A Funeral in the Bathroom and Other School Bathroom Poems

With several offerings built around the idea that "There should be a place/ kids can go/ when life has dealt/ another blow," Dakos's humorous, bittersweet poems and Beech's mischievous illustrations center on the school bathroom as a place of refuge, camaraderie, and, of course, necessity. Episodes vary from minor humiliations%E2%80%94one kid drags toilet paper on his shoe into class%E2%80%94to more somber affairs. "Before I went/ to the hospital,/ I hid in the bathroom / and cried./ I'm back with/ a horrible secret:/ This time/ I could have died," relates a girl gazing despondently at her reflection. A heartfelt collage of relatable moments. Ages 6%E2%80%939. (July)