Gr. 3 5. Meet Medusa's sister, Sally, bespectacled and toothy. Instead of hair, she has a lazy snake under her proper pink hat. Brown's lively nonsense rhymes blend the mythic and the contemporary, as do his acrylic illustrations, part folk art, part postmodern. The wry mockery of the haikus will appeal to older readers, but even preschoolers will enjoy acting out poems such as Combo Tango (Stomp like a buffalo. / Drop like a yo-yo. / Swing like a golf pro. / Flip like a hairdo . . . ). One of the best poems is TV Taxi, in which the words say there's nothing much to see, but the pictures show a taxi driver on his cell phone as a volcano, a dinosaur, a flying saucer, and a unicorn vie for attention. Words and pictures manage to be both clear and weird, an enjoyable mix.

Using a variety of poetic forms, Brown takes something familiar and twists it ingeniously to become something new--so a crystal ball becomes a crystal bowling ball that tells you your bowling fortune. Brown's imaginative wordplay is matched by his acrylic paintings depicting people and places in unusual hues and incorporating many quirky details to discover.

Twenty-eight more flights of fancy from a rapidly improving nabob of nonsense. <p>Twenty-eight more flights of fancy from a rapidly improving nabob of nonsense. Here, working mostly in flat, dark colors, Brown pairs scenes featuring stylized human and animal figures with big almond eyes to verses that introduce oddball sorts. So the portmanteau "Allicatter Gatorpillar," takes readers to "Weatherbee's Diner" where the cooks literally cook up a storm, and muse over such knotty questions as how an audience of slugs might applaud or whether it's right to have a birthday cake with light bulbs rather than candles. The art isn't all just post-modern decoration either; "Never mind the passing sights-- / There's nothing much to see," Brown ironically assures readers as two riders in a "TV Taxi," eyes glued to boob tubes, pass obliviously by a dodo, a dinosaur and other uncommon sights. Composed with a fine ear for consistent rhythms and silly wordplay, these verses will tempt readers into repeat visits, or as the poet puts it: "Swivel on your kneecap. / Wobble like a mud flap. / Take a little catnap. / Do it all again!" <i>(Poetry. 8-11)</i></p>

Brown (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Polkabats and Octopus Slacks) angles for the Silverstein or Prelutsky mantle in this collection of zany rhymes and funky folk-boho paintings. "I eat my beans with lots of lard./ (The kind without the pork.)/ But here's the rub—/ this tasty grub/ just slides right off my fork," says one fellow, a monochrome study in stripes and swabs of denim blue, who recommends a ladle for slippery legumes. In a comical family portrait, a smug party girl praises her electrified birthday cake ("Plug it in and make a wish,/ then relax and flip the switch!"), while her offended grandfather dismisses the new-fangled gadget ("To get your wish without a doubt,/ you need to blow some candles out!"). In his holiday-spoofing title piece, children swear they've heard "flamingos on the roof" in December; other rhymes introduce "Allicattor Gatorpillar" and "Medusa's sister Sally," notable for her "single lazy snake" and for petrifying people with small talk. The acrylic paintings of wall-eyed oddballs recall Maira Kalman's naïve portraits or flea-market trophies; in one image, an enigmatically smiling, yellow-slicker-clad girl awaits a treat at "Weatherbee's Diner" where "they cook up a storm" ("The thunder is wonderful, order it loud,/ with sun-dried tornado on top of a cloud"). Brown's volume constitutes an uneven variety show, unified by a hearty salute to eccentricity. Ages 6-12. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Apr.)

Gr 3-6-These 29 nonsense poems, written in a variety of rhymed meters, are deliciously loaded with alliterative and assonant sounds and filled with delightful doggerel. Brown's playful verses are foolish ("Life is a dream/with a nautical theme/in a barnacle built for two."); preposterous ("Light bulbs on a birthday cake./What a difference that would make!"); exhilarating ("Boogie to the banjo./Bop to the bongo./Freeze like an igloo./Stomp like a buffalo" in the "Combo Tango"); and filled with wordplay ("Allicatter Gatorpillar/by and by/my oh my!/Allibutter Gatorfly!"). The author's strong command of poetic form and his way with words make creating nonsense rhyme look effortless. Full-page, flat acrylic illustrations, most painted in harmonious jewel tones, face single-toned pages of text in a variety of colors. The style is abstract with a folk-art quality, often cartoonish, and always whimsical. The characters have humorous, stylized features and varied skin tones, ranging from pale blue to light green to burnt umber. Packed with amusing details, the paintings consistently expand upon the text. Read aloud, these poems are sure to delight listeners. They also provide a great impetus for inspiring youngsters to write nonsense poetry of their own.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.