Thunderboom!: Poems for Everyone

My son received this book as a gift and he LOVES it. At six he is just beginning to explore the idea of writing his own poetry and this book is a joy and inspiration. My son outright belly laughed reading 'The Watched Pot,' and 'Stem and Stone' led to an interesting conversation about life cycles. Some of the poems have a depth beyond him, but that is the beauty of this book as he understands more with every reading. For now, we continue to laugh at the silly and brilliant rhymes of Ms. Pomerantz. This book is a gem!!!

Okay, see, now I'm mad. As I write this review we're in the thick of November with December only a couple days away. I was, until this time, under the distinct impression that I had seen almost all the best books of the year pass under my nose in one form or another. And I was perfectly content to write 2006 off and start munching on some tasty 2007 titles when into my lap fell Charlotte Pomerantz's, "Thunderboom!". A book, mind you, that has been out and about since March of this year. That means that for a good eight months, at least, nobody told me about how splendid this book was. Nobody has properly sung its praises. Nobody has showered it with awards and kisses or quoted lengthy passages from it to kill time. Nobody has loved "Thunderboom!" properly and I want some answers, people. What is up with this? The only logical conclusion I can reach is that, like me, the rest of the world has somehow missed the advent "Thunderboom!" and is sitting around waiting for a wake-up call. Well, wakesy wakesy, world. We've got a magnificent picture book of poems on our hands and it's time to sit up and take some notice. Broken into forty-one short poems, this collection touches on an unexpected variety of subject matter. Some poems are as short as four lines, while others fill page after page with their stories. With gentle rhymes and a particularly kooky point of view, Ms. Pomerantz lets the creative juices flow. You might find a tribute to Margaret Wise Brown or ten foreign language translations of the word "Thunder". You might see a Passover poem and then turn the page to see the Three Wise Men reimagined as Three Queens of the Orient (diapers in tow). There are love stories, near escapes, weddings, fights, silliness, and the occasional hymn of praise. Spotted with lovely watercolor images, this is one of those books you simply can't read just once. I don't know enough about poetry to know what constitutes a work of great genius. All I can really work with is my own set of instincts and preferences. That said, I like every single poem in this book, and I consider some of them to be brilliant. The problem with so many books of poetry for kids out there is that they just don't know how to balance poems that kids would want to read with the really well-written poems that kids could love if they were only able to discover them. The joy of "Thunderboom!" is that these poems are enjoyable in lots of different ways. Children will enjoy hearing someone read to them (or read for themselves) the poem "Drowsy Bees" which contains such tongue-twisting lines as, "You'd call them humble bumble shees / Or humble drowsy bumble shees." Some poems have a story, as with the back and forth debate between a Growly Bear and the girl who refuses to hand over to him her yummy pear. I expected to find amusing poems. What I did not expect, however, was to find that some of the verses in this book carry a certain amount of emotional weight. The p

Nichely enhanced with illustrations from Rob Shepperson for the enjoyment of children ages 3 to 8, Thunderboom!: Poems For Everyone by Charlotte Pomerantz is a superb collection of clever poems which will engage and entertain its young poetry lovers from first page to last. The Kangaroo: A kangaroo doesn't keep in her pocket/Bracelets or brooches or rings or a locket.//She doesn't keep pencils and lollipop sticks. Or bubblegum wrappers or magical tricks.//She doesn't keep cookies or cornsticks to munch/Or crispy salt crackers or celery to crunch.//She doesn't keep postcards or bent paper clips/Or yo-yos or tickets from trolleybus trips.//She doesn't keep thimbles or licorice drops/Or Cracker Jacks, whistles, or peppermint pops.//She keeps in her pocket--can you guess who?//A baby kangaroo.

I love the poems in this book. I have been reading them to my nieces and nephews and they love them, too. My favorite is "Presents for Everyone" which is a really great Christmas poem and the kids have memorized the verses. These poems seem to Irish in feeling and bring to mind James Joyce. Some poems are lighthearted, some are serious, but all of the rhymes are fun for kids. This is also an excellent gift book. BUY IT!