The Tighty Whitey Spider and More Wacky Poems I Totally Made Up

by Kenn Nesbitt

It's Official: Kids want more of Ken Nesbitt's sidesplitting poetry. They can't get enough of his clever wordplay, wonderful imagery, and zany rhymes!

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Juvenile

Paperback

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

Kenn Nesbitt is the author of several collections of funny poetry for kids, including Revenge of the Lunch Ladies, When the Teacher Isn't Looking, and The Aliens Have Landed at Our School! His poems have appeared many bestselling anthologies, including every book in the popular Kids Pick the Funniest Poems series, and anthologies from Scholastic with nearly 2 million copies in print. He is also the creator of the world's most popular children's poetry website on the Internet.

Reviews

[Mia Moeller · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO CUTE! This book has a great collection of funny and creative poems about various animals that keeps young readers engaged and entertained. Overall, this book would be great to incorporate into an elementary classroom. I would read a small poem at the beginning of the day to start the day with giggles and a great attitude.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all Kenn Nesbitt, this collection is super silly. My kids love its absurdity. The poetry isn't too bad either.

[Relyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Used for my annual poetry scavenger hunt during my super awesome poetry unit. If I recall correctly, this one cracked up my boys.

[Mary T · Rating 4 out of 5]

We’ve been reading a few of these before bedtime. I wish there were illustrations for every poem. I’d put Kenn up there with Jack (Prelutsky) but not quite Shel (Silverstein).

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A plethora of poems created by a recent Poet Laureate. Using a link inside the book, readers can listen to the author read or sing some of the poems.

[Mia Higginbotham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute and run read. Kids would really enjoy this as long as they have a sense of humor.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been slowly reading this aloud to my kids, either snuggled in bed in the morning or sitting at the park. These poems are cute, with fun rhymes, and they’re funny! My son called it the “silly animal poems book!”

Because it’s poems, it’s easy to pick up and put down again. Adults alike will get a chuckle out of these poems! We’ve already started another of his poetry books!

[Cindy Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just in time for National Poetry Month, beloved children’s poet Kenn Nesbitt has a new collection of poems called The Tighty Whitey Spider and More Wacky Animal Poems I Totally Made Up. Perfect to read out loud with your son or daughter, these poems will have you both giggling about the silly antics Nesbitt’s animals get up to.

I couldn’t resist such playful titles as “My Kitten Won’t Stop Talking,” “My Chicken’s on the Internet” and “Beavers in the Bathroom.” Nesbitt often ends each poem with a play on words that’s sure to appeal to younger readers. Ethan Long’s illustrations are fun to look at, too. The expressions on his animal faces match the action in each poem perfectly. I particularly liked his smug-looking flying pigs and grim-faced goldfish in a military-style tank.

Readers can also download companion audio tracks of Nesbitt reading quite a few of the poems himself. It’s quite a treat to listen to Nesbitt read while you follow along with the words and illustrations in the book. Instructions for downloading the tracks, which can be played in iTunes, Windows Media Player, Quick Time, and any other player that supports mp3 files, are included at the beginning of The Tighty Whitey Spider.

You can also check out Nesbitt’s great poetry website, http://www.poetry4kids.com. And Nesbitt’s collection called My Hippo Has the Hiccups is available for a free download or viewing online with audio tracks.

The Tighty Whitey Spider is exactly the kind of book my daughter would have loved when she was in elementary school. I can’t think of a better way to help younger children develop an early appreciation for poetry than reading Nesbitt’s poems.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorous poems for kids. Most were very cute.

