Kids Pick The Funniest Poems

Kids Pick The Funniest Poems #1

by Bruce Lansky (Editor), Stephen Carpenter (Illustrator)

Betcha laugh!

This is one of the most popular collections of funny poetry for kids ever published. It's a classic because it's the first collection of poems selected by kids! It includes clever creations from some of the most popular names in children's poetry, including Bill Dodds, Timothy Tocher, Joyce Armor, Robert Pottle, Bruce Lansky, and Kenn Nesbitt. Humorous illustrations by Stephen Carpenter make this book even better.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Humor, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Friendship, Family

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

I was born on June 1, 1941. My first home was an apartment in Manhattan's Upper West Side, a neighborhood that overlooked the George Washington Bridge. Soon after kindergarten, my family moved to Scarsdale, which seemed to be “in the country.” In high school, I broke my ankle when I went out for the lacrosse team, so I wrote a sports column for the school newspaper. I don't think I showed any particular talent for writing then.

I went to St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. I actually learned to read Greek (I didn't understand it, though). I transferred from St. John's to New York University, so I could study political science and economics. I graduated with a major in philosophy and a minor in English. My first job was a market researcher for a beer company in New Jersey. Over the next five years, I switched jobs several times: advertising copywriter, advertising account executive, and marketing manager at a candy company.

I married Vicki and we had a baby, Douglas. I wanted him to have a home surrounded by grass and trees and ball fields, so I accepted a job in Minnesota, and Doug got a baby sister, Dana. What rescued me from poverty was that my wife and some other mothers wrote a cookbook. We published it ourselves, and it was a huge hit. That's how I figured out that I wanted to be a publisher when I grew up. We built Meadowbrook Press, and I became an author of baby name books and humor books for adults.

Ten years ago, I wanted to put together a children's book of all the poems they loved best. To find these poems, I tested poems in elementary schools. As I was testing poems on children, I decided to write a few to see what the response would be. At first it wasn't that good, but as my writing improved, I added my poems to new books. To get them just right, I'd rewrite them over and over. I've now edited six poetry anthologies and filled three books with my own poems. Because I spent a lot of time reading and testing poems in classrooms, schools started inviting me to perform. I've now performed at hundreds of schools. My goal to put on the most entertaining, most educational, and most motivating assembly a school has ever had. My web site, http://www.gigglepoetry.com, helps kids discover the fun of reading and writing poetry.

Language arts are a very important part of what you learn in school. You can read great books that take you to far-away lands. You can write your own stories and make yourself the hero of exciting adventures. Even if it seems hard sometimes, don't give up. Keep practicing your reading and writing skills, and soon it will become easier. There are so many wonderful worlds to explore in books and poetry. Get your very own passport by learning to read and write the very best that you can.

Reviews

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poems started to feel like I was reading the same poem over and over. And I did have some concern about the behavior of the speakers in the poems. There was even a poem where a hunter accidentally shoots himself and dies, so age appropriateness is a consideration. Still I think a lot of young people will love reading it.

[Timberley Mouat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kids Pick The Funniest Poems[Hardcover:]
by Stephen Carpenter

This book is about differnt kids pick the funest poems.One of the poemes if I can rember.Is about were does the bus driver go while all of us kids are at school?So kids is staring to belive that different things happento the bus driver.

One of the kids belive that he was a super hero!!He flew above tall buldings and saves people. And another believed he was out fighting crime. He helped save the world by capturing bad people and putting them away.

At the end of the story all the kids were glad because he was never late picking them up to take them to school or to take them home. So no matter what he did while they were at school they just knew that they were happy to be out of school and on their way home. As they left the bus to go home they all wondered "what did the bus driver do while were at school."

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I look upon this book as an anthology of poems. Tonight I read this book as I searched for poetry to read with my students and to my students. Most of my favorites were there all in one place. Bruce Lansky has a talent for funny poetry and sharing poetry of those we love.

[Reagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is filled with poems that kids picked from all over the world. Including poems from the amazing Dr. Suess, Shel Silverstein and much more. This book has many styles of poems about family friends monsters and just plain random things.

To me, Kids pick the funniest poems is to childish. Now granted some were silly and fun while others were just to silly to where they were over the top. In my perspective some of the poems were not picked by kids... it is almost like they were written by children. Also, some of the poems didn't even make sense.

I recommend unless you are a 10 year old or younger don't read this book!

[Savannah Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids Pick the Funniest Poems: Poems That Make Kids Laugh (Giggle poetry), is a wonderful collection of poems that cover a range of topics, from friends, family, monsters, and even school. I love the fact that these poems were chosen as some of the funniest poems, by children. SO much of what we are learning about reading is centered around the idea that student choice is essential to reading. What an awesome example for students to see that their ideas do matter, and sometimes it leads to the creation of a book! I think these poems would be great pieces to read for modeling fluent reading, specifically for echo reading. Because the poems are written to make children laugh they will likely enjoy hearing the poem over and over again, whether it be hearing the teacher read it, hearing their classmates read it, or hearing themselves reading it. I even could see the use of this book to increase engagement and foster the desire to read.

[Meghann Sniffen · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Summary: This is a collection of poems that children have picked. Some are silly and some are serious. It has poems from famous poets that kids love like Dr. Seuss to some that aren't as famous.
2. Review: I think this is a really good idea for a book. It let's us as teachers know what children are really interested in and its also a great idea for something you could do in the classroom. The poems are kid friendly and it's not something you have to advise kids about they can read it on their own terms.
3. Books to Pair With: I would pair this with a Dr. Seuss book or book with another author that has poems in this book. It would be nice for students to see that their favorite author has more than just that one poem.
4. Quote: I didn't choose a quote but I enjoyed the poem "Katie kissed me" because its relateable to children.

[Kendra Thiry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of hilarious children's poems that kids will enjoy thoroughly. Books like this one are what got me into poetry as a child. I still remember the entire, "If I Were Ruler of the World" poem from this book, and I associate it with very fond memories. I noticed that some feel there isn't much substance to these poems, but I believe even silly poems about monsters under your bed, living in a world with no parents, and a "Recipe for Making Mudpies" can be the very thing that turns a kid on to reading.

[Kayla Montgomery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated references in poems especially to the technology. Understandably since the book was published in 1991. Was not read with children so not sure how funny these poems are to a current audience. The ones I found humorous were because they are the timeless childhood experience. Regardless, glad I read it for fun.

[Mr. Calabrese · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has received no awards. Appropriate grade levels: K-2. This book is a compilation of child chosen poetry. they have been deemed the funniest poems for children by children. uses:

1. give the students a sense of ownership knowing other students picked it, not teachers
2. making poetry fun

[Zhelana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, and many of them chuckle worthy. But not Shel Silverstein.

[CasiDee · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Rhettleigh Milnor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kids Pick the Funniest Poems is, as the title suggests, a collection of poems picked by kids! The poems use creative imagery and silly language to make kids laugh. Some famous and recognizable authors like Silverstein and Seuss were picked for this book. The 50 poems in the book are divided into different topics: Me, Parents, Brothers and Sisters, Friends, School, Disasters, Monsters, Strange Stories, and Advice. There is also adorable sketches to go along with the stories.

This would be a great resource in a 1st - 3rd grade classroom. Many students would pick this up for a quick and silly read. Some poems could be used for lessons. For example, the poem “Clatter” could be used to teach about onomatopoeias. While the silly poems aren’t much for deep thoughts and reflection, they do provide a great tool for learning to enjoy language.

[NTE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for CBR6

Continuing our forays into new poetry, next up is Kids Pick The Funniest Poems, which is a collection of about 100 or so poems, selected by 300 elementary school children and collected for this book by Bruce Lansky. Aside from a handful of familiar names – Jack Prelutsky, Ogden Nash, Shel Silverstein, Dr. Seuss, the previously mentioned Judith Viorst – most of the poems come from new-to-me sources, but they’re almost all American or Canadian poets. Some names include Jeff Moss, Maxine Jeffris, Phlil Bolsta, Joyce Armor, and Lansky himself.

Arranged into different topics – self, families, school, advice, monsters, disasters, friends – the book is well-organized and easy for kids to use independently. My niece and I have been using it during phone calls – she’ll read me one of her favorites (tells me the title and author, then I look it up), and, thankfully, there have been plenty of good selections to choose from. She’s also discovered a few different varieties of poetry formats – her newest favorite is the onomatopoeic Clatter, by Joyce Armor, which she can “roar, fizzle, splat, moo, hiss.” her way through. It’s a good introduction to poetry as a whole, to new & interesting poets if they’ve already got a few under their belt, and just to the fun of nonsense words all cobbled together in meaningful ways. Complete with tongue-in-cheek illustrations by Stephen Carpenter, and first in a series of child-selected poetry books put together by Lansky, it’s another fun addition to any poetry shelf.

(The title of this review is taken from the poem Rules to Live by, by Linda Knaus, which also imparts the very wise advice that you should “Never let a chimpanzee use Grandma’s waterpick.” Which I think we all know is very true.)

[Diana Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was based on poems children chose. I like that majority of them were crazy and silly ones about monsters and teachers and school. The front cover is what caught my attention because there was diversity between the children sitting on the steps. It shows how it can make anyone enjoy reading these silly poems about many different things. I liked the illustrations that were drawn and even though some were simple I love seeing the detail behind them. There were also poems about gross and icky things that children love to play with and read about. It'll definitely keep children engaged and want to read more.

Poem:
The Early Bird

The early bird-so I have read-
Gets the worm. I stay in bed
And put myself in the worm's shoes.
Had it stayed in for one more snooze
And then a second, then a third,
By then, would not the early bird
Have gone to feed the early cat?
I take a worm's eye view of that.
Why get up early just to start
The day as bird food? Call that smart?
Ask any worm and it will say,
"Being eaten spoils my day!"
Getting out of bed too soon
Spoils mine. Call me at noon.
-John Ciardi

[Brooke Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids Pick the Funniest Poems, edited by Bruce Lansky and illustrated by Stephen Carpenter, is a book full of short poems written from the perspective of children. Each poem from this book is written by someone different providing diverse points of views of childhood. These differing points of views express children’s reactions to their first kiss, getting in trouble, grades, and family. Through the extensive illustrations and organized format, it is easy to determine why children, teachers, and parents love this book. This book of poems is a great resource for children because they can relate to what is one each page and that will help them to improve their reading abilities while encouraging them to read. Personally, I know I will use poems from this book to facilitate a poetry lesson in my future classroom because it will provide my students with a humorous and exciting lesson that they will not dread like most. Often time poetry is something that students are drug through, but I am confident this book will help me create a learning environment where the students trek through with excitement.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bruce Lansky's "Kid's Pick The Funniest Poems" is a great poetry book to have in your elementary classrooms. It is easy to follow and simple to read. Topics are appropriate for elementary aged students, allowing it to be a must have in your classroom. It is through rhymes and rhythms that Lansky makes this book a step above the rest. It is in no way confusing, and the sentence structure in catchy. These two characteristics make this book what it is. I really think every elementary teacher should have this book in their classroom because I know students will love this book even if they don't understand poetry. Poetry can be a hard concept to teach to young students, but Bruce Lansky does it with such ease. It is almost impossible for children to not love this book because of the relatable topics he uses in his poems. Students will not only get a laugh out of Lansky's collection of poems, they will also learn the first steps in what creates a poem.

[Cory Schulz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids Pick the Funniest Poems is filled with poems by various authors selected by Bruce Lansky. To decide on the poems, Lansky read more than 300 books that contained over 20,000 poems. He then had elementary students rate 500 amusing poems with an A, B, C, or D grade, and picked the poems for the book that were ranked the highest. The book is categorized into themes of me, parents, brothers and sisters, friends, school, disasters, monsters, strange stories, and advice. The poets are famous and best sellers including my favorite Jack Prelustsky, as well as, Dr. Suess, Shel Silverstein, Judith Viorst, Jeff Moss, and Ogden Nash. I feel this would be a great way to introduce poetry to a class, as the poems are engaging, funny, and appeal to kids. The illustrations enhance the poems. Stephen Carpenter’s art work is hilarious and grabs your interest before any words are read.

[Ch_hayley Medsker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruce Lansky had been searching and searching for a collection of funny and silly poems just for young readers. He wanted a book where kids continuously ask teachers or parents to "read it again please." Finally, after many votes, "Kids Pick the Funniest Poems" was compiled. This collection contains poems about kids, school, family, friends, strange stories, advice, monsters, and disasters. Various contributors include Judith Viorst, author of the "Alexander" books, Shel Silverstein, and Dr. Seuss. I've read this book to my class, and they truly did ask to "read it again." Lansky succeeds with the purpose and story behind the book, to "share laughter" with kids. I loved laughing with my students, and enjoying elements of poetry like rhyme, rhythm, voice, and expression.

[Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy making kids laugh in the classroom, and this poetry book made me laugh. It is filled with a variety of different poems that are over a broad range of topics and situations that kids can relate to. The one that I chose to focus on was the poem called Mrs. Stein (pg.48). This poem tells the story of a little boy explaining his substitute teacher Mrs. Stein. This would be a good way to explain what a natural rhyme looks like and even go further and have the kids use their imaginations of what Mrs. Stein may appear to look like. The author uses a metaphor and play on words to compare Mrs. Stein to Frankenstein. The dramatic wording is humorous and will draw the readers attention in. I thought this poem was appropriate to children's lives and used good illustrations.

[Ericka · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover of this book caught my eye. Along with being bright the children look like they are having a great time with each other. Some of the poems boys would like, gross things and others girls would like, then there are some all will like. This was a great read.

"Learning" by Judith Viorst

I'm learning to say thank you.
And I'm learning to say please.
And I'm learning to use Kleenex.
Not my sweater, when I sneeze.
And I'm learning not to dribble.
And I'm learning not to slurp.
And I'm learning (though it sometimes really hurts me)
Not to burp.
And I'm learning to chew softer
When I ear corn on the cob.
And I'm learning that it's much
Much easier to be a slob.

[Jennifer Priester · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the time I first read this book I was not into poetry, I liked joke books, which is sort of why I read this one. While not a joke book it was supposed to be a funny book so I got it. It didn't get me interested in poetry, but I did find this book to be very funny and enjoyable. I would reccommend it for younger readers rather than adults even though I believe that adults would enjoy it. The reason is becasue I first read it as a kid and later reread it as an adult. As an adult I still enjoyed it a lot, but some of the poems just weren't as funny as I remembered them being.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good. It made me laugh so loud! Bruce Lansky picks the funniest poems. Some of the poems were a little gross. For example, the poem about how to make mud pies. I recomend this book for people with a great sense of humor. I like how the book is seperated into different sections. There is a section all about friends. In the friends section they obiously have poems about friends. I like it because its just different. Over all I really like the book.

[Gracie Guagenti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminiscent of Shel Silverstein's work, this book is full of poems that will leave children in fits of giggles. Kids of all ages will enjoy this book, as I did. Poems such as "Daydream" -which details how a child would like to get back at his doctors, nurses and parents - would make a child smile and laugh as they can relate well to the author's message. The illustrations were also similar to Shel Silverstein because they were black and white line drawings.

[Ben Coulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a compilation of childrens poems and what makes this book unique is that children picked these poems. There were several funny poems that i especially enjoyed. This book recieves a mediocre rating. Maybe it's the fact that I'm not a huge poem reader or something along those lines but I thought it would be better.

[Savanna Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was hilarious! It is a poetry anthology picked by a panel of 300 school children. I thought it was easy enough for students to understand, but taught them the importance of literary elements. I also thought it would be one that could be enjoyed by parents and teachers in addition to students.

[Christy Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminiscent of Silverstein in artistic style, with two of Shel's poems included, this compilation of poems is charming, hilarious and inviting. Great for read aloud or independent reading. Bruce Lansky has a knack for picking poems that flow so the book is wonderful to read from cover to cover or as individual poems.

[Mikailah Shackleford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book to share in the classroom to elementary students or even at home. It tells very funny poems that children would love and want to hear over and over. It is fun to read, yet includes literary elements so the children are still learning. This book has poems about kids, school, family, friends, monsters, and much more. I would recommend this for children.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use this book frequently to read aloud to my students.
****

Humorous poems that elementary students tend to really enjoy. No stilted language is used, rather fun, and sometimes silly, words tell the poems.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book of poetry was very funny and made me laugh out loud. It had a lot of different authors and one of my favorites - Shel Silverstein. But mainly it was by different authors. Also I read it in about 1 day because it was so good. If yo like funny poetry, this is the way to go!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of funny little poems by various authors including Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss. Topics for poems include school, friends, family, disasters, and monsters. Great to choose funny poems to read aloud in the classroom.