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Oops!
Find your funny bone and grab your giggles!
You're about to embark on an adventure through the hilarious landscape created by ALAN KATZ and EDWARD KOREN.
From the kingdom of His Royal Sloppiness (also known as the prince of fingerprints) to the trouble-ridden Pencil-vania, this is a world of hallway hijinks, show-and-smell, clean-freak parents, dentist dilemmas, bothersome brothers, and sinister sisters. If you are a kid, or you know a kid, or if you ever were a kid, this is a poetry collection to cherish (but wipe your hands first!).
You're about to embark on an adventure through the hilarious landscape created by ALAN KATZ and EDWARD KOREN.
From the kingdom of His Royal Sloppiness (also known as the prince of fingerprints) to the trouble-ridden Pencil-vania, this is a world of hallway hijinks, show-and-smell, clean-freak parents, dentist dilemmas, bothersome brothers, and sinister sisters. If you are a kid, or you know a kid, or if you ever were a kid, this is a poetry collection to cherish (but wipe your hands first!).
176 pages, Hardcover
First published March 4, 2008
2 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
June 24, 2020
We thoroughly enjoyed reading this one as a family! It was a great “Dad book.” He loved reading the silly poems and chuckling. The kids all agreed it was a five-star book. A few dated things in here-like video tapes, may need explanations. It may be a fun time to take a walk down memory lane.
February 5, 2018
This was a book full of fun poems for "kids" of all ages. Black and white drawings for most of the poems. Silly titles and subjects, some rhyming and others not.
November 26, 2018
5/5
2008
Poetry
Read aloud to younger grades- primarily upper elementary
This book is a must have for the classroom, it’s full of short, funny and catchy poems to keep you reading more!
This book is full of poems that are based around “oops” moments, and just spot on funny encounters! I really enjoyed several, and I could definitely tie some into class lessons as an opener for the activity.
I would even consider reading a couple for the start of the day or at the beginning of reading time. I recommend keeping it on your class bookshelf!!
2008
Poetry
Read aloud to younger grades- primarily upper elementary
This book is a must have for the classroom, it’s full of short, funny and catchy poems to keep you reading more!
This book is full of poems that are based around “oops” moments, and just spot on funny encounters! I really enjoyed several, and I could definitely tie some into class lessons as an opener for the activity.
I would even consider reading a couple for the start of the day or at the beginning of reading time. I recommend keeping it on your class bookshelf!!
Read
January 20, 2024I'm gathering a bunch of poetry books to use for my Poetry Tea Time at co-op. I'd never heard of Alan Katz, but this is a humorous book along the lines of Shel Silvestein or Jack Prelutsky. The poems were short and funny, just the type of poetry I was looking for to get the kids interested. I certainly didn't mean to read the whole thing, but the poems were short and I just kept going. Illustrations were ok, again like Silverstein. I prefer more colorful illustrations. I will wait to rate the book as I'd like to see how the kids like it.
November 19, 2018
Poetry
All grade reading level
I thought this book was really funny. I enjoyed all the many pins and humor that was brought up in this book. I thought that some of the jokes might be a little inappropriate for the younger ages, but they also might not catch on to it anyways. When I was reading this book I thought of a student I have observed before that really likes joke books and I think he would absolutely love this book. I think that this book could get students who enjoy humor into poetry.
All grade reading level
I thought this book was really funny. I enjoyed all the many pins and humor that was brought up in this book. I thought that some of the jokes might be a little inappropriate for the younger ages, but they also might not catch on to it anyways. When I was reading this book I thought of a student I have observed before that really likes joke books and I think he would absolutely love this book. I think that this book could get students who enjoy humor into poetry.
September 28, 2022
So many cute poems in here! Wes was grumpy over it, saying they’re too cutesy, but that makes sense. He’s a tween who’s way too cool for these kinda poems. I look forward to recommending it to my younger students!
March 12, 2019
Cute, silly poetry, great for upper elementary or lower middle school. A nice companion to Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky.
April 16, 2019
Laughed out loud...wish I had another star!
January 30, 2021
The poems were fun. I didn't like the illustrations.
March 24, 2022
Pretty silly, pretty fun. Kids should enjoy
June 18, 2023
Cute, clever, not a tongue twister like Dr. SUESS
December 4, 2009
2nd – 5th Grade
Edward Koren created the drawings to Alan Katz poems; I felt that Koren’s drawings are an important feature in this poetry book, as his cross sketching has a messy, chaotic appearance much like many of Katz’s poems, all following the “Oops” theme. Katz puts a humorous twist that children and adults alike will appreciate. He takes everyday events in the life of a child and turns them into a humorous short poem such as “The Daily Snooze”; he delivers a funny message in just a couple lines about his grandpa napping. Katz also has the unique ability to put a twist on words like in “Everybody COMMA DOWN!” where he uses punctuation words to tell a story of an English teacher, poems such as this can be used in a classroom to emphasize a lesson in a humorous way. Children will find the poems in this collection enjoyable, because of Katz gift for finding the humor in events most children can relate to. I would use some of the poems from this book to introduce a new lesson in an appealing way, such as “The Names the Same” to introduce homophones and homonyms; this book is also a great book to have on hand when sharing poetry with a class and also a great tool to have during read aloud time for a quick laugh shared by all members of the classroom.
Language Arts/Fine Arts
Lesson Plan Idea: Share several of Katz’s poems with the class, have them choose a theme (as a class) and have everyone write and Illustrate a poem on that theme, have the students share their poems. After every student has shared their poems aloud, discuss the differences and similarities in each other’s poems.
Edward Koren created the drawings to Alan Katz poems; I felt that Koren’s drawings are an important feature in this poetry book, as his cross sketching has a messy, chaotic appearance much like many of Katz’s poems, all following the “Oops” theme. Katz puts a humorous twist that children and adults alike will appreciate. He takes everyday events in the life of a child and turns them into a humorous short poem such as “The Daily Snooze”; he delivers a funny message in just a couple lines about his grandpa napping. Katz also has the unique ability to put a twist on words like in “Everybody COMMA DOWN!” where he uses punctuation words to tell a story of an English teacher, poems such as this can be used in a classroom to emphasize a lesson in a humorous way. Children will find the poems in this collection enjoyable, because of Katz gift for finding the humor in events most children can relate to. I would use some of the poems from this book to introduce a new lesson in an appealing way, such as “The Names the Same” to introduce homophones and homonyms; this book is also a great book to have on hand when sharing poetry with a class and also a great tool to have during read aloud time for a quick laugh shared by all members of the classroom.
Language Arts/Fine Arts
Lesson Plan Idea: Share several of Katz’s poems with the class, have them choose a theme (as a class) and have everyone write and Illustrate a poem on that theme, have the students share their poems. After every student has shared their poems aloud, discuss the differences and similarities in each other’s poems.
March 11, 2015
125 pages of silly and at times irreverent poetry are in this book. Some of the poems are chuckle worthy and some laugh out loud funny. But many of them are only so so. These poems will appeal to the preteen crowd who think potty humor is the best and who would love to feed their liver and peas to baby brother.
Unfortunately there are also references to things kids will most like have no idea what Katz is talking about. Would an 8 year old understand why Shakespeare might say, "To pee or not to pee?" or what a boudoir is?
I would have liked this book better if they chopped it down in size by half, leaving the good poems in and mediocre ones out. Such as: "Don't know any mollusks named Harry, although I sure wish I did. It seems to me that Harry is a pretty good name for a squid."
The illustrations are black and white drawings. They are somewhat scribbly in nature and at times over busy. At the back of the book, Katz talks about his writing from early childhood on. This is interesting. Especially when one teacher said he need to write more creatively! This book in no way competes with Shel Silverstein or Jack Prelutsky, but does have some poems that may become favorites.
Recommend for ages 8-11.
Unfortunately there are also references to things kids will most like have no idea what Katz is talking about. Would an 8 year old understand why Shakespeare might say, "To pee or not to pee?" or what a boudoir is?
I would have liked this book better if they chopped it down in size by half, leaving the good poems in and mediocre ones out. Such as: "Don't know any mollusks named Harry, although I sure wish I did. It seems to me that Harry is a pretty good name for a squid."
The illustrations are black and white drawings. They are somewhat scribbly in nature and at times over busy. At the back of the book, Katz talks about his writing from early childhood on. This is interesting. Especially when one teacher said he need to write more creatively! This book in no way competes with Shel Silverstein or Jack Prelutsky, but does have some poems that may become favorites.
Recommend for ages 8-11.
May 27, 2009
I only read the first couple of pages the day I got it out from the library and I was really excited to read it because the small sample I had read was hilarious. Unfortunately, once I had the time to sit down and read it, I was not nearly as impressed. The first couple poems had been funny. But as I progressed through the book, I found several more poems that I found slightly disturbing, gross, or just a little too colorful. I didn't approve of all the ways humor was used in this book. Still, there were a couple poems in this book that made me smile. I didn't care for the illustrations at all. I couldn't get over some of the character's noses. I wanted them to be shorter or something. I was also a little disgruntled that several random objects in the pictures had smirking faces drawn on them. That was odd and a little bit disturbing. I'm not sure I would recommend.
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2009...
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2009...
December 9, 2009
Grades: 1st - 3rd
This poetry book is a hoot that will tickle any child's funny bone! Author Alan Katz really finds his "inner child" and has crafted a plethora of poems that are silly and borderline absurd, but very relatable and kid friendly. His text is very easy to read, and he uses a variety of arrangements for his text from page to page. His imagination is wonderfully rendered by Edward Koren, who used to illustrate for the NY Times. His style is very "sketchy" using multiple strokes of pen to give the poems more life. The pictures are in black and white, but Koren has an eye for detail, and the b&w helps to accentuate the detail here, particularly for his style of drawing. This collection will make for some very enjoyable reading.
Fine Arts/Language Arts
Lesson Ex:) I would challenge the kids to write a poem based on a funny experience that they had, and to illustrate it.
This poetry book is a hoot that will tickle any child's funny bone! Author Alan Katz really finds his "inner child" and has crafted a plethora of poems that are silly and borderline absurd, but very relatable and kid friendly. His text is very easy to read, and he uses a variety of arrangements for his text from page to page. His imagination is wonderfully rendered by Edward Koren, who used to illustrate for the NY Times. His style is very "sketchy" using multiple strokes of pen to give the poems more life. The pictures are in black and white, but Koren has an eye for detail, and the b&w helps to accentuate the detail here, particularly for his style of drawing. This collection will make for some very enjoyable reading.
Fine Arts/Language Arts
Lesson Ex:) I would challenge the kids to write a poem based on a funny experience that they had, and to illustrate it.
September 26, 2015
This was strongly recommended be a student and so I read it. I throughly enjoyed it despite the fact that I didn't really appreciate the potty humor. Although it might not have favorite poetry book it is a great introduction to poetry especially for those who are feeling hesitant about it. A favorite part of this book was the book plate in the front. It was given from employer to his employees as a Christmas present and the book plate says, "Thanks to books my family and I have shared great adventures, new ideas, experienced magic and laughed about loud . . . a lot. Reading never fails to send my daughter's imaginations flying. I hope that's a joy they'll have their entire lives. I wish that for you too." Signed "name", Dad and Avid Reader
November 5, 2013
While I didn't care for this collection of poetry, or even find it particularly funny, I think it will definitely appeal to its target audience, young early elementary school age children. With plenty of bathroom humor, from Shakespeare wondering, "To pee or not to pee" to gags about wiping poop on walls and trading underwear between brothers, young kids will love it, especially boys. My favorite part wasn't actually the poetry but the "bonus" section at the end of the book where Katz shares some background about his life. I actually did find that part engaging. Overall, not terrible, just not my cup of tea.
February 16, 2013
This book reminded me of Shel Silverstein. It had the similar format of many different poems within one book none of which each other have to do with the other. This entire book has the funniest poems that made me read the entire 50 or so poems in one sitting. Every poem in the book is about an "oops" or a funny and crazy mistake. I was truly laughing outloud after almost every poem. I think I will definitely have to invest in this book for my students...or me. Books like this make the reading easy and quick but more importantly with no pain and entertainment.
April 17, 2010
Definite 5 star for my kids, maybe 4 or 5 for me?
Hilarious book of silly poetry which made me and my children laugh out loud many times. It was long, but we read it in one or two sittings because it was so entertaining. If any book of children's poetry in this age is to be a commercial success and maybe even a poetry "classic" like Shel Silverstein, I think this would be it. It's a little irreverent and sassy... just like this generation of kids.
Hilarious book of silly poetry which made me and my children laugh out loud many times. It was long, but we read it in one or two sittings because it was so entertaining. If any book of children's poetry in this age is to be a commercial success and maybe even a poetry "classic" like Shel Silverstein, I think this would be it. It's a little irreverent and sassy... just like this generation of kids.
December 1, 2011
My boys love silly poetry, and while I enjoyed the way this author use wordplay, I thought something was off with the construction of the poems themselves- some were great, but several didn't flow right, something to do with the meter that someone more knowledgable about poetry form would be able to explain! I just know they didn't sound right to my ear. My sons enjoyed some of the poems, though, which is what matters.
March 30, 2014
Children's Poetry
Katz, Alan. Oops! (McElderry Books, 2008).
This hilarious collection of poems is sure to tickle any child's funny bone. The wording in these poems is funny yet comprehensible and without any hidden meanings. The illustrations by Edward Koren are just as funny as the poems even if they are quick sketches.. With poems about school, parents, birthday's, and other nonsense this book is sure to an awesome addition to anyone's book collection.
(ages 7+)
Katz, Alan. Oops! (McElderry Books, 2008).
This hilarious collection of poems is sure to tickle any child's funny bone. The wording in these poems is funny yet comprehensible and without any hidden meanings. The illustrations by Edward Koren are just as funny as the poems even if they are quick sketches.. With poems about school, parents, birthday's, and other nonsense this book is sure to an awesome addition to anyone's book collection.
(ages 7+)
January 26, 2010
My favorite poems in this book were "My Report Card" (because the teacher's name is Mrs. Smith just like mine) and "Just Call Me Maggie" (because Maggie is my name). Really I liked all the poems a lot. A lot of them were funny and I like to write poems too. I hope this wins the Beehive Book Award for poetry this year.
August 1, 2012
This silly collection of poems begins with one about forgetting to wear pants and continues on to rhymes about not changing your underwear, playing video games, and using alphabet soup to spell bathroom words. In short, the fun poems and goofy illustrations are a good way to get kids, especially boys, to enjoy poetry.
May 14, 2008
Very funny collection of poetry by Alan Katz who also wrote the I'm Still Here in the Bathtub books. Lots of gross potty humor poems that boys will love plus lots of word-play poems that teachers could use.
April 9, 2011
Currently reading this with Kayla. Reminds me of Shel Silverstein's poems in "Where the Sidewalk Ends".
Done reading. Kayla and I both enjoyed this book of poems. Looking forward to reading it with Ethan in a year or two. I think he'll like it too!
Done reading. Kayla and I both enjoyed this book of poems. Looking forward to reading it with Ethan in a year or two. I think he'll like it too!
September 19, 2011
I think this would be a great addition to the poetry section for upper grades: it is thicker and does not look babyish, yet contains lots of funny, short poems. No color illustrations, but I think it will still hold great appeal, especially for reluctants.
October 23, 2013
These children poems explore domestic disasters via nonsense rhymes and witty wordplay. The evocative pictures by Edward Koren are deft additions as they portray children and animals and others in situations that illustrate the improbable and the all too mundane.
January 6, 2015
Oops! is a collection of extremely funny poems. The poems range from jokes about wearing pants to a spin on little Ms.Muffet! The illustrations were black and white, which could be a little lack luster for children, however the illustrations are perfectly matched to the poems and equally as funny!
January 19, 2025
There are 100 funny short poems in this book, some a little sassy and all enjoyable. At the end is a humourous section by the author, as if talking to the reader, including a few more poems. Fun illustrations.
March 12, 2008
Solid collection of poems that will entertain the likes of Silverstein, Prelutsky, Moss and Lewis fans. Fun!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews