Thousands of elementary-school students helped Bruce Lansky pick poems by Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, Jeff Moss, Bruce Lansky and other popular poets for Miles of Smiles. Coupled with Stephen Carpenter's hilarious illustrations, kids will find a smile on every page of this book."What a Riot!" Miles of Smiles will have you falling out of your chair laughing. It's the world's funniest collection of children's poetry."-Kenn Nesbitt, author of The Aliens Have Landed"Bruce Lansky's poetry books are so funny, we can't keep them in the library."-Lynette Townsend, Librarian, Laguna Hills, California
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
Boys love it!:
I have four young boys who love this book. They enjoy a variety of poem books, including classics, but they always come back to this one. I'll admit that not every poem is all that funny, but most are very silly and good for a laugh. My boys each have their own personal favorites and even my 4 year old will look at the funny illustrations and giggle because it reminds him of something funny he heard us read. I was amazed to find my six and eight year olds reading several pages to friends during a recent... more info
Miles of Smiles:
I admit that I did not get past the first poem pointed out by a humiliated first grade bed wetter: "Never tell your friends at school that you still wet your bed. They are sure to tease you, and you'll wish that you were dead." This should NOT be used as classroom reading! Does Lansky understand that this is a common problem that is very embarrassing to a young child? Every lower elementary class is bound to contain bed wetters. Ain't funny, McGee!!
a favorite book in my classroom:
My second graders have tried every day to beat each other to the poetry book box at quiet reading time, and this is the first choice book. Yes, Silverstein and Prelutsky are favorites too, but this one is fun and accessible to so many of them. They copy poems to take home, they'll giggle incessantly while reading. They're reading and enjoying themselves -- what more could I ask?
This anthology doesn't work:
An anthology only works if all the contents are at a relatively equivalent level of quality. You can tolerate a few stinkers, but only if the overall quality is high. Unfortunately, the editor insists upon mixing too many low-quality poems (many of them his own) with some wonderful efforts by such greats as Shel S. and Jack P. The overall effect is a rollercoaster that moves from pleasure to disappointment as you turn from page to page. You'd be better off sticking with the original collections of work by... more info
