A Pond Full of Ink

Gr 1–4—Fans of Shel Silverstein will love this collection of light, humorous poems that is full of fantastical characters. The titular pond features in the first selection about a prolific fairy-tale writer who refills his pen at the giant inkwell. Troublemakers abound in poems like "Nice and Naughty" and "Isabella Caramella," whose crocodile eats annoying visitors, "like Mrs. Hudson-Rote, who thought that children were a pest,/and the lady with the fox-fur stole, who was awfully overdressed." Other poems introduce Mrs. Keller, who owns seven bears, to the chagrin of her neighbor, and Aunt Sue and Uncle Steve, who live and raise their family in a tree. Inanimate objects come to life in "The Singing Tea Kettle" and "The Furniture," in which a house's furnishings head out for a seaside stroll. The well-constructed rhymes are fun to read aloud. Complemented by whimsical illustrations, they offer glimpses into an unusual world that readers will want to visit again and again. The drawings and collage images are colorful and quirky, full of patterns and details that add depth. Illustrated spreads follow some of the poems, providing a closer look at the situation or characters introduced in the preceding poem. This book is a kid-pleasing must-have for any poetry collection.—Marian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT