Today’s poem in our Poetree Calendar is the title poem from the often hilarious and frequently anarchic I’m Just No Good At Rhyming: And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups by Chris Harris and illustrated by Kate Greenaway Medal winner Lane Smith.
Full of rule-breaking, word play and mischief, this is an enormously enjoyable collection to read out loud. Publishers Weekly likens this début collection of poetry to the work of Seuss and Ogden Nash! Lane’s illustrations are equally inventive, and have just as strong a “voice” as that of the author, with lots of interplay and nods between the two.
Do take the time to listen to an interview with Chris Harris on NPR, which includes a reading of the poem which features in our calendar today.
I’m delighted to say that I have one copy of I’m Just No Good At Rhyming: And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups to giveaway!
Simply leave a comment on this post to be in with a chance of winning. The giveaway is open worldwide (thought note, this is the UK edition of the collection, which is very slightly different from the US edition) and will remain open for one week, ie until 5pm UK time 21st December. I will then contact the winner by email. They will have 3 days to confirm their postal address to me, and I’ll put the book in the post. The book will NOT arrive before Christmas, but think of it like a bonus post-xmas present!
Earn an extra entry to this giveaway by tweeting something like:
Win a copy of I’m Just No Good At Rhyming by Chris Harris & illustrated by Kate Greenaway Medal winner Lane Smith on @playbythebook’s blog http://www.playingbythebook.net/2017/12/14/im-just-no-good-at-rhyming/
Open worldwide until 5pm (UK time) December 21
Don’t forget to leave a link to your tweet as a separate comment in order for it to count as a second entry.
My thanks go to the publishers, Macmillan, for providing the giveaway copy.
UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed. It was won by Elli Woollard.
17 Responses
Simone Fraser
Thanks for the as-usual-excellent preview, Zoe. I’m looking forward to viewing this; I’ve been a fan of Lane Smith for years.
Susie F
I’d love to win this for my 6 year old son, who has a subversive sense of humour and has reached an age of laughing out loud at funny poetry.
Susie F
https://twitter.com/twickermum/status/941220078779011072
Elli Woollard
I would love to get my paws on this. Knowing how difficult it is to get poetry published, I’m confident this will be very good indeed.
Mary Preston
I love books that have fun with words and word play.
Heather Bignold
This looks absolutely great. One for the library!
Catherine @ Story Snug
I would love to win this for my daughter. We love rhyming stories but we should also read more poetry!
Catherine @ Story Snug
This is the right tweet! https://twitter.com/cjfriess/status/941270834085277697
Please delete the other one!!
Rachel
I love this book and would love to own a copy. I’m also fascinated by the differences between the UK and US versions of books!
Rachel recently posted..The Masks We Wear
Alison
Thanks for offering this giveaway and for including the link. It was really nice to hear the poems being read.
Linda
This is a beautiful book. We love rhymes and poetry in our house.
Jane
It’s something many of us can identify with: thinking that writing verse must be easy-peasy, but then getting stuck with an impossible word that doesn’t rhyme with anything. I love the fact that the poem you’ve highlighted here, Zoe, makes a virtue of this. I shall show it to the children @uptonlibrary when attempting their own poems. We often have one or more competitions on the go – currently the themes are Christmas (of course) and resilience (for Premier League Writing Stars). Thanks too for pointing out the host of wonderful programmes on CBBC. I’m compiling a digest of book-related TV over the holidays, so now I can add this link.
Linda
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/g2wt2w/status/941597307492909056
Jennifer Waddle
I tweeted about your giveaway!
Thank you,
Jennifer
Sandy Brehl
This is a terrific post, and i’m happy to see your link to the NPR interview was included. This is one of many excellent titles currently in the running for the annual Cybils awards in the poetry category. Finalists will be announced 1/1/17, and this is a strong contender.
I tweeted https://twitter.com/SandyBrehl/status/941840738723287045
Caren
Rhymes are full of words
That makes me think of things I’ve heard
and draws pictures in my mind
and patterns rich and filled with sound!
Our family loves rhyming and would be delighted to improve our own attempts!
Solange
This sounds like an enjoyable collection to read out loud.