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Do-Wrong Ron
This whimsical free-verse novel features an accident-prone boy, a guinea pig , and lonely girl.
- GenresChildrens
132 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2005
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17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 9, 2012
I love free verse novels. They are short and sharp and have no room for waffle. Verse novels are a great genre when you stop to think about it. Children and young adults supposedly love short books – finishing them gives them a real sense of achievement. They love writers who can sketch quirky, engaging and believable characters with a minimum of words, and who can create a setting they can see for themselves. Performance poet, Steven Herrick, is one of the masters of free verse novels for younger readers. He is able to do all these things and more – his books are guaranteed laugh-out-loud funny.
Sadly for me Do-wrong Ron, Herrick’s first novel with Allen and Unwin, having left University of Queensland Press in 2003 did not live up to my expectations. The characters were his usual off-beat outsiders looking for ways to fit in, and at times his writing was up there with the best he has done. But too many things didn’t work for me. For instance, he started with a really clever device where the last line of one poem was the title of the next. I liked it, especially when it was a really odd last line and I wondered as I turned the page, ‘Now how is he going to get a first line out of this?’, but all of a sudden this device just stopped, and then it just started again. I kept looking for a reason but couldn’t find one. I also loved that Charlie, Ron’s pet guinea pig, also spoke his own poems, ‘wee wee wee’ and that Charlie/Herrick translated them for us dummies who can’t decipher guinea pig poetry. Sometimes the number of ‘wees’ matched the number of words or syllables in the translation – and then sometimes they didn’t which I think would annoy children who love looking for patterns and cracking codes.
Caroline Magerl’s black and white wash and line illustrations perfectly illustrated just how genuine Ron was as he tried to do the right thing and help others. I just wish there had been more of them. Luckily the librarian of a local school told me that she loved this book and thought it was hilarious, so I’m happy to stand corrected, because I do love Herrick’s work and all he does for bringing children and poetry together.
Sadly for me Do-wrong Ron, Herrick’s first novel with Allen and Unwin, having left University of Queensland Press in 2003 did not live up to my expectations. The characters were his usual off-beat outsiders looking for ways to fit in, and at times his writing was up there with the best he has done. But too many things didn’t work for me. For instance, he started with a really clever device where the last line of one poem was the title of the next. I liked it, especially when it was a really odd last line and I wondered as I turned the page, ‘Now how is he going to get a first line out of this?’, but all of a sudden this device just stopped, and then it just started again. I kept looking for a reason but couldn’t find one. I also loved that Charlie, Ron’s pet guinea pig, also spoke his own poems, ‘wee wee wee’ and that Charlie/Herrick translated them for us dummies who can’t decipher guinea pig poetry. Sometimes the number of ‘wees’ matched the number of words or syllables in the translation – and then sometimes they didn’t which I think would annoy children who love looking for patterns and cracking codes.
Caroline Magerl’s black and white wash and line illustrations perfectly illustrated just how genuine Ron was as he tried to do the right thing and help others. I just wish there had been more of them. Luckily the librarian of a local school told me that she loved this book and thought it was hilarious, so I’m happy to stand corrected, because I do love Herrick’s work and all he does for bringing children and poetry together.
November 7, 2017
A delightful, heart-warming free-verse story for children tells the story of Ron, who can't do anything right.
When a new girl, Isabelle, arrives in town with her grandmother, Ron has the chance to make a new friend and to heal some of the loneliness and isolation afflicting people in the town.
Character and plot development bounce along nicely in playful but subtle verse which effectively creates humour and pathos.
The illustrations also really nicely capture the heart and energy of the story and its slightly mixed up characters, particularly Ron who just wants to do the right thing and help others.
This is a fun story and a nice introduction to poetry for younger readers.
My name is Ron.His only friend is a guinea pig, Charlie, who everyone else in his small town thinks is a rat.
Ron Holman.
Or Do-wrong Ron,
because I have this habit:
I do the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Or the right things at the wrong time?
Or the wrong thing at the right time?
When a new girl, Isabelle, arrives in town with her grandmother, Ron has the chance to make a new friend and to heal some of the loneliness and isolation afflicting people in the town.
Character and plot development bounce along nicely in playful but subtle verse which effectively creates humour and pathos.
The illustrations also really nicely capture the heart and energy of the story and its slightly mixed up characters, particularly Ron who just wants to do the right thing and help others.
This is a fun story and a nice introduction to poetry for younger readers.
July 3, 2012
Herrick, S. (2003). Do-Wrong Ron. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
1865086614
127 pages.
Appetizer: Ron feels like he can't do anything right. He scores goals for the competing soccer team and he's the only one without a "date" to the Best Friends Ball. His parents don't seem to have time for him. And when he finds a guinea pig, Charlie, to make his pet and best friend, everyone in his small town thinks Charlie is a rat. When a new girl, Isabelle, arrives in town with her grandma, there's a chance Ron can turn around his luck and do right.
