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Oh, Grow Up!: Poems to Help You Survive Parents, Chores, School, and Other Afflictions
A zany collection of poetry about the trials and tribulations of a youngster's life explains how to cope with parents, chores, the class bully, older sisters and younger brothers, the school cafeteria, braces, and more.
- GenresPoetryPicture Books
32 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1996
5 people want to read
About the author
Florence Parry Heide
132 books40 followers"What do I like about writing for children? Everything," says Florence Parry Heide, the award-winning author of more than sixty children’s books, including the classic THE SHRINKING OF TREEHORN, illustrated by Edward Gorey. "I like the connection with children," the author says. "I like the connection with all kinds of book people. And I like the connection with my childhood self, which is the most of me. It is the most welcome and familiar of worlds. There miracles abound--indeed it is magical that something I might think of can be put into words, stories, ideas, and that those words end up in the heads of readers I will never meet."
Florence Parry Heide wrote SOME THINGS ARE SCARY, a humorous look at childhood bugaboos, more than thirty years ago. "I had finished another book and was in the mood to write something else," she says. "I decided to get some kindling from the garage, reached into the kindling box and--good grief!--grabbed something soft and mushy. I fled back to the house, scared to death." A brave return visit to the kindling box revealed the object of terror to be nothing more than a discarded wet sponge, but the thought remained: some things are scary. As she recalls, "What scared me as a child was that I’d never learn how to be a real grownup--and the fact is, I never did find out how it goes."
One thing Florence Parry Heide does have a good handle on is the concept of friendship, in all its humorous manifestations. THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR, a tongue-in-cheek tale cowritten with Sylvia Van Clief in 1967, pokes at the tendency of well-meaning friends to offer advice instead of help, and presents a valuable lesson about what true friendship means. "One of my many (true) sayings is ‘A new friend is around the corner of every single day,’ " the author declares. "Also true: Friendships last. And last."
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Florence Parry Heide worked in advertising and public relations in New York City before returning to Pittsburgh during World War II. After the war, she and her husband moved to Wisconsin, where they raised five children, two of whom have cowritten critically acclaimed books with their mother. Florence Parry Heide now lives in Wisconsin.
Florence Parry Heide wrote SOME THINGS ARE SCARY, a humorous look at childhood bugaboos, more than thirty years ago. "I had finished another book and was in the mood to write something else," she says. "I decided to get some kindling from the garage, reached into the kindling box and--good grief!--grabbed something soft and mushy. I fled back to the house, scared to death." A brave return visit to the kindling box revealed the object of terror to be nothing more than a discarded wet sponge, but the thought remained: some things are scary. As she recalls, "What scared me as a child was that I’d never learn how to be a real grownup--and the fact is, I never did find out how it goes."
One thing Florence Parry Heide does have a good handle on is the concept of friendship, in all its humorous manifestations. THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR, a tongue-in-cheek tale cowritten with Sylvia Van Clief in 1967, pokes at the tendency of well-meaning friends to offer advice instead of help, and presents a valuable lesson about what true friendship means. "One of my many (true) sayings is ‘A new friend is around the corner of every single day,’ " the author declares. "Also true: Friendships last. And last."
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Florence Parry Heide worked in advertising and public relations in New York City before returning to Pittsburgh during World War II. After the war, she and her husband moved to Wisconsin, where they raised five children, two of whom have cowritten critically acclaimed books with their mother. Florence Parry Heide now lives in Wisconsin.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 24, 2015
I think this book is full of cute poems that I could just picture most of my students think the same thing as, the kids in the poems. I think this is a great book to have to help students who are struggling with some of the topics in the book. It will show them that the situation is not all that bad and that they can get though it. I think this is a book for the classroom library. Or use when we are talking about families in a unit.
March 4, 2015
These poems were about the little everyday things that happen to children while they are growing up. They talk about the little l=things like going to bed, cleaning their room, doing the dishes, or even eating dinner the proper way. These are funny short poems that can make children see that doing every day task at home doesn't have to be the end of the world.
February 21, 2016
I think this book is really good for kids. The poems in it cover different topics like family, school, and chores, all of which are topics that kids can easily relate to. The poems are funny and easy to understand. I think these poems are ones that kids would actually enjoy reading.
December 30, 2014
I'd've loved this when I was a kid. Now I'm the one giving chores and advice to my little brothers. Definitely reading it to the Tweedledums as a bedtime story!
April 10, 2015
This book is relatable for young readers; a charming way to learn to love poetry.
March 2, 2015
This is a silly book composed with poems about growing up! It highlights the day to day activities that happen when getting older.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews