Zany Zoo by William Wise illustrated by Lynn Munsinger*

 Rhyming poems about various animals integrated with humor and word play. Although the illustrations may attract younger readers, they may not understand the word play, puns, and allusions. 

*Highly recommend for astute 2nd graders and older.

-Borrowed from the library.

The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination by Brad Montague pictures by Brad & Kristi Montague

 World magazine published reviews for the best picture books from 2023. This book was a picture book runner-up.

The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination invites readers to join the ranks. Readers follow Sparky, a figment mail carrier. When Sparky notices that The Cave of Untold Stories is about to explode, he realizes he is part of the problem. He doesn't share his poetry with others. He and Brenda, the dragon in charge of the cave, encourage humans to use their imaginations and to share their creative works.

-Borrowed from the library.

Lambslide by Ann Patchett illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser

 The lambs on the farm are quite self-focused. When they hear the word "landslide", they believe Mrs. Farmer said "lambslide". With persistence, they seek out a way to incorporate a lambslide on the farm. The story was ok. The illustrations are adorable (Ms. Glasser is the illustrator for the Fancy Nancy series).

-Borrowed from the library.

The Real Dada Mother Goose by Jon Scieszka illustrated by Julia Rothman

With a variety of methods, Mr. Scieszka transforms original Mother Goose rhymes into clever, amusing rhymes. He displays the original Mother Goose rhyme and then follows it with a variety of versions. Some methods he utilizes are: morse code, esperanto, pig Latin, spoonerisms, Jabberwocky, Haiku, N + 7  and many more. Readers who like puzzles will find this book engaging. 

Thorough notes explain each of the methods and their histories, and the story behind "Dada", Mother Goose, & Blanche Fisher Wright (illustrator of The Real Mother Goose).

-Borrowed from the library.

Zoobilations! Animal Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian*

 Word play and humor make these simple animal poems delightful!

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

Straw by Amy Krouse Rosenthal illustrated by Scott Magoon

 I own several of Ms. Rosenthal's picture books.

Straw loves being first. Unfortunately, by rushing through his tasks, Straw misses out on the joys of life. A horrible consequence to his quickness causes him to slow down and to appreciate the world around him.

-Borrowed from the library.

Richard Wilbur

 For January "poetry pie", the boys read a few clerihews by E.C. Bentley and word play poems by Richard Wilbur. Our main focus was on clerihews and opposite poems. Unfortunately, the library system in my county did not own any poetry books by Bentley nor any of Wilbur's opposite poem books. These poems, however, were available online in the public domain. My boys immediately created clerihews about a certain president!! The library did have two poem books (NOT his opposite poems) in a picture book format by Richard Wilbur. The clever wordplay reveals Mr. Wilbur's love of words.

Books used for this poetry pie:

Poetry from A to Z by Paul B. Janeczko ( I own this book.)

Scholastic Guides-How to Write Poetry by Paul B. Janeczko (borrowed from the library)

The Pig in the Spigot by Richard Wilbur illustrations by J. Otto Seibold (borrowed from the library)

The Disappearing Alphabet by Richard Wilbur illustrated by David Diaz

The Lost Words by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris*

I love this over-sized book!  This team has collected words that are no longer included in the most recent edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary and created acrostic poems for each word.
Very creative, descriptive poems.
The illustrations are breath-taking and fill two pages.
I shared a poem a day from this book with my boys.
*Highly recommend.
-I own this book.

Llamaphones by Janik Coat*

Karina Yan Glaser (author of the Vanderbeekers) recommended this book for a Christmas gift to babies/young children on a recent podcast.
Out of the books I read by Janik Coat, this one is my favorite!
Simple drawings of llamas introduce readers to homophones. 
Very creative and fun!
This is a board book, but I am not sure how much babies and toddlers will fully understand the homophones!  I would share this book with preschoolers who are learning to read and to K-3rd graders who are learning about homophones.
*Highly recommend for word play.
-Borrowed from the library.

Mr. Lemoncello's All-Star Breakout Game by Chris Grabenstein*

The fourth book in the series
I read aloud the latest Mr. Lemoncello book to my nine year old.  We loved it! 
Mr. Lemoncello is hosting his latest competition on the Kidzapalooza TV network.  Each team enters different genre rooms to solve puzzles.  Holograms and interesting puzzles abound.
Charles Chiltington is back and determined to win.  Kyle and his friends begin to understand why Charles acts the way he does and begin to empathize. 
*Highly recommend.

Sir Cumference and the First Round Table A Math Adventure by Cindy Neuschwander illustrated by Wayne Geehan*

We read this book in honor of National Pi Day.
My twelve year old groaned at the word play, but still enjoyed it!
I think the definitions and concepts were cemented in my nine year old's mind after reading this fun story.
King Arthur and his knights gather to plan how defeat an impending enemy attack.  The shape of the table, however, impedes their ability to discuss and plan.  Sir Cumference and his wife Lady Di and his son Radius offer a solution that pleases everyone.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

P is for Pterodactyl by Raj Haldar and Chris Carpenter illustrated by Maria Tina Beddia*

The Worst Alphabet Book Ever -All the letters that misbehave and make words nearly impossible to pronounce.
Co-Written by Philly rapper known as Lushlife.
A very clever and fun book!
Perfect book to utilize when discussing silent letters in the classroom or with one's own child.
Thankfully, the authors include definitions and pronunciations in the "worst glossary ever".  I learned how some words are spelled and pronounced!
Warning: Some words are not ideal-psychic, ouija

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #4 The Interrupted Tale by Maryrose Wood**

An Audio Book read aloud by Katherine Kellgren
Penelope is asked to speak at the annual Celebrate Alumnae Knowledge Exposition (CAKE) at the Swanburne Academy.  She brings along the Incorrigible Children.  To their dismay, the school is  in disrepair and Judge Quincy, who is on the board, is making horrible changes to the routine and education.
With the help of the children, her beloved teachers, her former head mistress Miss Mortimer, and the perfect Simon Harley-Dickinson, she uncovers clues to her past and the school's history. 
Once again, the rabbit trails are entertaining and educational.  My boys and I loved listening to this book read aloud by Ms. Kellgren.
Unfortunately,  Ms. Kellgren passed away this year on Jan. 10th and was not able to narrate the last book in this series.  She is our favorite book narrator.
**Highly, highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #3 The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood illustrated by Jon Klassen*

Audio book read by Katherine Kellgren (*We absolutely love her narration.  It is superb!)
Penelope and the children have survived London and have return to Ashton Place.  Lord Frederick's mother comes for a visit, bringing along Admiral Faucet who wishes to marry her.  Mother Ashton, however, is still mourning her husband's death.  Then the Admiral's prize racing ostrich escapes and he asks the "wolf" children to track her.  To add to the excitement, someone who is thought dead reveals himself as alive or is it just a scheme?  Miss Penelope Lumley once again proves resourceful and intelligent as she deals with the latest mystery concerning the Ashton family tree.
We love, love this series.

*Highly recommend.
Warning: They have a seance to see if Lord Ashton would approve of Mother Ashton marrying the Admiral.

Shakespeare Insult Generator by Barry Kraft

In preparation for our study of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, I checked out this hilarious Shakespeare insult generator.  With 162 movable cards, the reader can create insults with words Shakespeare used in his works, or even invented.  The definition for each word is defined on the back. 
I am still contemplating if I want to buy this book since a few of the words are inappropriate for my boys' ages.
*Highly recommend for teenagers and adults.
-Borrowed from the library.

Happy Endings by Robin Pulver illustrated by Lynne Rowe Reed*

A Story About Suffixes
My eight year old and I enjoyed this book together as we revisited Mr. Wright and his students to review suffixes.
It is at the end of the school year and the students are finished learning.  Mr. Wright, however, wants to fit in one more lesson about suffixes.
All the suffixes in the book are highlighted.  This book that will appeal to visual learners.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Blue Sky White Stars by Sarvinder Naberhaus illustrated by Kadir Nelson*

The author, Sarvinder Naberhaus, immigrated to the United States from Punjab, India when she was 4 years old.  She wrote this book to celebrate the American flag and America. 
The illustrations are bold and stunning. 
I love the diversity in ethnicity. 
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.