No More Poems! : A Book in Verse that just Gets Worse

Justification

No More Poems! is a Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee. It is written by singer-songwriter Rhett Miller and illustrated by Dan Santat who has won a Caldecott Medal for The Adventures of Beekle, Are We There Yet?. This book was given positive reviews from Horn Book Magazine, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal.

Evaluation

Rhett Miller’s style of poems is reminiscent of Shel Silversterin, if a bit more cheeky. The first poem in the book, “My Secret Karate” depicts a young boy as he flushes the toilet, “I stand on my left food and raise my right leg/ Using muscles in abs, thighs and tush/ And with just the toe of my special blue sneaker/ I make the toilet flush.” Funny and relatable, Miller’s style lends to an entertaining read of all 23 poems.

The ability to relate to most of the poems is what draws people into this book. No More Poems! includes poems about taking baths, attempts to stay home from school, sibling rivalry and even stinky breath. A striking poem called “My Device” is pictured in texting bubbles and describes how we use our devices for everything. The poem is thought provoking as it ends with “My device is smarter/ Than everyone I meet/ It knows all the answers/ You’re all obsolete.”

The illustrations in No More Poems! are larger-than-life, expressive, colorful sketches. Each illustration mirrors the poem in a delightful way. The facial expressions of the characters make them come alive. Small details such as seen in the illustration “I Want A Dog” make the reader giggle. In this poem the speaker is giving reasons why they should have a dog. The illustrations list reason 3 on a powerpoint with 55 slides.

Conclusion

No More Poems! is recommended for classrooms, libraries and homes with young to middle age children. These poems will elicit giggles and chuckles from readers. This book is also recommended for teachers beginning a poetry writing unit. What is fantastic about this book, is that you can read as much or as little as you want in one sitting.

Citation

Miller, R., & Santat, D. (2019). No more poems!: a book in verse that just gets worse. Little, Brown and Company.