Smile Out Loud: 25 Happy Poems

Suffused with friendliness and good-natured humor, this collection invites readers to “spread some happiness” by performing its lines for and with family, friends, or classmates. Each poem is preceded by a note with suggestions about how to approach it: the introduction to “Walking Funny,” for example, invites readers to “perfect the walks”: moving like a chicken while roaring like a dinosaur, or slowing down to “egg-aggerate” motions as if striding through egg yolks. Word play (“I met an armadillo/ who could never chill-o”), spoonerisms (“Today I had a tip of the slongue”), and repetition abound, all well suited to a child’s sense of silliness. Coelho intersperses the fun and games with introductions to poetic forms, such as the rondel and the villanelle, while Gray-Barnett’s energetic illustrations, representing children with various skin tones, add a sense of fun to even the more staid verses. Ages 5–10. (May)