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If I Ran the School by Bruce Lansky (2005) Paperback
Bruce Lansky, the "King of Giggle Poetry", has written five new poems for this book and selected nineteen others from some of his favorite poets, including Jack Prelutsky, Kenn Nesbitt, Ted Scheu, and Robert Pottle.
32 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2005
8 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
About the author
Bruce Lansky
198 books49 followersI was born on June 1, 1941. My first home was an apartment in Manhattan's Upper West Side, a neighborhood that overlooked the George Washington Bridge. Soon after kindergarten, my family moved to Scarsdale, which seemed to be “in the country.” In high school, I broke my ankle when I went out for the lacrosse team, so I wrote a sports column for the school newspaper. I don't think I showed any particular talent for writing then.
I went to St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. I actually learned to read Greek (I didn't understand it, though). I transferred from St. John's to New York University, so I could study political science and economics. I graduated with a major in philosophy and a minor in English. My first job was a market researcher for a beer company in New Jersey. Over the next five years, I switched jobs several times: advertising copywriter, advertising account executive, and marketing manager at a candy company.
I married Vicki and we had a baby, Douglas. I wanted him to have a home surrounded by grass and trees and ball fields, so I accepted a job in Minnesota, and Doug got a baby sister, Dana. What rescued me from poverty was that my wife and some other mothers wrote a cookbook. We published it ourselves, and it was a huge hit. That's how I figured out that I wanted to be a publisher when I grew up. We built Meadowbrook Press, and I became an author of baby name books and humor books for adults.
Ten years ago, I wanted to put together a children's book of all the poems they loved best. To find these poems, I tested poems in elementary schools. As I was testing poems on children, I decided to write a few to see what the response would be. At first it wasn't that good, but as my writing improved, I added my poems to new books. To get them just right, I'd rewrite them over and over. I've now edited six poetry anthologies and filled three books with my own poems. Because I spent a lot of time reading and testing poems in classrooms, schools started inviting me to perform. I've now performed at hundreds of schools. My goal to put on the most entertaining, most educational, and most motivating assembly a school has ever had. My web site, http://www.gigglepoetry.com, helps kids discover the fun of reading and writing poetry.
Language arts are a very important part of what you learn in school. You can read great books that take you to far-away lands. You can write your own stories and make yourself the hero of exciting adventures. Even if it seems hard sometimes, don't give up. Keep practicing your reading and writing skills, and soon it will become easier. There are so many wonderful worlds to explore in books and poetry. Get your very own passport by learning to read and write the very best that you can.
I went to St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. I actually learned to read Greek (I didn't understand it, though). I transferred from St. John's to New York University, so I could study political science and economics. I graduated with a major in philosophy and a minor in English. My first job was a market researcher for a beer company in New Jersey. Over the next five years, I switched jobs several times: advertising copywriter, advertising account executive, and marketing manager at a candy company.
I married Vicki and we had a baby, Douglas. I wanted him to have a home surrounded by grass and trees and ball fields, so I accepted a job in Minnesota, and Doug got a baby sister, Dana. What rescued me from poverty was that my wife and some other mothers wrote a cookbook. We published it ourselves, and it was a huge hit. That's how I figured out that I wanted to be a publisher when I grew up. We built Meadowbrook Press, and I became an author of baby name books and humor books for adults.
Ten years ago, I wanted to put together a children's book of all the poems they loved best. To find these poems, I tested poems in elementary schools. As I was testing poems on children, I decided to write a few to see what the response would be. At first it wasn't that good, but as my writing improved, I added my poems to new books. To get them just right, I'd rewrite them over and over. I've now edited six poetry anthologies and filled three books with my own poems. Because I spent a lot of time reading and testing poems in classrooms, schools started inviting me to perform. I've now performed at hundreds of schools. My goal to put on the most entertaining, most educational, and most motivating assembly a school has ever had. My web site, http://www.gigglepoetry.com, helps kids discover the fun of reading and writing poetry.
Language arts are a very important part of what you learn in school. You can read great books that take you to far-away lands. You can write your own stories and make yourself the hero of exciting adventures. Even if it seems hard sometimes, don't give up. Keep practicing your reading and writing skills, and soon it will become easier. There are so many wonderful worlds to explore in books and poetry. Get your very own passport by learning to read and write the very best that you can.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
March 19, 2018
Perfectly acceptable and fun children’s poetry. Not groundbreaking or memorable, but still good entertainment.
November 16, 2017
Bruce Lansky, also known as the King of Giggle Poetry is such a great author to look to when introducing children to poetry. He makes poetry fun and exciting for kids and his work can be used in multiple ways in the classroom. This is one of my go-to books.
June 3, 2018
This is such a cute poetry book. Kids will love these quick, quirky poems. My faves were “I Ripped My Pants at School Today” and, “I Should Have Studied.” This would be a cute book to introduce poetry to the students. They could write a short, quirky poem like one in here.
January 7, 2024
Similar to Jack Prelutzky, Bruce Lansky has always been an underrated poet in the field of children's literature, and If I Ran the School serve as the perfect introduction to the man's work.
Of course, this little booklet doesn't just have Lansky's work, with contributions from others (including Pretluzky!) available for viewing. Overall, I'd say the quality ranges from good to great, the only poems I actively disliked being back-to-back verses by Lansky and Lansky/Jane Pomazal regarding how to torture teachers and students respectively. I'm not sure if it was an attempt at freestyling, but their literal lack of rhyme and rhythm combined with their length stretching out to two pages each made them boring to read.
Of the whole body, I'd say I actually appreciated Kenn Nesbitt's contributions the most, though it's all subjective in the end.
Besides the writing, each poem comes associated with its own illustrations by Stephen Carpenter and Mike Gordon, their style reminiscent of newspaper comic strip art albeit with pure penciling, and they're honestly pleasant to view, being a significant step-up from the drawings you'd see in a Shel Silverstein book.
Overall, this is a worthy paperback for any person out there with a love for good old-fashioned rhyme schemes.
Note
-The majority of Lansky's entries come with a blurb providing some bit of trivia about the poem, such as its origin. I wish more poets did this as it was genuinely nice to read/learn.
Of course, this little booklet doesn't just have Lansky's work, with contributions from others (including Pretluzky!) available for viewing. Overall, I'd say the quality ranges from good to great, the only poems I actively disliked being back-to-back verses by Lansky and Lansky/Jane Pomazal regarding how to torture teachers and students respectively. I'm not sure if it was an attempt at freestyling, but their literal lack of rhyme and rhythm combined with their length stretching out to two pages each made them boring to read.
Of the whole body, I'd say I actually appreciated Kenn Nesbitt's contributions the most, though it's all subjective in the end.
Besides the writing, each poem comes associated with its own illustrations by Stephen Carpenter and Mike Gordon, their style reminiscent of newspaper comic strip art albeit with pure penciling, and they're honestly pleasant to view, being a significant step-up from the drawings you'd see in a Shel Silverstein book.
Overall, this is a worthy paperback for any person out there with a love for good old-fashioned rhyme schemes.
Note
-The majority of Lansky's entries come with a blurb providing some bit of trivia about the poem, such as its origin. I wish more poets did this as it was genuinely nice to read/learn.
May 15, 2024
Cute and accurate poems from both sides of the coin. In this tiny book of poems about school, getting up early, and being responsible, we hear the angst and frustrations of students, teachers, and parents. From the teacher who loves her iPod and ignores her students, to the student that hates homework and the parents that fake sick to stay home in bed instead of going to work, the laughs are many throughout these fun Shel Silverstein-like poems.
