The Ice Cream Store

by Dennis Lee, David McPhail (Illustrator)

A collection of poems delving into the imaginative world of children addresses the concerns and curiosities of children--from digging holes, to foreign lands, to finding the perfect pet.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens

64 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Dennis Beynon Lee, OC, MA is a Canadian poet and thinker who lives in Toronto, Ontario. He is also a children's writer.

After attending high school at the University of Toronto Schools, Lee received bachelor's and master's degrees in English from the University of Toronto. He is best known for his children's writings; his most famous work is the rhymed Alligator Pie (1974). He also wrote the lyrics to the theme song of the 1980s television show Fraggle Rock and, with Philip Balsam, many of the other songs for that show. Balsam and Lee also wrote the songs for the television special The Tale of the Bunny Picnic. Lee is co-writer of the story for the film Labyrinth.

Reviews

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This bright and colorful book was one of the first poetry books that I had as a child. Although the book is big and awkward to hold for small hands, it is one that will be an enjoyable experience whether one is looking at the pictures or even reading the poems themselves, which are all silly poems thus some reading help may be needed by beginning readers for a bit harder words.

I am not a fan of most silly poems to begin with but the illustrations for the most part also tell their own stories of a group of neighborhood children who are friends with each other. They have their own wild dreams, fun and even lessons that are shared across the board. And then w their separate ways as they move home. The beautiful illustrations are what have stayed with me so much longer than the writing.

This is a good book to start your children off onto poetry or if you are truly a fan of silly poetry yourself. Otherwise it can be a quick and easy read.

[Child960801 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dennis Lee's verses are full of rhyme and silliness. The focus is on sounds and not necessarily content. The children love them. And David McPhail's pictures add delightful interpretations of the poems. This book is good for different ages; there is lots of light hearted fun for everyone.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Not great.

I think there was maybe one poem I liked in here. The rest were either too boring, too repetitive, or too outdated. Microaggressions abound. The age of this book may be causing many of its problems; such a thing would probably not be published today.

Aside from the problematic content (like the very first poem that compares children of different races to ice cream flavours), many of the poems are just weak. A few attempts at rhyme fall flat. "Canary" doesn't rhyme with "Kalahari", for example. Nor does "Maine" rhyme with "Spokane". As a result, some of the rhymes seem forced. The meter isn't all that consistent, either. You think you're reading something like a limerick, and right in the middle it'll change. I don't like that.

I read Alligator Pie a few years ago, and I think I probably enjoyed that one more. This one is just so full of cringe-worthy moments equating certain nationalities with negative traits that I can't really recommend it to today's audience.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the poems are cute, but some are just silly

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

My 6 year old granddaughter loved this book. She said it was silly and it made her laugh. We read it twice

[Cws]

JE-Lee

[Anne Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Use with poetry unit.

[Jill CD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun poems with bright illustrations. Good for poetry lovers or introducing poetry to younger students.

[Donna Bausch]

Cute poetry book for kids. Adorable illustrations and also teaches children manners in a few of the poems...such as Mabel where it says "keep your hooves off the table and do not whinny any more."