I'm Just No Good at Rhyming, by Chris Harris & Lane Smith (ages 7-12)

April showers and spring flowers always remind me that I love celebrating National Poetry Month. My students' favorite new collection of poems is definitely I'm Just No Good At Rhyming, by Chris Harris and Lane Smith. Full of short, funny wordplay in the tradition of Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss, this collection has kids laughing out loud and passing it from friend to friend.

I'm Just No Good At Rhyming
And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-ups
by Chris Harris, illustrated by Lane Smith
Little, Brown, 2017
Amazon / local library / Google Books preview
ages 7-12

Right from the get-go, Harris hooks his readers and lets them know that they're in for unexpected twists and turns. Just look at the opening poem:

I'm just no good at rhyming.
It makes me feel so bad.
I'm just no good at rhyming,
And that's why I am blue ...

My teacher asked if I could find a word that rhymes with "hat."
"It's something that a dog might chase."
                                              "Aha!" I said. "A car!"

In the space of one line, Harris sets up what you'd expect and then flips it on its head. He gets kids eager to participate and shout out the rhyme, then slaps them with something totally different. Best of all, he never condescends to kids. This is smart, funny writing.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I..."

Some poems are short and punchy, while others give you even more to chew on. Harris uses layout and design to get kids thinking about double messages, like in his poem “How the Fourth Grader Communicates.” And there's great back-and-forth between author and illustrator. At one point Harris writes a poem, “I Don’t Like My Illustrator,” and Lane Smith delights in his revenge portrait.

"I Don't Like My Illustrator"

I especially appreciate the irreverent tone and entertaining wordplay. I find myself relating to many different poems, both serious and absurd. And I discover more hidden nonsensical gems on each reading.

I purchased a review copy for my school library, and it's been constantly checked out ever since! Illustrations copyright ©2017 Lane Smith. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books. Thank you for your support.

©2018 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books