September 14, 2018
This book is full of funny poems. I love how the poems take you through different events throughout the school year. The author has chosen 5 of his own poems and then 19 others from his favorite poets. Grade Level: 2nd-5th grade
June 19, 2017
Cute poetry book. My favorite was What I Found in My Desk. :)
September 17, 2017
This is another book which takes me back to my childhood. There is pure bliss in reading this book and those like it. A fun and easy read!
May 17, 2019
Funny poems about school.
January 3, 2021
Cute little joke book for children!
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October 9, 2023It's a book of poems all about school and the first one is on the first day of school, but the student wants it to be summer. I would have my students create a poem and read it aloud to the class.
January 4, 2024
I love this book
February 7, 2024
iconic little booklet from middle school that connected with me so much as a decidedly silly middle schooler
May 17, 2024
This was a good book and some of the poems were funny which I liked. They are all about school and and how school is. It was a funny book.
March 17, 2015
Hilarious! Some of my favorite poems are in here! The only thing that would make it better would be if Shel Silverstein's poems were in here. Other than that, it's perfect. :) (In the case you haven't guessed, Shel Silverstein is my favorite poet. "If you're a bird/be an early bird,/and catch the worm for your breakfast plate/If you're a bird, be an early bird,/but if you're a worm, sleep late!" - Shel Silverstein Genius, reality, hilarity, students, teachers and more meet in this delightful book by Bruce Lansky. I highly recommend it! The ebook is but only $0.99 on iBooks, and well worth the almost-dollar! I hope you enjoy this collection of poems from Meadowbrook Press!
-Hannah, poet and published writer
-Hannah, poet and published writer
October 16, 2011
This is one of my favorites poetry book If I Ran the School: 24 Funny School Poems because it has some really funny poetry about school. My favorite poems are "Homework! Oh Homework!" and "The Teacher Sees Right Through Me."
November 29, 2013
This is an entertaining collection of poems about school and homework. The poems are humorous and most of them rhyme. They are fun to read aloud and we enjoyed reading a couple of them aloud each night. The black and white illustrations are cartoonish and complement the poems nicely. We enjoyed reading this book together.
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May 7, 2015If I Ran the School by Bruce Lansky includes 24 hilarious school poems that take the reader through a wild day at school from lunch, snack and recess to homework, tests and pranks. The poetic format provides the reader with a wonderful sense of sentence fluency. This text is at a 3.2 reading level and would be a wonderful way to introduce students to the wonders of poetry.
May 29, 2008
Flimsy little predictable poems. If books contained laugh tracks you would hear the giggles as you perused this short collection. Poems go for the quick and easy laugh: bad school food, mean teachers, too much homework, etc.
July 2, 2013
Light, silly, poetic reading for 2nd through 5th graders. Nothing profound. Just fun giggle humor.
This was a free booklet offered by Scholastic to classroom teachers & their students for meeting a minimum order requirement.
Fun, simple, clean kid humor.
This was a free booklet offered by Scholastic to classroom teachers & their students for meeting a minimum order requirement.
Fun, simple, clean kid humor.
February 9, 2015
I have owned this book for almost 9 years now, and it's all thanks to my third grade teacher Mrs. R. On the last day of school show gave each other her students a copy of this book. As a Senior in high school, I still enjoy these poems as I did as a child.
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January 4, 2010I hated this. I thought it would be funny but it was TERRIBLE.
January 15, 2010
this book is for kids that do not like poetry. it is small easy to read and is i have to admit kind of funny.
March 21, 2010
I luv if I ran the school it just some FUNNY POEMS about SKOOL
November 5, 2010
It was a great kids book. I like the way the stories rhymed and made sense at the same time. The book could have been a little bit longer though.
April 17, 2011
Loved it!((:
September 13, 2012
I would use this book as a end of the school day book to let them leave with a laugh. instead of being anxious to go home they'd want to stay to hear the poems.
November 13, 2012
Very hilarious, all kids and teachers should read this!
December 28, 2013
Very short collection of cute school poems.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews