TALES OF WHIMSY, VERSES OF WOE

This illustrated collection of verse indulges in fairy-tale absurdity and is sufficiently zany to have children and adults squealing with glee.

This book’s cover reveals that the work is the recipient of a “Baldersquash Medal,” which honors the “very best in high-falutin nonsense.” The decidedly suspect award is later explained as one that is delivered to “lucky writers” as a gold coin clasped in a chicken’s beak. Such tall tales and tomfoolery offer a mere taste of the eccentric brilliance to follow. In these pages, readers encounter Mary Melissa Miranda McGurk, who is “uncommonly fond of homework”—she loves learning so much that her rapidly expanding head literally explodes with knowledge. Readers are also introduced to Salmon Delicious, a fish so ambitious he wishes to be consumed by no one but a king. Other poems, like “The One-Man Band,” express delight in bodily noises, declaring: “Sneezing, too, is quite a sound / And glorious fun to boot. / But farting is my favorite noise: / There’s nothing like a toot.” In contrast, the closing poem, “My Father To Save,” is the disarmingly poignant tale of a prince sent to slay a good-hearted beast. DeRoche’s writing is clever, silly fun. In poems like “The Bear in the Boat,” the dependence on rhyming couplets enthrallingly determines the narrative’s direction. For instance, “He grabbed the tail / Of a whale, / Who gave him a hand / To the land.” Soon, readers will predict that the only thing on which a bear can spend his “hard-earned money” is, of course, “honey.” Elsewhere, the only job that can “generate coin” is found in “Des Moines.” This playful approach found throughout is delightful, but the poet can also be hilariously deadpan: “Over there at the computer / Sits my sister, Monica. / Live music doesn’t suit her; / She produces electronica.” González’s thoughtful illustrations display a Victorian elegance reminiscent of Thackery’s Rose and the Ring and, on other occasions, exhibit some of the scratchy, more contemporary eccentricity of Quentin Blake. Either way, González’s art complements the wackiness of DeRoche’s poetry with a subtle beauty. A rare work of pure, unbridled fun, this volume may prove the perfect antidote for the seriousness of modern life.

Joyous poems; supremely worthy of a Baldersquash Medal, regardless of whether or not it exists.