J. Patrick Lewis, Author , illus. by Roberto Innocenti. Creative Editions $17.95 (48p) ISBN 978-1-56846-172-4
When an artist's imagination, "apparently angry at being ignored, took a holiday," the artist goes after it, in Lewis's (BoshBlobberBosh) unusual tale. Deposited by his red Renault (which "seemed to know the way") at a...
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J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Gary Kelley. Creative Editions, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-56846-295-0
Lewis and Kelley offer a third entry in their World War series, following And the Soldiers Sang and Harlem Hellfighters, this time focusing on the Navajo soldiers who served as code talkers in WWII. Initial pages recount the tribe's troubled history
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Edited by J. Patrick Lewis. National Geographic, $24.99 (192p) ISBN 978-1-4263-2094-1
In a superb companion to Lewis’s 2012 animal-themed collection, poems from writers both classic (Dickinson, Millay, Yeats) and contemporary (Grimes, Sidman, Yolen) pair with breathtaking nature photography that celebrates the variety of life on...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author , illus. by Amiko Hirao. Little, Brown $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-316-61280-7
In Lewis's (The Bookworm's Feast
) good-natured verse about animals who play ball, at times the tempo stumbles and the rhyme feels forced. Performing for a rowdy, colorfully dressed menagerie of spectators at Pet Stadium, the amusingly off-th
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J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Yevgenia Nayberg. Kar-Ben, $17.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4677-1951-3
Set during the Holocaust, this fable takes readers to a small Polish town where life “hung on the edge of the despair.” The Nazis have silenced protest and inflicted deprivation on the inhabitants, but when “the Tyrant’s guards” confiscate all the...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Diane Blusenthal, Illustrator, Diana Cain Bluthenthal, Illustrator Atheneum Books $16 (40p) ISBN 978-0-689-31925-9
O frabjous day! Lewis (Riddle-icious) salutes Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear with this bouncy rhyme. As the tale opens, a tiny Mouse tempts his much larger friend, the Honeypot Bear, with word of the La-di-da Hare. Mouse convinces Bear to set sail...
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J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Valorie Fisher, Random/Schwartz and Wade, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-375-85878-9
Lewis (First Dog) and Fisher (When Ruby Tried to Grow Candy) use rebuses to introduce readers to a nearly extinct piece of Americana—the five-and-10-cent store—and the wonders held inside. Shopkeepers on Pumpkin Street are mystified when a new...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Alison Jay, Illustrator Dial $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8037-2579-9
In Lewis's (A Burst of Firsts) witty and fact-filled collection of poems, the narrator of the opening poem urges readers to "Discover the world of GE-OG-RA-PHY!" and recommends "traveling by poem." The poet examines not only the...
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J. Patrick Lewis and Kenn Nesbitt, illus. by MinaLima. Chronicle, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4521-1895-6
Lewis and Nesbitt, the former and current U.S. Children's Poets Laureate, present a mischievous and slightly edgy introduction to 18 "crypids,” animals "whose real existence has not yet been proven.” Their rhymes take the form of wanted posters,...
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J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Michael Slack. Harcourt, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-547-51338-6
Children’s poet laureate Lewis turns poems from Whitman, Frost, Lear, and more into story problems (poetry problems?) to comically absurd effect. Inspired by Dickinson, Lewis writes, “My book closed twice before its close—/ The two opposing pages/...
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J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Anna Raff. Candlewick, $15.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-7636-5402-3
Lest readers forget to observe (actual) holidays like Worm Day (March 15) or Yell ‘Fudge!’ at the Cobras in North America Day (June 2), Lewis offers a lyrical reminder, with several of the special occasions crashed by a squadron of rats. In honor of
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J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Jim Burke, R. Gregory Christie, et al. Chronicle, $16.99 (44p) ISBN 978-1-4521-0119-4
Poet Laureate Lewis casts a wide net in these stirring poems about civil rights, which highlight figures as multifarious as Gandhi and Harvey Milk, and are illustrated by five artists. The graceful and distinctive paintings offer visual homages to...
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J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Maria Cristina Pritelli. Creative Editions, $24.99 (88p) ISBN 978-1-56846-240-0
Nearly 60 poems from former Children’s Poet Laureate Lewis are gathered in this handsome collection, joined by new illustrations from Italian artist Pritelli. Gathered into eight categories (“Riddles and Epitaphs,” “Mother Nature,” etc.), the poems...
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J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Anna and Elena Balbusso. Creative Editions, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-56846-269-1
In this Earth-centered prayer, Lewis (The Navajo Code Talkers) catalogues the ways the natural world can teach humans wisdom. “Make the Earth your companion. Walk lightly on it, as other creatures do,” he begins, as Art Deco–style animals parade...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Victoria Chess, Author, Victoria Chess, Illustrator Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers $15 (34p) ISBN 978-0-679-82639-2
In rollicking poems matched with devilishly droll art, six well-fed felines set sail on The Frisky Dog under orders from Her Majesty, the Queen of Catmandoo, to bring back the incomparable sticky buns that grow wild on the isle of Sticky-Goo. Their...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Serge Bloch, Illustrator , illus. by Serge Bloch. Atheneum/Seo $16.99 (64p) ISBN 978-0-689-85325-8
In this “handy guide/ (For children overqualified/ For boring jobs”), Lewis (Doodle Dandies
) and the sublime Bloch (Butterflies in My Stomach
) catalogue some of the more esoteric professions. There's the crossword puzzle maker (
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J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Matthew Cordell. Boyds Mills/Wordsong, $18.95 (160p) ISBN 978-1-59078-927-8
In offbeat poems that include haikus, limericks, riddles, and wordplay of every kind, current children’s poet laureate Lewis offers quirky contemplations, silly vignettes, and improbable events. Rather than rely on a single theme, Lewis smoothly...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Frank Remkiewicz, Illustrator Harcourt Children's Books $16 (32p) ISBN 978-0-15-216418-8
Arithme-Tickle: An Even Number of Odd Riddle-Rhymes by J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Frank Remkiewicz, offers a host of clever math riddles with titles like ""Finger Play"" (which teaches a nifty trick for multiplying by nine) and ""Your Average ...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Frank Remkiewicz, Illustrator Silver Whistle Books $16 (32p) ISBN 978-0-15-216681-6
Silly rhymes in Scien-Trickery: Riddles in Science by J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Frank Remkiewicz, a companion to Arithme-Tickle, offer basic scientific knowledge for curious readers in poems that are both educational and entertaining. For ""A...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Dirk Zimmer, Illustrator Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers $16 (1p) ISBN 978-0-394-85365-9
Once a year, Bartholomew Bones comes to town with a wagonload of treasures, among them ``a sackful of magic jars with mysterious labels--Sundrops, Snowrays, Moonbows, Rainflakes, and Whistling Wind.'' Children line up to purchase the jars, as ``a...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Lisa Desimini, Illustrator Atheneum Books $17.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-689-81075-6
From endpaper to doodled endpaper, this mix of clever language and visual delights makes a dandy treat for all ages. Desimini's (Love Letters) mixed-media illustrations and Lewis's (A Hippopotamusn't) inventive poems converge in a single work...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Lisa Desimini, Illustrator , illus. by Lisa Desimini. Atheneum/Schwartz $16 (32p) ISBN 978-0-689-83161-4
Lewis eschews the conventional approach to books about animal houses and imagines instead what sorts of dwellings different animals would choose if they lived "on a street with all of the/ Creature comforts." The Dragon's home thus "h
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Lisa Desimini, Illustrator, Ann Bobco, Designed by , illus. by Lisa Desimini. S&S/Aladdin $6.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-689-84889-6
In a starred review, PW
said of this collection of short poems, "The interplay between words and pictures effectively conjures images from seasons, to sports, to the jungle. From endpaper to doodled endpaper, this mix of clever language and...
