Lunch Money and Other Poems About School (Penguin) - Softcover

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.

Grade 2-4?A frisky collection of 24 childlike perceptions of the zanier happenings during a school day. The poems' appeal relies on irreverent topics, robust action, sing-song rhythms, and rhyming couplets. The bright, expressive cartoonstyle illustrations highlight the rollicking nature of most of the selections. Kids will greet them with enthusiasm, but there needs to be more to poetry than rhyming words. Some of the verses do challenge young minds. The child in "Who Needs School?" has art, spelling, and calculator skills thanks to her computer, but realizes, "...Just don't unplug me and I'll be fine." "Moonwalker" features the joyous, imaginative characters a youngster creates on her way home. "Outside/Inside" contrasts the vibrant goings-on outside the classroom to the humdrum inside. The word-counting antics of the struggling boy in "Book Report" leave a poignant message. In all, good for a quick, fun fix on a down day.?Ronald Jobe, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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