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World Rat Day: Poems About Real Holidays You've Never Heard Of
From the Children’s Poet Laureate comes a year-round ode to wacky holidays just begging to be celebrated.
Nobody should ever forget Ewe on Ohio Sheep Day (July 14). No mata mata how hard they may try on World Turtle Day (May 23). If you’ve never heard of Dragon Appreciation Day, International Cephalopod Awareness Day, or Yell “Fudge!” at the Cobras in North America Day, it’s not because they don’t exist, it’s simply that they needed someone to spread the word. Luckily, the fantastically zany poems of J. Patrick Lewis and Anna Raff’s equally hilarious illustrations have memorialized these holidays forever. So get out your calendars — from Happy Mew Year for Cats Day to Chocolate-Covered Anything Day, World Rat Day (April 4) calls for a year-round celebration.
Nobody should ever forget Ewe on Ohio Sheep Day (July 14). No mata mata how hard they may try on World Turtle Day (May 23). If you’ve never heard of Dragon Appreciation Day, International Cephalopod Awareness Day, or Yell “Fudge!” at the Cobras in North America Day, it’s not because they don’t exist, it’s simply that they needed someone to spread the word. Luckily, the fantastically zany poems of J. Patrick Lewis and Anna Raff’s equally hilarious illustrations have memorialized these holidays forever. So get out your calendars — from Happy Mew Year for Cats Day to Chocolate-Covered Anything Day, World Rat Day (April 4) calls for a year-round celebration.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published March 12, 2013
2 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
J. Patrick Lewis
134 books104 followersJ. Patrick Lewis is the current Children's Poet Laureate. He has written more than seventy children's books, including Once Upon a Tomb: Gravely Humorous Verses. J. Patrick Lewis lives in Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
April 28, 2015
**NCTE Notable Poetry Book 2**
This book is funny but I did not really care for the poems. Yes the thought of this book is "clever" but the poems were not. The idea of sharing these weird and wacko holidays is cute and to do so through poem is nice, but some of the poems did not make sense (to me) and were not clever. Some poems were so brief, it seemed the author could not think of anything to say about that holiday. The illustrations were cute, especially the one for Bulldogs Are Beautiful Day (April 24th), but they did not stand out so much that I liked the book any more than I kind of do. It started out as an ok book until I reached page 33.
I would like to say that I would use this book in my classroom but I cannot. I would if it were for but one page. Page 33, a poem called "Jack A" for Mule day, October 26. I think that this poem could have done without the play on words here. I think I could come up with a poem about mules without referring to its other name. This part angered me for I take pride in avoiding curse words in my speech and to share this with students would appall me. I do NOT recommend this book unless you pick and choose which poems to use with students and you keep it out of reach. I do not even joke with this kind of language in front of students. NOT Ok. I give World Rat Day one lonely rat out of five.
This book is funny but I did not really care for the poems. Yes the thought of this book is "clever" but the poems were not. The idea of sharing these weird and wacko holidays is cute and to do so through poem is nice, but some of the poems did not make sense (to me) and were not clever. Some poems were so brief, it seemed the author could not think of anything to say about that holiday. The illustrations were cute, especially the one for Bulldogs Are Beautiful Day (April 24th), but they did not stand out so much that I liked the book any more than I kind of do. It started out as an ok book until I reached page 33.
I would like to say that I would use this book in my classroom but I cannot. I would if it were for but one page. Page 33, a poem called "Jack A" for Mule day, October 26. I think that this poem could have done without the play on words here. I think I could come up with a poem about mules without referring to its other name. This part angered me for I take pride in avoiding curse words in my speech and to share this with students would appall me. I do NOT recommend this book unless you pick and choose which poems to use with students and you keep it out of reach. I do not even joke with this kind of language in front of students. NOT Ok. I give World Rat Day one lonely rat out of five.
April 22, 2015
Oh my! What fun this book would be in the classroom...K-12 classroom!! If you could invent any national celebration day, for any animal, what would it be? J. Patrick Lewis, the Children's Poet Laureate, has given us Rat Day, and Bat Day, and Mule Day, and Firefly Day. Clever rhymes, smart illustrations could easily serve as mentor texts for students to create their own celebratory days for their own favorite, misunderstood animal.
June 14, National Skunk Day:
If the skunk did not exist,
Then the skunk would not be mist.
June 14, National Skunk Day:
If the skunk did not exist,
Then the skunk would not be mist.
April 3, 2013
Our current Children's Poet Laureate comes up with a doozy. What a fun book! In a variety of poetic forms, Lewis celebrates "holidays you've never heard of," like Limerick Day, Pink Flamingo Day, Yell "Fudge!" at the Cobras in North America Day, and International Cephaloped Awareness Day. A delightful read for kids, parents and teachers, this book is also a great resource for librarians looking for unusual storytime ideas.
July 18, 2013
What a wonderfully fun book! Of course my favorite is January 16th, Dragon Appreciation Day (and how is it possible that I, of all people, was utterly unaware of this holiday???). And then there's December 16th - Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. The poem for Pink Flamingo Day (May 29th) is darling. There's a holiday here for everyone!
I do believe I will be purchasing this lovely tome.
I do believe I will be purchasing this lovely tome.
March 27, 2013
Silly poems about made up holidays like Dragon Appreciation Day, Bulldogs are Beautiful Day, and International Cephalopod Awareness Day.
November 4, 2021
Genre: Poetry
Grade Level: 1-3
This was such a fun poetry collection! This past summer, I led a lesson at a day camp about different holidays. We had the students draw their own holiday, and this book would have been perfect to read to them before that! I also think it would be neat to read the students the poem corresponding to what day it is, and possibly having them write their own. This book has so much potential in the classroom and I'm glad I found it!
Grade Level: 1-3
This was such a fun poetry collection! This past summer, I led a lesson at a day camp about different holidays. We had the students draw their own holiday, and this book would have been perfect to read to them before that! I also think it would be neat to read the students the poem corresponding to what day it is, and possibly having them write their own. This book has so much potential in the classroom and I'm glad I found it!
August 4, 2017
A group of silly poems based on holidays honoring such things as animals, chocolate and more.
April 11, 2018
Poetry. This book was so fun! There were many poems, all funny, and in many different styles.
August 28, 2019
I thought this book was very fun. It included repetition of rats and calendar dates on each page. I love the wacky poems describing multiples animals. A fun read for all ages.
April 11, 2013
Children's books like M. Patrick Lewis's new World Rat Day clearly are for adults as much as for kids. Lewis already is inside countless homes, coast to coast, inviting children and their parents to read aloud from books like last year’s wonderful National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 200 Poems with Photographs That Squeak, Soar, and Roar! That big, fun, colorful volume won all kinds of honors, including nearly unanimous 5-star praise on Amazon in reader reviews.
If you don’t have that particular book on your shelf, then perhaps you’ve got one of Lewis’s other 80-plus books! Lewis’s various titles have been released by more than a dozen major publishing houses. In 2011, the Poetry Foundation named Lewis its third U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate. In other words: You’re placing yourself in masterful hands when you buy, enjoy—or give away one of his books.
This year, Lewis is back with a fanciful volume that grabs hold of the calendar -- specifically the holidays that chart our progress through the year -- and encourages his readers to think fancifully about the way we mark time. He calls it: World Rat Day: Poems About Real Holidays You’ve Never Heard Of.
Given his career-long fascination with the natural world, most of the holidays he marks with playful poems and colorful illustrations by Anna Raff have to do with living creatures. His style of poetry toys with words, with the shape of his lines on the page -- providing lots of fun for young readers and their parents. Envision a cross between Lewis Caroll, ee cummings and Ogden Nash.
Lewis claims that all of the holidays in his new book are real, although you’ll have to look far and wide to find the groups that “officially declared” some of these holidays. And, no, this book does not include a page of web links or other information about these festivals that he and Raff celebrate. But that’s hardly the point.
The real point is seeing our planet in a new way—and remembering the living creatures that make it such a marvelous place in which to live.
Lewis’s shortest poem is just six words in a single line for the mid-summer Ohio Sheep Day: “No one will ever forget Ewe.”
And, if you welcome this book into your home, your children will never forget your gift.
If you don’t have that particular book on your shelf, then perhaps you’ve got one of Lewis’s other 80-plus books! Lewis’s various titles have been released by more than a dozen major publishing houses. In 2011, the Poetry Foundation named Lewis its third U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate. In other words: You’re placing yourself in masterful hands when you buy, enjoy—or give away one of his books.
This year, Lewis is back with a fanciful volume that grabs hold of the calendar -- specifically the holidays that chart our progress through the year -- and encourages his readers to think fancifully about the way we mark time. He calls it: World Rat Day: Poems About Real Holidays You’ve Never Heard Of.
Given his career-long fascination with the natural world, most of the holidays he marks with playful poems and colorful illustrations by Anna Raff have to do with living creatures. His style of poetry toys with words, with the shape of his lines on the page -- providing lots of fun for young readers and their parents. Envision a cross between Lewis Caroll, ee cummings and Ogden Nash.
Lewis claims that all of the holidays in his new book are real, although you’ll have to look far and wide to find the groups that “officially declared” some of these holidays. And, no, this book does not include a page of web links or other information about these festivals that he and Raff celebrate. But that’s hardly the point.
The real point is seeing our planet in a new way—and remembering the living creatures that make it such a marvelous place in which to live.
Lewis’s shortest poem is just six words in a single line for the mid-summer Ohio Sheep Day: “No one will ever forget Ewe.”
And, if you welcome this book into your home, your children will never forget your gift.
August 13, 2016
This hilarious poetry collection features 26 poems about 22 real holidays, from World Rhino Day to National Sloth Day, from Limerick Day to Bulldogs Are Beautiful Day. Poems are presented in calendar order starting with Happy Mew Year for Cats on January 2 and ending with Chocolate-Covered Anything Day on December 16. The short poems vary in format, but nearly all poems end with a humorous twist. The wordplay is smart and funny and will appeal to poetry lovers and newbies alike. Poems are accompanied by humorous rat-filled illustrations that create a chaotically festive atmosphere. If you’re looking for ways to incorporate poetry into your classroom or storytime, try reading a poem from this book on or around the poem’s holiday. You could also have kids pick another lesser-known holiday as the theme for their own poem.
Read More at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...
Read More at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...
April 20, 2013
Taken from the inside jacket -
“No one will ever forget Ewe” on Ohio Sheep Day (July 14). No mata mata how hard we try on World Turtle Day (May 23).
These two holidays are just a taste of the wild and wacky – and real – holidays you should be celebrating.”
Why I liked this book – When I first heard about this book, I thought I would really love it… And I DID!!! This was an awesome book! The poems are top-notch, and the illustrations are awesome too! I love everything about it especially that the wacky poems are based on REAL holidays! This is a great way to celebrate National Poetry Month! J. Patrick Lewis is an AWESOME poet! And the fact that he’s Poet Laureate is even better! I also like that the rats show up on all the pages in the book no matter what the holiday is. I think all kids and adults will LOVE this book!**NOTE I reviewed my own copy of this book.
“No one will ever forget Ewe” on Ohio Sheep Day (July 14). No mata mata how hard we try on World Turtle Day (May 23).
These two holidays are just a taste of the wild and wacky – and real – holidays you should be celebrating.”
Why I liked this book – When I first heard about this book, I thought I would really love it… And I DID!!! This was an awesome book! The poems are top-notch, and the illustrations are awesome too! I love everything about it especially that the wacky poems are based on REAL holidays! This is a great way to celebrate National Poetry Month! J. Patrick Lewis is an AWESOME poet! And the fact that he’s Poet Laureate is even better! I also like that the rats show up on all the pages in the book no matter what the holiday is. I think all kids and adults will LOVE this book!**NOTE I reviewed my own copy of this book.
February 28, 2013
Acclaimed poet J. Patrick Lewis serves up 26 poems celebrating, of all things, strange holidays in honor of mules, rats, sloths, skunks, turtles, and even cephalopods. There's a poem "Chocolate-Covered Ants" honoring Chocolate-Covered Anything Day, which must be a day that is popular world-wide. The poet includes couplets and concrete poetry as well as his typical word play in some of the lines. My favorite one was "No one will ever forget Ewe" (p. 28. Yes, that's the title and the entire poem too. I wish there had been back matter telling a bit more about these holidays, but maybe the publishers thought the poems and the illustrations, created from inkwash and drawings and then digitally assembled, speak for themselves. Young readers will enjoy these simple but effective lines.
April 22, 2013
I think I laughed more while reading these poems than I have in a while. It’s such a clever book, filled with just what the title says, holidays never heard of. There is Dragon Appreciation Day, Jan. 16th. Here is found “Eight Table Manners for Dragons, among them, “Never remove a hare from your food.” On April 10th is Firefly Day, with my favorite, favorite image of fireflies: “electrified confetti”. Isn’t that beautiful? All through the year, J. Patrick Lewis has created new holidays, also including World Rat Day, Bulldogs Are Beautiful Day, and Pink Flamingo Day. The marvelous illustrations by Anna Raff add much to the poems, with small rat visitors on every page, no matter which holiday. I imagine this book will be read again and again!
July 23, 2013
World Rat Day by Children’s Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis is a collection of poems about bizarre holidays that really exist. The book begins with Happy Mew Year for Cats on January 2 and a poem entitled A Toast To My Cat. It continues chronologically through the year with holidays like Limerick Day on May 12 and two limericks penguins and grizzlies. Finally we get to December 16 and Chocolate-Covered Anything Day and a poem entitled Chocolate-Covered Ants.
Anna Raff’s ink wash illustrations add a touch of further humor to the animal poems featured through the year. A little more factual information about each holiday and the type of poem featured on each page would have made this book a real winner with students and teachers alike. All reviews favorable.
July 20, 2013
1. I'm marking Dec 16 (Eat Chocolate-Covered Anything Day) on my calendar!
2. This is a teacher/librarian's dream book: think of all the fun storytimes and zany plans you can make with such days as Dragon Appreciation Day (Jan 16), Worm Day (Mar 15), or Bulldogs are Beautiful Day (Apr 24).
3. Anna Raff's illustrations are lively, colorful, and great fun. They are stronger than Lewis's poetry.
4. The poems are funny, but some of them don't work for me. I've found this often with Lewis's collections: some are stellar and some are just sort of "enh."
5. That being said, this is a book kids will really enjoy--especially if they think poetry is boring. This book is most definitely NOT boring.
2. This is a teacher/librarian's dream book: think of all the fun storytimes and zany plans you can make with such days as Dragon Appreciation Day (Jan 16), Worm Day (Mar 15), or Bulldogs are Beautiful Day (Apr 24).
3. Anna Raff's illustrations are lively, colorful, and great fun. They are stronger than Lewis's poetry.
4. The poems are funny, but some of them don't work for me. I've found this often with Lewis's collections: some are stellar and some are just sort of "enh."
5. That being said, this is a book kids will really enjoy--especially if they think poetry is boring. This book is most definitely NOT boring.
December 3, 2019
Who knew there were so many animal related holidays?!?! J. Patrick Lewis takes us chronologically through the year and introduces us to quirky holidays throughout the year ranging from Dragon Appreciation Day (1/16) to National Skunk Day (Today!) to National Sloth Day (11/19). The poems range in types including concrete, but most are AB rhyming. The only thing I wish is there was a text box explaining the history of each holiday so we understood the holiday more instead of only having the poem as the reference; however, this could lend itself nicely into how to use it in the classroom. Read the poem, read a nonfiction article about the holiday, then write a story or some sort of variation.
April 3, 2013
I love that the poems are related to obscure holidays, for I enjoy knowing about random holidays. I actually knew of a few mentioned in this book--and was very happy that "Yell 'Fudge' at the Cobras in North America Day" was included. Some of the poems were great. Some were OK. Some I didn't get. Those are typical reactions for me in most poetry collections. Loved the illustrations in these. They added to the poems and I enjoyed seeing the rats antics on each page.
Definitely some poems in here worth sharing a laugh with others.
Definitely some poems in here worth sharing a laugh with others.
June 30, 2013
I struggled whether or not I could call this nonfiction since I found it in the easy children's fiction section of the library, but it does say that these holidays are real! Lewis makes us laugh with poems about crazy holidays such as "Bulldogs are Beautiful Day," "International Cephalopod Awareness Day," and "Chocolate-Covered Anything Day." Kids will love the word play and the rats that decorate the illustrations throughout. Funny poems and illustrations! It would be a lot of fun to celebrate these holidays throughout the school year!
October 8, 2013
World Rat Day: Poems About Real Holidays You’ve Never Heard Of is a small collection of poems geared for early elementary-aged children. Author J. Patrick Lewis uses comedic short poems with aide of illustrator Anna Raff. The pictures grasp the attention of a child and wanting them to keep reading the next poem. Each poem is of a fictional holiday and different animals such as flamingos, skunks, and hippos. Although not on the level of Shel Silverstein, this a delightful and fun read for a young elementary student beginning to read, and beginning to read poetry.
November 15, 2013
I read through the different poems and I really did not like the collection. I rather prefer poem of a story than a collection of poems. I thought some of the poems were inappropriate for young children and also the illustration was inappropriate. Some of the poems were hostel and cruel. The only poem I really liked was the poem called "A Bulldog Is". It described why you would not forget the face of a bulldog and why you would not want to leave him home by himself. I thought it was cute but that was all. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
May 11, 2014
I don't "get" what I'm not "getting" about this book. My 7 year old loved it, which baffled me. The reviews are fantastic, which baffles me. I just don't get it. I kept wondering for what purpose it would be appropriate. Do you ever read a book about a collection of real holidays that's funny and entertaining and well received? No? Me neither. That's how I felt about this one. Except that the holidays were made up. Why would that be better? Maybe I need to read it again on a different day because there's obviously something there that has eluded me.
April 15, 2014
Author J. Patrick Lewis invents a slew of new holidays in his book “World Rat Day.” One holiday included in the book is “Bulldogs are Beautiful Day.” He goes on to include a poem with each made-up holiday. He writes that a bulldog is… “A perfect lovely / Excuse for a pet / A face you remember / To never forget / and much more." Great pick to read to young poets or kids that would enjoy silly animal rhymes.
April 16, 2013
I read this to my 3rd graders yesterday and they loved it! Every time we hit a date that was close to their birthday, they excitedly shared the connection with the strange holiday. They appreciated the play on words in much of the poetry when a younger grade wouldn't understand the humor. After we finished the book, they created their own wacky holidays for different animals through poetry. A fun activity!
May 6, 2013
This celebration of some of the most obscure (and amusing) "days"- state, national, and world- offers Lewis an open invitation to write poems that are equally diverse and amusing. This serves as mentor text for a variety of figurative language, poetry forms, and word play. The illustrations create appeal for younger readers as well.
May 13, 2013
Children's Poet Laureate, J. Patrick Lewis, has created a fun-filled book of poems pertaining to seldom mentioned holidays such as World Rat Day, Cow Appreciation Day, and National Sloth Day. Colorful, imaginative illustrations ensure that students will pick this book up and smile while reading it.
October 2, 2013
I will definitely be celebrating "Chocolate-Covered Anything" Day from now on. How did I miss that one? LOL. These poems are amusing, but the word play may go straight over the heads of some children. I particularly like the table manners advice for dragons--"Don't blow on your soup. That only makes it hotter."
November 19, 2013
Have you ever heard of a holiday & asked yourself "who in the world would think there'd be a day dedicated to that?" Well, I have! "World Rat Day" is an adorable collection of poems about real holidays & celebrations that you'd never expect. Perfect for young readers, Lewis provides funny, rhyming poems that describe true holidays; no matter how odd they may seem.
May 29, 2019
I used this for 2nd Grade Reading Groups. Standard: Describe how words and phrases supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem or song (i.e. regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines)
Copy of a rhyming poem (Feb. 15 National Hippo Day) ask students, "What do you notice about the poem? It rhymes.
Copy of a rhyming poem (Feb. 15 National Hippo Day) ask students, "What do you notice about the poem? It rhymes.
March 24, 2013
Short poems related to holidays that celebrate animals. April 24 is "Bull Dogs are Beautiful Day," January 2 is "Happy New Year to Cats," or September 22 is "World Rhino Day." Lots fun with full color, double page illustrations to accompany each poem.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews