Horn Book

These sixteen silly poems written by comedian Foxworthy (selected from his picture book of the same name) celebrate family, friendship, animals, and nature. Some of the rhymes are sprightly while others are more ponderous; all are accessible in this easy reader edition. Energetic cartoon illustrations do a good job of enlivening the poems.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

The bestselling author of <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">You Might Be a Redneck If... and the host of the TV show <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? turns his hand to versifying with this innocuous collection of rhyming poems about ordinary childhood experiences: “I like to play and splash and sing/ When I take my bath/ But it’s the bubbles that I make myself/ That always make me laugh!” The humor stays mild-mannered and stresses the bonds of friendship and family, as in “Friends,” which begins, “Friends come in all colors/ And sizes and shapes/ Friends share their jump ropes/ And friends share their grapes.” Björkman (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Aliens for Breakfast) punches up the text with plentiful illustrations in a cheery cartoon style. “Friends,” for example, pairs with a picture of a grinning cat and dog, dressed up like pirates and together carrying a small treasure chest. A poem about sitting in a grandfather’s lap gains interest when Björkman envisions it taking place in a small fishing boat, grandpa and grandson napping, a huge fish just about to bite on their line. As a bonus, a note at the front challenges readers to find the 30 creatures depicted in the book’s most lavishly illustrated poem, aptly titled “What Do You See?” Ages 4-7<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">. (Mar.)

School Library Journal (Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

K-Gr 2 This contribution to the celebrity canon is by no means the worst, and Foxworthy's collection of light verse courts both fans of the comedian and their children. The brief poems are perfect for rote memorization assignments and cover familiar, kid-friendly topics like lost baseball hats and bubble baths. Björkman's artwork peppers every page with tykes and friendly suburban wildlife in perpetual states of pop-eyed delight. Alert readers may spot a note on the verso of the title that suggests an "I Spy"-esque hunt for images in the illustrations for the poem "What Do You See?" The suggestion looks and feels like an afterthought, buried as it is in fine print amid the bibliographic data. But never mind; this is still a respectable choice. Kudos to Foxworthy for his role in the production of an appealing, easy read. Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC