The Blood-Hungry Spleen: And Other Poems about Our Parts

When I taught school, I was always looking for an entertaining way to trick my students into learning, into becoming inspired, and "The Blood-Hungry Spleen" would have been a huge hit -- if only I was still teaching! Not only is it amusing and educational to young children on a basic level about their anatomy (seriously, did you ever think about spit having a purpose, other than helping you look cool in a dugout?), it helps teachers and parents broach subjects they may have difficulty with. And, yes, very clever poetry!

"The Blood Hungry Spleen" succeeds quite nicely in making learning about the different parts of the body fun. The poems are just silly enough to induce lots of giggles from kids (while teaching them - how sneaky!). The text is written in language that is easy for kids to grasp from a very young age, without ever being condescending.But the book isn't just for kids -- at a recent party for adults, the book was passed around and read out loud -- to the sound of, yep, you guessed it, lots and lots of adult giggles.Greg Clarke's artwork is also imaginative, and manages to perfectly capture the spirit and humor of Allan Wolf's poetry.This is a book that parents and kids can enjoy together.

"The Blood Hungry Spleen" succeeds quite nicely in making learning about the different parts of the body fun. The poems are just silly enough to induce lots of giggles from kids (while teaching them - how sneaky!). The text is written in language that is easy for kids to grasp from a very young age, without ever being condescending. But the book isn't just for kids -- at a recent party for adults, the book was passed around and read out loud -- to the sound of, yep, you guessed it, lots and lots of adult giggles. Greg Clarke's artwork is also imaginative, and manages to perfectly capture the spirit and humor of Allan Wolf's poetry.This is a book that parents and kids can enjoy together.

This is a gem! So fun, you'd never know how much you're learning (about your body AND different styles of poetry). My favorite poem is "A Sad Tale, or Hey, Who Stole My Seat?" (hint: the illustration is a bandit running away with a derriere tucked under his arm). I encourage you and everyone you know to check it out (an excellent present for any child you know -- and the child in anyone you know -- and appreciatives of fine writing). And these days everyone can use some extra giggles and grins.