Rhyme time

Springtime is sublime, and April's the month to read a rhyme.

It's easy to celebrate National Poetry Month with books for children. Bookstore and library shelves are filled with wonderful poetry for young people of all ages.

Here are a few to get you started:

* "Colors" by Ken Nordine: There is a wonderful, classic book of children's poetry about colors, "Hailstones and Halibut Bones," by Mary O'Neill, which was first published in 1961 and reissued in 1989. Nordine's treatment of colors is edgier and hipper but still wonderful. Try reading them together.

Nordine's poems also were written in the 1960s. They originally were radio advertisements for paint that were so popular he made them into an album and called it "word jazz." Here Nordine's word jazz has been put together with some pretty jazzy art by Henrik Drescher. The book also uses a wild mixture of type styles and sizes. All of it is jumbled together on the pages and somehow ends up making perfect sense. If you've never thought about Magenta having her own gossip column, or Chartreuse wanting to quit, or Burgundy being fat, you need to read this book. (Harcourt Brace, all ages, 32 pgs., $16)

* "It's About Dogs" by Tony Johnston: This is a lovely book. Johnston has written many children's books, including picture books on a wide variety of topics. Here, she writes deftly about a subject she clearly knows and loves: dogs. Some of the poems are humorous, such as "The World is Made of Cookies" and "Little Loaf of Dog." Others are sweet, such as "Visit to the Rest Home" and "Home for Christmas." There are historical poems: "Henry VIII's Dogs" and "Mr. Lincoln's Doctor's Dog" and sad ones, such as "At the Pound."

Illustrator Ted Rand, another Seattle-area resident, also knows and loves dogs. His watercolors are great, especially the dog with two tennis balls stuffed in his mouth. (Harcourt Brace, age 6 and up, 44 pgs. $16)

* "Lizards, Frogs, and Polliwogs" by Douglas Florian: Think of this poet as an Ogden Nash for children who does his own illustrations. In this and six earlier companion books, Florian focuses his whimsical words and illustrations on the nonhuman creatures of the earth.

Consider "The Cobra." "It's wise to stay clear/ Of the dangerous cobra/ All months of the year,/ Including Octobra." This volume, of course, deals with reptiles and amphibians. His others are about birds, insects, mammals and fish. All are highly recommended. (Harcourt Brace, 48 pgs., ages 5-10, $16)

* "Big Talk: Poems for Four Voices" by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Beppe Giacobbe: Everything Fleischman writes is innovative, including his poetry. Inspired by Fleischman's newfound joy at playing in a string quartet, "Big Talk" sounds like music when read aloud by four people. Each person has a color to follow and speaks the words that appear in that color. Sometimes a reader is speaking alone, sometimes with one, two or three others.

The book contains three long poems, each more complicated than the last. The first, called "Quiet Evenings Here," is the tale of a family of homebodies. The second is called "Seventh Grade Soap Opera" and is reminiscent of the song "The Telephone Hour" from "Bye Bye Birdie," in which a bunch of chattery teenagers tie up their families' phone lines gossiping. In the third poem, "Ghost's Grace," a group of ghosts hover over a family dinner, longingly remembering the taste, sound and feelings of dinner at home.

Fleischman's 1988 book, "Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices," won the Newbery Medal for its verses about insects. An earlier book, "I Am Phoenix," contained poems for two voices about birds. Other titles by Fleischman that are good reading include "The Borning Room," "Whirligig," "Westlandia," "Seedfolks" and "Graven Images." (Candlewick Press, ages 10 and up, 44 pgs., $14.99)

* "It's Raining Pigs & Noodles" by Jack Prelutsky: Prelutsky will probably never be poet laureate of the United States, but he's certainly popular with children, perhaps second only to the late Shel Silverstein. This is the latest in more than 30 volumes of verse the Seattle-area resident has published, including "Something Big Has Been Here" and "The New Kid on the Block."

Like Silverstein, most of Prelutsky's poems are supremely silly and packed with puns. This book is filled with verse on such subjects as dancing hippopotami, dragon chasing, invisible playmates, alien abductions and virtual chickens. Lighthearted drawings by James Stevenson complement the poems. (HarperCollins, ages 5 and up, 160 pgs., $17.95)

* "Yummy! Eating Through a Day," poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins: Here's one to make you hungry. Hopkins, an accomplished poet himself, has compiled many fine poetry anthologies that are usually grouped around a particular subject. These 16 poems are arranged around a day's worth of meals. The foods are those that kids either love or hate -- pasta, Jell-O, noodles, sandwich cookies and eggplant (more on the hated side). Vivid gouache and watercolor paintings by Renee Flower illustrate this fun collection. (Simon & Schuster, ages 4 and up, 32 pgs., $17)

Here are a couple of books for older readers: "Movin': Teen Poets Take Voice," edited by Dave Johnson. The poems collected here were written by talented young people from all over the country who participated either online or in person at workshops sponsored by The New York Public Library and Poets House. The subjects include school, love, sports, jealousy and memories. It's a powerful collection that will speak to other teens.

Here's a short one by Nadeema Arshad called "Simplicity." "If home is where love is,/ And Love is where trust is,/ I guess I'm homeless." The sprited black-and-white illustrations are by Chris Raschka. (Orchard Books, ages 12 and up, 52 pgs., $15.95)

"Behind the Wheel: Poems About Driving" by Janet S. Wong. "Forget kindergarten,/ Sharing./ Everything you need to know/ You learn right here behind the wheel./ Watch out for the other guy./ Keep your eye on your rear./ Thank the old lady who lets you in./ Don't steal someone else's spot./ When you rush to park and end up hopeless, crooked / just start over."

In Wong's poems, driving is a metaphor for life. In 36 poems about passing a driving test, giving a friend a ride, auto shows and accidents, the writer deals with many other subjects, such as trust, friendship, dreams and responsibility. (McElderry Books, ages 12 and up, 44 pgs., $15)

Copyright 2001 Cowles Publishing Company
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.