[Genee121 · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a title like “THE TIGHTY WHITEY SPIDER: And More Wacky Animal Poems I Totally Made Up,” I expected this book to be infinitely amusing and extremely crazy. Guess What? I was right! Author, Ken Nesbitt does a wonderful job in writing these poems for children. This is a fun crazy collection of poems with puns and twist in the final line or two. It would be fun for teachers to read some out loud to students then have them listen to the remainder and try to guess the twist. This book is guaranteed to turn a frown right side up. The pages are filled with an assortment of laugh out loud, and at times tongue-twisting fun. Some of the poems are short and simple, others are much longer, but all tell some type of story. Some of the pages are marked with a "headphone" symbol. If you go to the website listed at the beginning of the book, you can download free audio tracks of author Ken Nesbitt either reading or singing those poems. This would also be a great in class activity with students. Then engage in conversations about what was heard. A few of my favorites from this book are “My Kitten Won’t Stop Talking,” “The Tighty Whitey Spider” and “My Hamster Has a Skateboard.” I can’t recommend this book enough for both adults and children. The illustrations are adorable, fun, and engaging.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tighty Whitey Spider is quite possibly one of the cutest poetry book I have ever seen for kids. Almost every poem has an adorable illustration to go along with the poem, which will undoubtedly help keep your child's attention. In addition, some of these poems are downright hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud on a number of these poems.

If the hilarious poems and adorable illustrations were not enough, there is also a free audio download available. In this audio, readers can listen along as the author reads (and even sings) some of the poems. I took a few minutes to listen to the audio, and have to say that it is a great accompaniment to the novel. The Tighty Whitey Spider would be a great addition to any parent's library who is wanting to introduce poetry to their younger children or expand on their relationship with poetry.

[Kris Dinnison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of hilarious animal poems is a riot! The title poem has just four short but unforgettable lines and is sung to the tune of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" : "The tightey whitey spider went down the water slide/Got a water wedgie halfway down the ride./Jumped up and screamed and ran around in pain./Now the tightey whitey spider will not do that again." You get the idea. Nesbitt includes poems about baboon, squids, yaks, slugs, and even skydiving elephants.

http://scribbleandhum.blogspot.com/20...

[Ben Styer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently finished a funny book, The Tighty Whighty Spider: And More Wacky Animal Poems I Totally Made Up by Kenn Nesbitt. There are many funny and wacky animal peoms in this book. The best part of this book is the humor and the illustrations. I liked the book because it made me laugh and I enjoyed the poems about the animals. If you are an animal lover or like poems, this book is for you.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Lately I've really missed reading bedtime stories to Jared (he's 9 going on 13). Then I found this at the library and family poetry night was born. We took turns choosing and reading aloud these silly poems. Some are set to tunes like take me out to the ball game and so there was singing too. Jared laughed and Ryan laughed and I laughed. My personal favorites are Tighty Whitey Spider and Ferret Soccer (sung to the tune of Frére Jacques). "ferret soccer ferret soccer.....").

[Jessie Jang · Rating 4 out of 5]

i Have To Write A Poem
I thought this poem was funny because of the lines. Also I like the rhyme scheme of the poems. Also at end when the poem ends with as soon as I learn how and the character had all these ideas but did know how to write a poem.
Learning Experience
Have children to come up with ideas for a poem and as a class make a poem.

[Laura Salas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever! Not my usual cup of tea, but really fun. Almost every poem has a pun/twist in the final line or two. It would be fun for a teacher or media specialist to read a few and then ask kids to listen to most of a poem and then try to guess the twist.

[Anne Newell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great poems about animals. Very entertaining to read to the class. This type of book should get students interested in poetry. Poems about dogs and kittens and birds. Cute pictures and the poems are set to familiar tunes so that students can sing the poems.

[Joella · Rating 5 out of 5]

"From the Ants in Our Petunia Bed" is my favorite. And I love listening to the author read them from the website. So funny!

[Ana Fairchild · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Kids get excited about creating their own poetry. Kenn gets kids interested in reading and writing poetry.

[Gregandemy · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great book that makes kids love poetry. very funny, witty poems that were enjoyable for all of us to read together. Can't wait to check out more of his books

[Thia]

poetry

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful collection of fun poetry that kids will love!

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

very entertaining! A new Shel Silverstein

[Mrs. Ruigrok · Rating 5 out of 5]

This super fun collection of poetry will be loved by children of all ages. You can even download a free audio online with the purchase of the book. Fun!

[Keziah · Rating 4 out of 5]

(poetry) These poems are tons of fun! My kids love Kenn Nesbitt!

[Lis · Rating 4 out of 5]

These were all very silly, but fun. Really enjoyed the humor of them.

[A.E.M. A.E.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids adore this book, and so do I! This is one I'll want for our home library.

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the poems. Funny and very imaginative with broad use of animals.