READING, RHYMING, AND ’RITHMETIC

Crawley’s latest anthology focuses on school-themed poems. The 20 poems range from amusing to thought-provoking and satirize the stereotypical attitudes and behaviors of school employees and students alike. From schoolyard crushes and cafeteria food to procrastination and the escape of the class snake, this covers it all. Here readers will find that Mrs. Riley is a teacher from the dark side of the moon, that teachers should not be allowed out in public on the weekend and that sometimes walking to school, no matter the weather or distance, beats taking the bus. “True or False” analyzes the difficulty one boy has with whether or not to cheat—he accidentally saw a smarter boy’s paper—and “Last” explores the positive attitude of one child who is not athletically inclined. “I Before E, Except” deals with pesky spelling rules, while “New Kid in School” is likely to assuage some fears of the recently relocated. Callen’s rather droll pen-and-ink–and-watercolor illustrations go hand-in-hand with the poetry, providing cartoon vignettes of hapless, racially diverse characters. A solid collection, but not a substitute for the likes of Silverstein and Prelutsky. (Poetry. 7-10)