RUMPUS RHYMES

The introductory poem in Katz’s (We the People, 2000, etc.) new collection asks the reader to imagine the library late at night. What if the words in books get bored just sitting there quietly on the pages? Instead, “they burst out of the books in a rackety riot!” Chomp on crudités with a “chinkety-chonkety,” or listen to Willis Walker “jibber-jab-jibber.” Sympathize with Noah’s wife’s complaints about the animals on the ark that snort and bellow and shriek. From the “snip-snip” at the barbershop, to the “swooooosh” of the wind, to the “munchy crunchy” of breakfast toast, to the “bash, crash, blunder” of thunder, these poems yell, shout, pop, and clank. A few are only slightly quieter. They merely pitter-pat and buzz. Playful manipulation of typeface and font guides the reader in giving voice to these sounds. Kwas’s (The Story of St. Valentine’s Day, 1999) lively, brightly colored illustrations perfectly match the content as they move and flow around and through the poems. This collection of poems tickles the eye and the ear. Onomatopoeia has never been this much fun. (Poetry. 7-10)