This book in poems can be a subtle way to capture middle grade students' interest in poetry. The book doesn't rhyme, but there is some attention to assonance. But what I a particularly liked is that most of the poems follow a pseudo-wreath format, in which many of the last lines of one poem are the title for the next poem. As I read, it kept me going, thinking "oh, just one more...one more...I want to read what happens next..."
There are still some natural breaks throughout the book, every now and then the point of view switches from Ron's perspective to his new friend Isabelle or to the perspective of Charlie the guinea pig.
I did feel like having Charlie's point of view, which is always presented as "wee wee wee wee...wee," did feel a little young for the age of the characters. But a teacher can still use this to the best of their ability and even though Herrick includes translations to all the "wees," it'd still be a natural activity to have students write their own poems from Charlie's perspective.
Dinner Conversation:
"My name is Ron.
Ron Holman.
Or Do-wrong Ron,
because I have this habit:
I do the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Or the right things at the wrong time?
Or the wrong thing at the right time?" (p. 1).
"Dad's in his study, working.
I knock quietly.
He stares at his computer
as I tell him my latest do-wrongism.
He says, 'It's okay, Ron, it'll wear off.'
'It's not foot odour,' I reply" (p. 4).
"I've tried. I really have.
In my mind I kick the ball in the right direction.
I give correct answers in class.
I mix the cordial in the jug,
but,
between my mind and my feet, hands and mouth,
something gets lost somewhere" (p. 7).
"There's something just right about Isabelle.
I don't normally talk to girls.
Correction.
Girls don't normally talk to me,
but Isabelle is different" (p. 24).
To Go with the Meal:
To teach this book, I'd initially have students focus on their emotional reactions to Ron's experiences. When have they felt like they made a mistake or have done things wrong? Have they ever felt lonely? Students could discuss their feelings, complete free writes or create their own poems.
Another tension is about where Ron lives--a small town in Australia. He wonders what it would be like to live in a big city like Isabelle comes from. Students can think about their own towns and cities. A teacher could also use this book to enhance a lesson on Australia, discussing the geography, culture and language.
Tasty Rating: !!!
1865086614
127 pages.
Appetizer: Ron feels like he can't do anything right. He scores goals for the competing soccer team and he's the only one without a "date" to the Best Friends Ball. His parents don't seem to have time for him. And when he finds a guinea pig, Charlie, to make his pet and best friend, everyone in his small town thinks Charlie is a rat. When a new girl, Isabelle, arrives in town with her grandma, there's a chance Ron can turn around his luck and do right.
This book in poems can be a subtle way to capture middle grade students' interest in poetry. The book doesn't rhyme, but there is some attention to assonance. But what I a particularly liked is that most of the poems follow a pseudo-wreath format, in which many of the last lines of one poem are the title for the next poem. As I read, it kept me going, thinking "oh, just one more...one more...I want to read what happens next..."
There are still some natural breaks throughout the book, every now and then the point of view switches from Ron's perspective to his new friend Isabelle or to the perspective of Charlie the guinea pig.
I did feel like having Charlie's point of view, which is always presented as "wee wee wee wee...wee," did feel a little young for the age of the characters. But a teacher can still use this to the best of their ability and even though Herrick includes translations to all the "wees," it'd still be a natural activity to have students write their own poems from Charlie's perspective.
Dinner Conversation:
"My name is Ron.
Ron Holman.
Or Do-wrong Ron,
because I have this habit:
I do the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Or the right things at the wrong time?
Or the wrong thing at the right time?" (p. 1).
"Dad's in his study, working.
I knock quietly.
He stares at his computer
as I tell him my latest do-wrongism.
He says, 'It's okay, Ron, it'll wear off.'
'It's not foot odour,' I reply" (p. 4).
"I've tried. I really have.
In my mind I kick the ball in the right direction.
I give correct answers in class.
I mix the cordial in the jug,
but,
between my mind and my feet, hands and mouth,
something gets lost somewhere" (p. 7).
"There's something just right about Isabelle.
I don't normally talk to girls.
Correction.
Girls don't normally talk to me,
but Isabelle is different" (p. 24).
To Go with the Meal:
To teach this book, I'd initially have students focus on their emotional reactions to Ron's experiences. When have they felt like they made a mistake or have done things wrong? Have they ever felt lonely? Students could discuss their feelings, complete free writes or create their own poems.
Another tension is about where Ron lives--a small town in Australia. He wonders what it would be like to live in a big city like Isabelle comes from. Students can think about their own towns and cities. A teacher could also use this book to enhance a lesson on Australia, discussing the geography, culture and language.
Tasty Rating: !!!
May 6, 2010
This was my favourite book in primary school, I've read it about 5 times.
July 8, 2010
good book good book
October 27, 2013
Reread this for Readers' Cup. Still fresh and heartwarming
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews