Technically, It's Not My Fault: Concrete Poems

by John Grandits

An eleven-year-old boy named Robert voices typical—and not so typical—middle-grade concerns in this unique, memorable collection of hilarious poems. His musings cover the usual stuff, like pizza, homework, thank-you notes, and his annoying older sister. In addition, he speculates about professional wrestling for animals, wonders why no one makes scratch-and-sniff fart stickers, designs the ultimate roller coaster (complete with poisonous spiders), and deconstructs the origins of a new word, snarpy. A playful layout and ingenious graphics extend the wry humor that is sure to resonate with readers of all ages.

Genres: Poetry, Young Adult, Humor, Childrens, Middle Grade, Juvenile, Family

48 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2004

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

They are called 'Concrete Poems'. My own term, or the way I think of them, is as sculpted verse, words used to create a visual figure on a page.

This lively collection purports to be those from the lively imagination of an 11-year old boy. They are quite believable; I could envision giving this to a young man who insisted he 'hates to read' or has to be dragged from his latest tech-toy.

The cover poem is Robert's explanation for how and why there is a concrete block sticking out of the roof of the car. He has been reading about Galileo and doing scientific experiments on gravity, so there is some REAL merit here, hence the title: Technically, It's Not My Fault. (Note: given the (non)reasoning patterns of the age group, parents and grandparents might want to secure all vehicles under cover before handing this book to any budding Newtonians.)

Then there is the poem in the shape of pizza which explains why the family ended up with a plain pizza; a picture of his cast with signatures detailing how it came to be; a skateboard scenario; his thank you note to Aunt Hildegard with footnotes (explaining his real thoughts) + many more.

All in all a fun read.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concrete poems are usually a hit with middle schoolers, so a book of concrete poems written from the perspective of a middle school boy piqued my interest.

The inner workings of the middle school mind is revealed in poems like the thank you note written with footnotes, the sleepover conversation, and the plain pizza.

Robert’s brain swirls showing all of his thoughts even though he says he’s thinking about nothing. He has fun with his overly critical social studies teacher by speaking backwards. He sees the hungry bus eating up children like a TyrannosaurBus Rex.

The illustrations compliment the arrangement of the various words in these concrete poems. Likewise, the use of red as the highlight color with black text effectively draws the reader’s attention to starting or ending points or points Robert wants to emphasize. At the end of the book, there is a list of the various fonts used to create these poems.

If you’re looking for a poetry book to help inspire young writers, add this one to the pile. The variety of shapes and topics explored make poetry incredibly accessible for any middle schooler. Even reluctant writers should find humor here and ideas for writing and sharing their own perspective.

[Crystal Navarro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow what a fun little collection of poems! I almost like this- almost- as much Hate That Cat and Love That Dog, which are two very wonderful free verse poetry books.

The thing that I loved the most about this little book of poetry (and here you will see my education background start to pop out) is the fact that this book is interactive. You have to twist it and turn it around in order to read all the lines as the poetry literally flows around the pages. The content is funny and would be a great opening act for a unit on poetry-- especially for young boys around middle school age you may have trouble getting excited about poems. What middle aged kid doesn't find a poem about farting funny? Or one about pizza?

The use of poetry both verbally and visual adds an entirely new layer to what may seem daunting to many children; the fact the poems don't rhyme but have a literal life of their own-- jumping off the pages, moving around in loops, decorated with doodles-- makes them more connectable.

The best part is that the final poem of the book offers a perfect metaphor for poetry. It would be great for any unit on writing-- about how it starts a plan, like building a house, each word being a brick and your content the mortar. You have to build it and stick it together, and in the end you have something that others can go into-- and that you can express yourself out of. I would definitely use this in my classroom (if I had one).

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat book of creative and humorous concrete poems--sort of like if Shel Silverstein were a graphic design major, only with less rhyming. My sixth grade students would have loved it. In many of the poems, you have to turn the book in order to follow the lines of poetry through twisting shapes. For an adult reader, though, I think it loses a bit of its charm. The autobiography of a fart just doesn't tickle my funnybone much anymore.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a highly enjoyable, unique book of poems. Through humorous concrete poetry, the author allows us to see into the world of a fictional 11-year-old boy. Each poem poses a creative way of looking at a situation—especially according to an 11-year-old boy. My favorite has to be “The Autobiography of Murray the Fart.” Using only a drawing of the outline of a cylindrical shape (which can be interpreted as a can of soda) and the arrangement of the words, Mr. Grandits is able to convey the journey of an air bubble going through a can of Coke, up a straw, through the boy himself and expelled out into the air as flatulence. I’m sure that many children will find this quite hilarious and adults and children alike will probably never look at a can of soda in the same way again.

This book can show students that poetry does not have to be stuffy and boring; it can be innovative and creative. Words can be arranged on a page to get the reader to see situations in unique ways. Various fonts, sizes, and changes in color can help convey when another speaker is talking. In the case of, “Just Mow the Lawn,” the picture made up of words helps to bring home Robert’s excuse for why he can’t cut the grass. The poem seems very brief, only consists of the title, “Just Mow the Lawn,” followed by three lines of text:
“It doesn’t hurt the lawn when you mow it, Robert.
It’s just grass.
And that’s the lamest excuse you’ve come up with yet.”
Then there is a picture made up purely of words. At the left and right sides of the page there are vertical lines of text forming what look like groups of blades of grass, made up of the word “grass,” with the font getting smaller and smaller until they taper off. In between these groups of “grass” is a block of three words also arranged vertically repeated fourteen times made up of the single word, “ouch.” The title and lines of text are in red. The words of the poem-picture are in black. The colors along with the tone of the sentences at the top made me interpret this as the parent refusing Robert’s reason as to why he can’t do this chore, and Robert’s excuse is the imagery conveyed in the picture-poem part. This poem makes me imagine a Jason Foxtrot-type boy (of the Foxtrot family comic strip) trying to make up wild excuses as to why he cannot cut the grass. I can just see him reluctantly doing the chore, as he makes commentary on behalf of the tortured grass.

[Jordon Worley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically, It's Not My Fault is a wonderful poetry book for children. These are some of the most creative poems I have ever read. The poems are written in a way that illustrates the text. For instance, in the poem "Skateboard," the text goes down as the skateboard goes down. The text also wraps around into a figure eight as the author describes the skateboard going around in a figure eight. I think that children would love reading this book of poetry because it shows that poetry does not have to be boring. I would recommend this book for 4th or 5th graders for a couple of reasons. One reason is that younger students are just beginning to master directionality when reading and writing. The fact that these poems are written all over the page might be hard for them to comprehend. Second, many of the poems in this book do not rhyme. I feel as though younger students like to read poems that rhyme because it holds their attention. However, older students can expand their knowledge of poetry by looking at the variety of ways it can be written. The illustrations within this book are very simple. Many of them are hand drawn while others appear to be computer generated. All of the illustrations work well with the poems. Even if a student is having difficulty understand the poem, they can gather a lot of information simply by looking at the picture or the way in which the poem is written. As a teacher, I would use some poems in this book to introduce a poetry unit. After showing some of the poems to students they will be less intimidated. I would also have them create their own poems in hopes of motivating them to do creative writing.

[Aliah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended for grades 4 -6 , award winning author and illustrator, John Grandits’s series of concrete poems in “Technically, It’s Not My Fault”, will keep you laughing with its humorous wordplay and corky appeal. The text layout is stunning and highly engaging. The words seem to take on a world of their own. Told through the perspective of an adolescent boy, children have total access to this text which is reinforced in illustration. Poems topics include his older sister, the school bus (dubbed Tyrannosaur Bus Rex), ordering pizza for dinner, mowing the lawn and much, much more. No matter the student's preferred learning style, everyone should enjoy exploring this form of poetry where the arrangement of the letters, words, and the layout of the lines is such that the meaning is enhanced by the visual design. This text is sure to inspire students to find their own poetic voices.

[Dora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Booklist calls this title "winning, highly creative collection" that also serves the purpose to "convince readers that poetry can be loud, outrageous, gross fun".

I couldn't agree more! "Technically, It's Not My Fault" is a collection of concrete poems from the perspective of a middle school student. Like most concrete poems, the poet uses the language and the placement of words to convey a message. In this case, John Grandits uses it to portray humor in the daily life of a growing adolescent. The poems are not only humorous, but the text structure is playful, which distances this text from a 'traditional' read. Great use as a recommendation for a student and mentor text for poetry units. Recommended for grades 4/5 and up.

[Ch_13catherinecooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically, It's Not my Fault is a fantastic book for middle and high school students (potentially some elementary students also). It provides a collection of poetry (some humorous, serious or informational) in a variety of formats. For example, a poem entitled, "My Stupid Day" the poem is written in a circle around the page in the shape of a clock--with the poem describing what the person does throughout the day. In another example, a poem entitled, "How We Ended Up With A Strange Pizza", the poem is written on pizza slices.

This is an excellent way to show students how to write concrete poems, and it also is a great way to show students that poems don't have to be just verses on the page. This book is a delight to read and would make a great addition to the classroom!

[Abby Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of concrete poems stars Robert, a seventh-grade boy, as he goes through his school day, plays basketball and baseball, smashes the car with a concrete block, farts, gets a present from his aunt, and much, much more.

Thumbs up. Cool poems that are unusual enough for kids to want to look at them and relevant enough for kids to identify with.

[Ruby Locken · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was short but I enjoyable it reminded at took me back to being a little kid and reading picture books which was a nice break from all the current books I’m reading. This book and great humor and it was very unique. If you like to like to laugh I would defiantly recommend that you read this book.

[Michael Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parody and poetry, two of my favorites jammed together into a delicious sandwich of words containing just the right amount of peanut butter.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author uses several metaphors and similes in his poems while still being very simplistic in his writing. The “shape” of each poem helps readers to visually “see” what the poem does not say in words. The use of these together helps to create a better understanding of the poem’s meaning for younger or reluctant readers. The poems are written in free verse with some of them being only three lines long. The poems presented in this book are used to humor people and make them laugh. The author uses sarcasm, slapstick, sick jokes, joke –riddles, and grossness to interest the intended audience, which is the criteria for humor for children, ages ten to fourteen. Due to the concrete style of the poems, it is very easy for readers to interpret literally and emotionally without any help.
I would recommend this book to readers of all ages. The concrete style in which the book is written adds to the content making it fun and visual. Reluctant readers will enjoy this book because it is not a typical story in which you have to read from left to right. Readers are engaged in the book, twisting and turning the book this way and that just to read Robert’s thoughts. The content of the book is very accurate to the thoughts of children at this age. There are not any instances of expletive language, sex, or violence. The worst that the book discusses, is throwing up, farts, and talk of dead animals.
Educators can use this book in the classroom to liven things up. It is always fun to bring humor into the classroom when class gets a little tedious. Students will enjoy discussing the poems as well as the style of the poems. Teachers can then use this book the challenge students to create their own shape poems.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concrete aspect is merely a bonus, as the words themselves convey excellent personality and voice. Each poem is a brief vignette from the life of eleven-year-old Robert, a peek inside his head. He's clever, sardonic, and snarky, someone who feels very real and familiar. His poems are expressions of his cleverness, sardonicism, and snarkiness.

Like the "TyrannosaurBus Rex," that:

Early in the morning, I spy
a group of small human children
standing on the corner of Elm and Spring.
I slam on my brakes.
I open my mouth.
"Come in, little children," I say.
They don't want to, but they must.
Their parents have delivered them to me.
Human sacrifices.

. . .

I go to the
school parking lot.
I open my mouth
and barf out my noisy,
jumping,
giggling,
laughing,
arguing
breakfast. . . .

Or "The Thank-You Letter (with Footnotes)" that thanks his aunt for the "amazing gifts" in the letter, then asks "Do you have the slightest clue what an 11-year-old boy likes?" in one of the 19 footnotes.

The concrete form expresses the content with the same cleverness, dancing across the page in various ways depending on what is being represented. It's hard (in a good way) to even think of these as poems, as they come across more as graphic representations of thoughts.

It's a quick read that I enjoyed greatly, and I'm already thinking of ways to share it with others.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my selection for my poetry book. This was a collection of concrete poems all about the life of a boy named Robert, who finds himself in so many stereotypical boy situations. There are poems not just about ituations but also about things he enjoys such as basketball. This was such an enjoyable and hilarious book. I think I laughed while reading every single one of the poems that were written in this book. My favorite poem was "The Thank You Letter",which included footnotes. I thought this was so funny, because when I have to write a thank you not for an item that I do not particularly care for, I would love to include footnotes, but I do not. I think both boys and girls would get a real kick out of this book. I would use it in a poetry unit, to teach specifically concrete poems. This would be a good book for 3rd to 5th grades. The book is all in black and white, and was very visually stimulating because of the poems being turned into pictures of what the poem is about.

[Teresa Scherping Moulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are not your average poems. Each one may tell a story in the life of 11-year-old Robert, but you've probably never seen a poem document a TyrannosaurBus Rex or the autobiography of a fart. You've also probably never seen poems spread across the page to look like an octopus fighting a boa constrictor or the coolest roller coaster ever invented. These concrete poems are perfect for any kid who loves a good laugh and mistakenly thinks that poetry isn't for them.

As poetry books go, this is a pretty easy sell. It's funny, creative, and breaks all the rules. It would probably also be great inspiration for concrete poems of your own. This book really shows that a poem can look like and be about anything you can think of.

I would recommend this book for grades 3-5, especially fans of humor, art, and kids who think poems are boring. I haven't read it, but one book that appears to be a good readalike is Ode to a Commode: Concrete Poems by Brian P. Cleary.

[Catherine Toca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is incredibly clever and fun to read!

The book is comprised of fun concrete poems. The poems are geared towards older elementary school and middle school kids. The subject matter is fun for them to read and relevant to their lives. Although there are no illustrations in the book, the idea behind concrete poetry is that the poems themselves makeup the drawings.

For example, the poem in the book entitled "How We Ended Up With a Plain Pizza" is written in the shape of a pizza, complete with crust. This is an exciting new way for kids to get into poetry so that it's more dynamic and not as straight-forward. The words make up the poems and the pictures, making this different from the normal poetry kids are exposed to.

This is a great book for children who aren't very interested in poetry. It's more eye-catching and the subject matter is more relatable, making poetry more accessible to all ages.

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

3/15 - This looks cool because it is by the fictional little brother of the high school girl who "wrote" Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems. I loved that book but it was pretty much a high school read. This one might be good for middle schoolers since the main character is a middle schooler. We shall see...

3/21 - Finished it today and I was right! This is perfect for middle school and younger. My 10 year old laughed at a few of them (Autobiography of a Fart and the gravestone for the pet whose "insides came out of its butt"). There was even a little poem at the end about how words can build a poem. I intend to copy that one and distribute it to the English teachers at my school. It would be a great teaching tool.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any book that has a poem called “The Autobiography of Murray the Fart” is going to make kids laugh and want to read more. These poems are all told from the point of view of Robert, an 11 year old boy who is clever but bored. “Technically, it’s not Robert’s fault that a concrete block fell on the car or that his sister’s homework got blown to smithereens. Really, he doesn’t try to cause trouble. He’s just an ordinary kid who likes pizza and sports and computer games.” Grandits creates visually engaging, hilarious concrete poems – shape poems that combine words, ideas, type and art to make pictures. But it’s Grandits’ humor and understanding of real kids that will make readers laugh about the most ordinary things. This accessible, goofy collection shows how you can bend and twist language to create meaning in new ways.

[Courtney Harden · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Grandits, John Technically, It's Not My Fault: Concrete Poems


This is a Poetry book about the narrator's magnificent curiosity that can get him into a bit of trouble. It is a book that will keep the interest of students in 4-8 grades. They will be able to enjoy how they relate to the book. Along will that students will be learning about poetry and how it is and expression through writing. I can see this being used in the classroom with the During Reading strategy Rereading(Beers, pg. 110). Students should pick a poem out of the book and reread and record/rate each time using the example from Figure 7.4 (Beers, pg. 115). The students could write down what they differently each reread or what they understood this time they read versus the last time. This book is fun and great to work with.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

when I started reading this book I was confused because of the twists and turns. But after a couple pages I got used to loops by turning the book around and around. my favorite poem in the book was tyrannosaurBus Rex. it was my favorite because of the way they made a every day non living thing into a living monster eating kids then describing what was going on then throwing up. 10 out of 10 would read again XD.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book of concrete poetry. My favorite poem is "DRAWKCAB" ("backward" spelled backward!). I cracked up at the part when the teacher asked the kid if he was having a seizure. So genuinely funny. The other poems in the book were entertaining, too. This is an awesome way to teach kids about this form of poetry.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are some great concrete poems. All of them can stand alone, but they are about a kid "Robert" so you end up getting a pretty nice picture of this eleven year old. They are all really funny. Poems about basketball, mowing the grass, baseball, farts, and even Rapunzel. A great collection that I want to own.

[Daleb. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting stories, poems, thoughts, etc. about/by/from a pre teen boys perspective!
I thought a few of these could have been written by my 13 yr old nephew Andrew.
Gross as it was i think my favorite one was the TyrannosaurBus Rex. And the "What are you thinking about Robert?" & "The thank-you letter w/footnotes" were hillarious also
xoDaleB.xo

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly imaginative collection of concrete poems follows Robert through the thoughts and interests of an 11 year old boy, my favorite being a thank you letter complete with snarky footnotes. Predecessor to Blue Lipstick, which tells the story of Robert's sister through her own style of concrete poetry.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert's story is told in the form of concrete poetry: a type of poetry that is physically written in the form of the story. The poem "Robert's Four At-Bats" is a perfect example. The first line of the poem is written in a box, the shape of a baseball diamond. Each time Robert is up to bat, the line of poetry describing how that ball was hit is in the arc that particular ball took. Fabulous!!!

[Brian H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although "Blue Lipstick" (a girls' version of this book) is much better, this book is still enjoyable and has fewer taboos. Thematically, while "Blue Lipstick" was more poignant, this book is more light-hearted and fun. I only found two taboos: (1) Robert talks about a boy showing off a pack of cigarettes, and (2) Robert uses fireworks in one poem.

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a creative collection of poetry. The author uses words to create a picture as well as a poem. For instance, The Skateboard follows the up, down, and curves one would make while riding a skateboard. It forces you to move the book in all kinds of directions to read the text - incredibly clever! Also, the poems are quite funny in nature. A great find!

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't like this one as much as I like Blue Lipstick (which is concrete poems from the POV of Robert's teenage sister), but that could be because I don't relate to an 11-year-old boy as much as I do to a teenage girl, having been one once myself. Still, this book is cool; I love the idea of concrete poems and Grandits does a great job showing us the inside of an 11-year-old boy's head.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The poems in this book were creatively shaped and my students would probably get some enjoyment from this one, but the story lacked a cohesive theme and there was just a bit too much rude and immature humor here for me.

Interest Level: Grades 6 - 8
Grade Level Equivalent: 3.5
Guided Reading: Q
Genre: Poetry and Rhymes