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J. Patrick Lewis and Douglas Florian, illus. by Jeremy Holmes. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-375-86690-6
Lewis and Florian bring new meaning to “hybrid automobile” in clever and concise poems packed with wordplay, puns, and double entendre. An impish array of people, monsters, and animals inhabit a loony, on-the-go world with such exotic vehicular...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Bob Barner, Illustrator , illus. by Bob Barner. Holiday $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8234-1909-8
Teaching opposites is practically effortless when it’s done via larger-than-life graphics coupled with succinct, singsong verse. With the help of the animal kingdom, this story elucidates different sizes, shapes and states of being. Lewis’
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Debbie Tilley, Illustrator Dragonfly Books $6.99 (0p) ISBN 978-0-679-88545-0
The answers to Lewis's rhyming riddles appear in Tilley's clever illustrations; PW praised their ""disarming eccentricity."" Ages 3-8. (Mar.)
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Debbie Tilley, Illustrator, Victoria Roberts, Illustrator Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers $15 (40p) ISBN 978-0-679-84011-4
Although readers new to riddling may require some help grasping the concept here, this collection of 28 rhymes, near-rhymes and free verse will initiate them merrily. Presented without introduction, each of Lewis's (The Fat-Cats at Sea) poems...
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J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Laszlo Kubinyi, Creative Editions, $17.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-56846-203-5
Tracing the history of flight, this collection of poems celebrates the daring dreams of humans, from Icarus's doomed journey ("Tracing an angel's tracks,/ he rose on wings of wax") to modern space shuttles. Hot-air balloons, blimps, and rockets are...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Keith Graves, Illustrator , illus. by Keith Graves. Chronicle $16.99 (33p) ISBN 978-0-8118-5130-5
With a clever premise—poems about the world's greatest something or other—Lewis (A World of Wonders
: Geographic Travels
in Verse and Rhyme
) and Graves (Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance
) assemble a poetry volume sure to...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Reg Cartwright, Illustrator Atheneum Books $16 (32p) ISBN 978-0-689-80118-1
The tale of Noah and the Ark, arguably the Bible story best known by children, receives an unusual makeover at Lewis's (Earth Verses and Water Rhymes) poetic hand. Noah's selection by God to captain an ark of animals, ""two of every kind,"" through...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, DK Publishing, Author, Kyrsten Brooker, Illustrator DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley) $15.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7894-2605-5
Could the Princess (and the Pea) have grown up to be the Queen of Trouble? Though this silly ramble is not Lewis's (Riddle-icious) best, he includes some clever turns of phrase and provides Brooker (Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street) with a...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Brian Ajhar, Illustrator , illus. by Brian Ajhar. Dial $15.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8037-2108-1
Lewis (Good Mousekeeping, reviewed above) trolls the annals of history and trivia for this collection of paeans to subjects as varied as "The Biggest Bubble-Gum Bubble Ever Blown" (23 inches wide) to the "First American Woman in Space.
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Gary Kelley, Illustrator , illus. by Gary Kelley. Creative Editions $19.95 (48p) ISBN 978-1-56846-194-6
In 19 poems, Lewis (Once Upon a Tomb
, reviewed above), under the undeniable spell of Delta blues, probes the sparse facts and rampant hearsay associated with Robert Johnson's short, legendary life (1911–1938). The poems proceed...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Gary Kelley, Illustrator Dial Books $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-1566-0
As an author's note explains, ``reddle'' (a red clay) was sold in centuries past in rural England by simple folk to farmers who used it for marking sheep. Here, a brother and sister lost on the heath during a blizzard on Christmas Eve are rescued by
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Gary Kelley, Illustrator, Gary Kelley, Author Creative Editions $18 (40p) ISBN 978-0-15-201949-5
Lewis, whose bouncy The La-di-da Hare showed an unmistakable affinity with Victorian versifier Edward Lear, further acknowledges his inspiration with this inventive collection of rhymes about the poet. A whimsical prose foreword defines ""Bosh"" as "
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Gennady Spirin, Illustrator, Patrick Lewis, Designed by Dial Books $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-1623-0
Spirin's ( The Children of Lir ) sumptuous art is reason alone to celebrate this volume, but the text is every bit as rich. Working from a Russian folktale, Lewis ( A Hippopotomusn't ) fashions a complex story out of a multitude of fairy-tale...
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Roberto Innocenti, illus. by J. Patrick Lewis. Creative Editions, $19.95 (64p) ISBN 978-1-56846-201-1
The team behind The Last Resort recounts a century in the life of an Italian farmhouse. The stone farmhouse is long abandoned when a family moves into it in the year 1900. Bountiful harvests give way to the nightmare of two world wars. The first...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, John M. Charap, Author, Lisa Desimini, Illustrator Atheneum Books $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-689-85029-5
Following their Doodle Dandies and Good Mousekeeping, J. Patrick Lewis and Lisa Desimini present The Snowflake Sisters, a story in verse about two snowflakes who tag along on Santa's sleigh, manage a trip to Times Square in time to see the ball...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Melanie W. Hall, Illustrator Atheneum Books $14.95 (1p) ISBN 978-0-689-31813-9
Twelve diverse poems characterize the months of the year in this energetic picture book. A spread is devoted to each month; about three-fourths of the spread features Hall's (see Shanty Boat , reviewed above) zippy full-color collagraphs while the...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Kyle M. Stone, Illustrator , illus. by Kyle M. Stone. Harcourt/Gulliver $16 (32p) ISBN 978-0-15-216387-7
Despite its clever title, Lewis (Arithme-Tickle
) and Stone's combination of sentimental rhymes and at times ghoulish whimsy creates a volume of poetry about reading that may leave bookworms with a bit of indigestion. The verses range from the...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Victoria Chess, Illustrator Dial Books $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-1769-5
The nimble duo behind A Hippopotamusn't and Ridicholas Nicholas returns with another hilarious poetry collection. Lewis displays his gift for verbal pyrotechnics as his wandering eye alights on a motley assortment of ""little buggers."" Grounded in...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Victoria Chess, Illustrator Dial Books $14.89 (40p) ISBN 978-0-8037-1328-4
Fans of Lewis and Chess's A Hippopotamusn't-and anyone who relishes quick-on-the-draw wordplay-will welcome this captivating companion volume, a menagerie of 33 poems about animals. Here dogs and cats rub haunches with such less domesticated sorts...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Katya Krenina, Illustrator Atheneum Books $16 (32p) ISBN 978-0-689-81336-8
Lewis (The La-di-da Hare) takes a tale ripe with classic folk elements and brings out its full flavor by means of thoughtfully seasoned language. Emelya, the village fool, is promised anything he desires in return for freeing a pike he has...
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J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Ailie Busby, Random/Schwartz & Wade, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-375-84475-1
A cute stray orange kitty cat is adopted by a very lucky kindergarten class and quickly becomes the focus of everyone's attention. But when the children note that Tinker Toy, as she's dubbed, doesn't have many talents beyond sleeping and tail-chasing
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J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Gary Kelley. Creative Editions, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-56846-246-2
Lyrical storytelling and haunting illustrations from the duo behind And the Soldiers Sang recount the achievements of the all-African-American 369th Infantry Regiment in WWI. Known as the Harlem Hellfighters, the 2,000-strong regiment was recruited...
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J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Gary Kelley. Creative Editions, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-56846-220-2
Timed to coincide with Armistice Day, this solemn graphic narrative recalls Christmas 1914, when British and German soldiers called a fleeting truce. American children’s poet laureate Lewis, who worked with Kelley on Black Cat Bone, composes grim...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Civil War Photographers, Photographer . National Geographic $17.95 (48p) ISBN 978-1-4263-0036-3
This heartrending collection of original poems paired with photographs by Civil War photographers makes real what statistics about war cannot—that the casualties of any war have human faces. Lewis (Monumental Verses
) writes poignantly and...
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J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. Creative Editions, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-56846-211-0
Lewis and Yolen pair 14 poems about Marc Chagall (1887–1985) with reproductions of more than a dozen of his paintings (as well as vintage photographs) in this moving account of the artist’s Jewish upbringing in what is now Belarus (“Oh, Uncle, play...
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J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen, illus. by Jeffrey Stewart Timmins. Charlesbridge, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-58089-260-5
Lewis and Yolen team up for a darkly funny homage to the dearly departed—those with feathers, hooves, tails, and fins. An axe leans against a blood-stained stump while three feathers drift nearby (“Sorry, no leftovers,” reads a turkey’s epitaph),...
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J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen, illus. by Sophie Blackall. Candlewick, $17.99 (72p) ISBN 978-0-7636-3702-6
This playful collection of twin-themed poems, a welcome addition to the bookshelf on the subject of twins, is as much for parents as for kids. Early poems focus on the time before birth: “Wrestling in the family womb,/ You and sister linger,” reads...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Andrew Lewis, Author, Robert Clarke Sabuda, Illustrator Atheneum Books $13.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-689-31693-7
In this assortment of 17 verses, Lewis's crisply visual language is enticingly original, peppered with vivid metaphors. The red fox in the moonlight is ``dipping / her paintbrush paws / into the drifts she loves.'' Summer ``is a long yellow gown /...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Andrew Lewis, Author, Lewis Wilson, Author Dial Books $10.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-0410-7
One night Stefan, an old and unlucky peasant, hears his cow Buryonka advise him to ""Drink the milk, Master. It is more than milk now. It is magic.'' He's so surprised he falls off his milking stool. Drinking the milk makes him and his wife Maria...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Patrick J. Lewis, Author, Debbie Tilley, Illustrator Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers $17 (32p) ISBN 978-0-679-88760-7
This follow-up to Riddle-icious offers another humorous collection of simple riddles with clues that swing from cinches to head-scratchers. Tilley illustrates each of Lewis's 32 succinct riddles using familiar objects and scenes (a barber shop,...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Michele Foley, Editor, John O'Brien, Illustrator Dial Books $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-1692-6
With an irreverence suggestive of Ogden Nash and the silliness of Jack Prelutsky, Lewis and O'Brien whip up a whimsical confection of poems and drawings in a format just as enjoyable as the poems themselves. A ""Gentleman Bookworm"" invites his...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Michele Foley, Editor, Alexi Natchev, Illustrator Dial Books $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-1870-8
Girl power prevails in this expertly crafted story inspired by an event during the Thirty Years War (1618--1648). The small kingdom of Beda, with a population of goatherds and shepherds, is ruled by young, bold Princess Birgitta. When outlaws invade,
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Christopher Wormell, Other , illus. by Christopher Wormell. Creative Editions $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-56846-175-5
Paying homage to extinct animals, Wormell's (An Alphabet of Animals
) extraordinary wood engravings for this handsomely designed, oversize volume may exceed the expectations of even his most ardent admirers. A Bali tiger with black velvet...
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J. Patrick Lewis, photos by Frederic B. Siskind, illus. by Kelly Murphy. Boyds Mills/Wordsong, $16.95 (36p) ISBN 978-1-59078-925-4
Who says bugs aren’t cute? Lewis zeros in on insects’ best assets in this poetry book with a quirky concept: it’s the grand opening of the Face Bug Museum, which features closeup photos of insects. The accompanying poems are nimble and playful. One...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Simon Bartram, Illustrator , illus. by Simon Bartram. Candlewick $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-1837-7
Lewis's (Please Bury Me in the Library
) 22 morbidly funny elegies pair perfectly with Bartram's (Man on the Moon
) hilarious acrylics. Each poem skewers a particular profession, from the fed-up food critic ("Bury me with/ Pizza, please&#
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J. Patrick Lewis, illus. by Gerald Kelley. Sleeping Bear, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-58536-818-1
Former U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate Lewis introduces monsters from folklore, literature, and urban legend in this alphabetically organized book that will please lovers of the supernatural any time of year, not just at Halloween. Lewis provides...
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J. Patrick Lewis, Author, Patrick Lewis, Author, Phyllis J. Fogelman, Editor Dial Books $12.95 (39p) ISBN 978-0-8037-0518-0
While some of Lewis's animal verses are perhaps more successful than others, all are brimming with puns and good fun. The donkey, for example, ``is an ani-mule / Who won't put up with ridi-cule'' and although Tom Tigercat ``is noted / for his...
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