A Thousand Cousins - Hardcover

Grade 3-5?Twenty-three original poems about the indignities that kids face. Not as perfectly constructed as either Silverstein or Prelutsky's-scanning and rhyming are too often not quite right-this collection will nonetheless elicit giggles from young readers and listeners, who will recognize the familiar situations. The multitude of annoyances include Mama's insistence that practice makes perfect and cleanliness is next to godliness, cousins (and other relations) by the dozens, and siblings who make life unbearable unless you can outwit them. Lewin's cartoons, washed with a rainbow of watercolor tints, are reminiscent of James Stevenson's work and a little like Quentin Blake's in their lively humor. They give enormous style to the collection and, at times, are more fun than the verse. Satisfying antic selections that will lend themselves to lighthearted choral reading.
Marjorie Lewis, formerly at Heathcote School, Scarsdale, NY
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 2^-4. Funny rhymes and wild cartoon illustrations dramatize common family scenes: what to do about Daddy's snoring ("The ocean pounding on the shore / Has nothing on my daddy's snore" ) and about Mama's nagging ("practice practice practice" ) and about hordes of cousins. The poems aren't Harrison's best; kids will pay more attention to Lewin's loud, colorful pictures with thick black lines that exaggerate the burden and buffoonery of home. Hazel Rochman