner The Stinky Cheese Man, and The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, among many others. His books have been New York Times Best Illustrated Books on four occasions. Lane and his wife, book designer Molly Leach, live in rural Connecticut.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for I'm Just No Good at Rhyming: And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups:

A New York Times Bestseller
A New York Times Editors' Choice
An NPR Best Book of 2017
An Amazon Best Book of 2017
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2017
A News & Observer Wilde Award Book of 2017
A Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth 2017 Selection
A Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Books of 2017 Selection
School Library Journal's Best Books of 2017
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books of 2017
An Iowa Public Radio Best Children's Books to Give in 2017
100 Scope Notes Top 20 Books of 2017
School Library Journal's Fuse #8 Blog - 2017 Poetry Books for Kids
A Nerdies 2017 Selection
NCTE's 2018 Notable Poetry Books
ALA-ALSC Notable Books for Children List 2018
A Parents' Choice Award Gold Winner for Audio Books 2018


*"A frolicking romp through the zany world of nonsense verse.... Visual, aural, and downright guffaw-inspiring puns and riddles abound in this wildly imaginative and cleverly illustrated debut collection. The inspired and inspiring sense of play knows no bounds."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

*"Those who claim to hate poetry will enjoy this riotous compilation.... A surefire winner for reading aloud or for snickering with under the covers."
—School Library Journal, starred review

*"Hits a poetry trifecta: high energy, rhymes that can rival Cole Porter's, and a torrent of ideas...a worthy heir to Silverstein, Seuss, and even Ogden Nash."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

*"A magnificently wacky romp through verse.... This moving, madcap anthem to language is sure to stand the test of time."
—Booklist, starred review

*"There's not a dud in the bunch."
—The Horn Book, starred review

*"Comedy gold.... This is one collection that rewards repeat visits."—The Horn Book, starred review

"This Hollywood writer and award-winning illustrator might just make all of us — the kids and the grown-ups — smile again."—The New York Times

"It's a veritable sundae of delights-layers of puns, word games, visual jokes — that I honestly would give to any kid ages short to tall."

—NPR's Book Concierge

"This inspired collection of nonsense verse from the executive producer of How I Met Your Mother showcases a rare gift for wacky wordplay."—People

"Funniest book of the year for kids? Gosh, there's a lot of competition out there but...YES, YES, ALL RIGHT, YOU GOT ME! This is probably the funniest book of 2017 for kids."
—Betsy Bird, A Fuse #8 Production

From the Publisher

From Shel Silverstein's quirky verse, to the silly dilly songs and poems of Alan Katz, to more recent rhyming picture books like Sue Fliess's romping holiday parody We Wish for a Monster Christmas, short and funny wordplay continues to be a sure shot. Now, you can add Chris Harris and Lane Smith's I'm Just No Good at Rhyming to this pantheon…Lane Smith makes his trademark oil and acrylic images seem to jump off the page (and make us laugh even more). I'm Just No Good at Rhyming is the perfect canvas for Smith's simple and absurd sepia-toned mischief.

The New York Times Book Review - Kwame Alexander

★ 2017-06-14
A frolicking romp through the zany world of nonsense verse.In the storied tradition of Nash, Lear, and Dr. Seuss, Harris joins forces with Smith to present over 100 original poems and illustrations dedicated to having some serious fun. Visual, aural, and downright guffaw-inspiring puns and riddles abound in this wildly imaginative and cleverly illustrated debut collection. Harris and Smith unite to preach the gospel of irreverence, daring children to explore and test parental—and poetic—limits in a variety of circumstances, whether through typography, illustration, or verse. In "Toasted Knight for Lunch Again?" Smith's vividly textured multimedia double-page spread features Mama Dragon and Baby in conversation, as Baby points to lifeless Sir Gustav laid out on a plate, the feathery plume in his helmet serving as garnish, and whines, "No armor, Mom— / I want him / With the crust off!" In " 'Tis Better," Harris cheekily weighs in on the virtues of giving versus receiving, stating: "If that thing's a black eye… / Then yeah, I believe it!" Harris and Smith even extend their banter to each other, Harris going so far as to bluntly state, "I Don't Like My Illustrator," and then Smith exacting revenge with a portrait of a snaggle-toothed, hairy-eared Harris with snot dripping from his nose. The inspired and inspiring sense of play knows no bounds. (Poetry. 5-12)

Kirkus Reviews